Kukah Asks Tinubu To End Ethnic, Nepotism And Religious Bigotry
The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Mathew Kukah, has asked President-Elect Bola Tinubu to give his first priority to repositioning the country and to end ethnic, nepotism and religious bigotry..
The cleric in his Easter message, said the urgent task of the incoming Tinubu administration should not be on infrastructure or delivering the dividends of democracy.
Instead, the catholic bishop asks president elect to quickly embark on a psychological task of expanding frontier of collective freedom, and ending the chains of nepotism, ethnicity and religious bigotry.
The Bishop said “Every election brings more frustration and anger and the victims all turn on themselves. The circles have gone on and on.
“Misuse of power by the political class creates the conditions for violence. Citizens struggle to use their votes to choose those they can trust but the violent insist on taking power by the means they know best. It is therefore a mistake to think that violence occurs because Nigerians do not love themselves due to differences in ethnicity or religion.
“Our politics is therefore a clash between right and wrong, justice and injustice, love and pain.”
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The Bishop noted that while the country was preparing for an administration, he emphasised the pressing need for the incoming President, Bola Tinubu to address the core issues facing the nation.
He expressed hope that the next government would recognise that Nigeria’s most urgent task was not the mere construction of physical infrastructure, but rather the establishment of a strong foundation of social justice, equality, and respect for human rights.
Kukah noted “I am hopeful that you will appreciate that the most urgent task facing our nation is not infrastructure or the usual cheap talk about dividends of Democracy. These are important but first, keep us alive because only the living can enjoy infrastructure.
“For now, the most urgent mission is to start a psychological journey of making Nigerians feel whole again, of creating a large tent of opportunity and hope for us all, of expanding the frontiers of our collective freedom, of cutting off the chains of ethnicity and religious bigotry, of helping us recover from the feeling of collective rape by those who imported the men of darkness that destroyed our country, of recovering our country and placing us on the path to our greatness, of exorcising the ghost of nepotism and religious bigotry.”
However, the Bishop commended the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd) for recognising that his criticisms of the current administration were a desire to see Nigeria achieve its dreams.
“I commend you (Buhari) for the fact that you have known that none of this was done out of malice but that we want the best for our country,” Bishop Kukah said.
“May God guide you in retirement while we all embark on the challenge of reclaiming the country we knew before you came”
Kukah also emphasised the critical role that the judiciary plays in shaping the future of Nigeria.
He noted “You face difficult challenges ahead and you are mortals. The future of our country hangs on your deliberations. I will not judge you. I can only pray that God gives you grace. It will be up to you to decide how you use that gift which no amount of influence or power can buy.
“Nigerians are saddened that your sacred temples have been invaded by the political class leaving the toxic fumes that now threaten your reputation as the last hope for all citizens. It is sad that your hard-earned reputation is undergoing very severe stress and pressure from those who want justice on their own terms. Nigerians are looking up to you to reclaim their trust in you as the interpreters of the spirit of our laws.
“The future of our country is in your hands. You have only your conscience and your God to answer to when you listen to the claims and counterclaims of Nigerian lawyers and you have to decide the future of our country. We pray that God gives you the wisdom to see what is right and the strength of character and conscience to stand by the truth. You have no obligation to please anyone. Our future depends on how you arrive at your much-awaited judgement.
He commends the youths for fighting a good fight across the lines of political parties, but urges them to learn the mistakes of the past.
The Catholic Bishop also asked youths to learn the rule of sportsmanship, its rules and roles, when to fight, what to fight for, as well as knowing when to walk away and to engage in other fights.
