The Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, Bishop Matthew Kukah, has asked Nigerians to look inwards and re-order their priorities so as to provide solutions to the various socio-political and economic problems burdening the nation.
He made the appeal in a special Easter message addressed to President Muhammadu Buhari, the country’s political leaders and other citizens.
Bishop kukah reminded the President that the country is being divided by religion and ethnicity, which he believes threaten the very foundation of the nation.
He said: “I believe that this country is so split both vertically and horizontally today that all of us must honestly identify our many sins of omission and commission so that we can honestly seek a solution.
“This is a time for us to genuinely face what looks to me like an impending calamity. The gathering clouds are clear for us to see and even those who cannot see can hear the rumbling and rolling sound of thunder. We ignore them at our own risk.”
While he acknowledged the President’s efforts in delivering on his major campaign promises of security and the anti-corruption fight, he urged him to find ways of reconnecting with the people to genuinely address their yearnings and aspirations.
“We have never felt so alienated from one another. The bogeyman of religion, region and ethnicity, which we thought we had overcome by the sheer nature of your support base, has come back with a vengeance to haunt and threaten the very foundation of our existence.
“Mr. President, you are too distant from your people. There is a sad feeling that you do not share in the pain and suffering of your people. You must very quickly find a way of connecting with your people,” the Bishop said.
Furthermore, he accused political leaders of being consumed by materialism and abandoning their responsibilities to the people, promoting hatred, intolerance and corruption and being mere contraptions to grab power.
Religious leaders were not spared as the Bishop also accused them of falling into the temptation of presenting their churches and mosques as platforms for partisanship.
He, however, advised the leaders to “reduce the culture of godfatherism, and focus on building the foundation of a strong political culture”.
For the citizens he warned them against being manipulated by politicians, the businessmen/women, the religious leaders, and to defend their dignity as human beings and children of God.
“Defend your dignity as human beings and children of God. Do not allow the rich and powerful, who are rich because you are poor, to divide you.
“Rise and defend your right to food, health, shelter and the rest, because poverty is not a divine inheritance,” he said.
According to him, defending oneself does not mean turning o violence but rather, recognizing ones rights.
“Easter teaches us the message of love and of gentleness and of true strength. It tells us that to defend oneself does not mean to turn to violence or to any other misdeed or evil. But it means to recognize one’s dignity as a child of God and remember that each one is created and called to enjoy the fullness of life.”
