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Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Kukah on Monday warned Nigerians to stop spreading hatred, stressing that everyone should be careful of their actions as the country is now on a very dangerous precipice.
He said, “This is one of the first time in Nigeria, that everyone is angry at the same time but the reason may be different. I am sure the President too is unhappy because this is not the country he fought for.”
This country has become chaotic, collectively we are all frustrated in Nigeria, the challenge now is how to channel our anger.”
Kukah made the statement while speaking at the 2017 edition of The Platform, held at Covenant Christian Centre, a nation and governance building program, where he spoke on the topic “The weakness of power”.
Referencing President Buhari’s stance [anger] on those agitating for secession and on the other hand, several calls from some leaders from certain parts of the country seeking the restructuring of Nigeria, Kukah said Buhari, like other military heads like Ibrahim Babangida, among others have a military mindset/approach towards restructuring.
He said having fought in the civil war just to keep Nigeria’s unity, no military man will see the justification or be happy over talks that dwells on secession, restructuring.
Kukah furthered, “Buhari said he fought a civil war to keep this country, which is true, but if you fought a civil war forty years ago and the problem still persists, then there is something fundamentally wrong.
He noted that the use of ethnicity as a tool of negotiation in Nigeria is what makes national conversation, debates corrosive.
In Nigeria, the only freedom of speech in Nigeria is the freedom to agree with them. Nigeria is a country of brilliant people and it is very difficult to govern them[ People who are very constructive].
“I worry that when you speak in favour of Nigeria, people think you either looking for government’s favour or you’ve been offered something by the government. Restructuring in Nigeria is mathematics, The Igbos will seek one more state so that they can balance with the number of states controlled by Yorubas of South West.” He noted.
Meanwhile, Kukah, who lamented about other minorities who have little or no representation in the whole Nigeria arrangement, gave an example of where he came from, said the only first sign of federal government they felt from his ethnic group was a government vehicle that brought the corpse of one their sons who died during the Nigeria’s Civil war.
The President of Nigeria is the most powerful President of the World. Where else in the World can you just with a signature make one man a billionaire, you can own an oil well, the context for power in Nigeria is not about the struggle to serve, that is why it is at all cost.
“This is the only country where people run into power by accident, from the military to the civilian, none of our leaders prepared for governance.
“We cannot do the same thing and expect a different outcome. leadership is a serious business, We have every reason to be angry, but let us remember that a lot people have died to defend the integrity of this country and it must be one factor to consider.
“Our love for Nigeria will never die, we will stay here, we will redeem this country – Obama told Americans that ‘Yes we can’, but to Nigerians, I say, ‘Yes we must'” He concluded.