The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Rev. Matthew Kukah, has struck media aides to the president, Messrs Femi Adesina and Garaba Shehu with an uppercut saying they are cut off from the realities in Nigeria because of the creature comforts they enjoy from their work.
The priest, who stated this in an interview on Arise TV, was responding to Adesina and Garba’s lengthy diatribe against him and his Easter message last Sunday.
Recall that Kukah in his 2022 Easter homily entitled ‘To mend a broken nation: The Easter metaphor’ criticised President Muhammadu Buhari for his divisive tendency and abysmal handling of affairs of the country.
He declared: “The greatest challenge for Nigeria is not even the 2023 elections. It is the prospects for the reconciliation of our people.
“Here, the Buhari administration sadly has divided our people on the basis of ethnicity, religion, and region, in a way that we have never witnessed in our history.
“This carefully choreographed agenda has made Nigerians vulnerable and ignited the most divisive form of identity consciousness among our people.
“Years of friendships, cultural exchange, and collaboration built over time have now come under serious pressure from stereotyping.”
He also said the government has slid into hibernation mode with corruption thriving unabated while the economy, education sector and moral and social fabric of the country have been destroyed.
“With everything literally broken down, our country has become one big emergency national hospital with full occupancy. Our individual hearts are broken. Our family dreams are broken. Homes are broken. Churches, mosques and infrastructure are broken. Churches, Mosques, infrastructure are broken. Our educational system is broken.
“Our educational system is broken. Our children’s lives and future are broken. Our politics is broken. Our economy is broken. Our energy system is broken. Our security system is broken. Our roads and rails are broken. Only corruption is alive and well.
“One would be tempted to ask, what is there to say about our tragic situation today that has not been said? Who is there to speak that has not spoken? Like the friends of Job, we stare at an imponderable tragedy as the nation unravels from all sides.
In their responses, Adesina referred to Kukah as “those who divided Nigeria with their mouths, with evil, unguarded speaking, while Shehu in ‘Kukah’s virus of hate’ press statement said the clergyman should take off his priestly garb and “join partisan politics “see how far he can go.”
But speaking on the presidency’s statements, yesterday, Kukah maintained that Buhari had mismanaged the country and called on Adesina and Shehu to address the issues he raised in his sermon instead of attacking his person.
“What connects me with Buhari and 99 per cent of Nigerians is not the Catholic Church but my public position on issues of national interest.
“I will keep repeating it that Buhari is unable to effectively manage the diversity of Nigeria. So my advice to Garba and Femi is that they should not sit in their air-conditioned offices drinking coffee and think everything is alright.
“They should rather disagree with the text of my sermon, rather than attack my person. I don’t speak for people to agree with me, I only spoke my mind on issue of national interest. The problem with us in Nigeria is that there is no consistency in the system.”
He said he delivered his sermon to “our congregation at Sokoto Cathedral and I’m aware of the state of mind of my two friends, Femi Adesina and Garba Shehu but am not worried.
“Unless Garba Shehu is ready to convert to Christianity, I appreciate that he quoted some Bible passages but he misinterpreted it, which is very embarrassing,”
Kukah also said he was disappointed in Adesina, who as a member of the Foursquare Gospel Church, a minister in the Assemblies of God Church, failed woefully to “help his friend (Shehu) put facts together.
“I have made offer to them to choose venue and time for us to meet and debate about Nigeria, starting with minister of information, and the two media aides to the president.
“It is very sad that they don’t talk about issue, they are inefficient, and they are used to writing statements as opposed to talking to Nigerians about government policies. That shows you that what they are writing is just guessing the mind of the president. They don’t have contact with the president and government policies.
“I have served four presidents since 1999 in different capacities, such as Oputa Panel, member of electoral reform committee, political reform conference. I also contributed during Obasanjo’s government to reconcile the people of Ogoni land with Shell. I played a crucial role in the signing of peace accord between General Buhari and Goodluck Jonathan.”
Kukah also stated that “When we were busy on how to make Nigeria work and achieve peaceful country, Femi Adesina was busy working for Orji Uzo Kalu at Sun Newspaper, while Garba Shehu was busy working for Atiku and Lai Mohammed was with Tinubu at that time.
He said he was passionate about things in the country and “where we are today because I have paid my dues” and challenged “every one of them to tell me where they are at the most critical moment of Nigeria history.”
“My two friends are desperate to be seen that they are doing their jobs. Nigerians know that they did terribly bad jobs on the assignment given to them. Buhari knows that I have great respect for him and he is a gentleman but for me, as president of Nigeria, he has done a terribly bad job.
“For a Muslim to tell me what my Easter message should contain is out of place. When people told me Buhari is angry with me, I told them they are not speaking the mind of the president because Buhari knows where I stand on any issue concerning Nigeria.”
He added: “People need to realise that democracy is not only about building roads, they are about freedom of expression, any attempt to limit it will end in jeopardy.
“Have we heard in Nigerian history that all security people are Christians or Muslims or from one tribe? Nepotism is horrible and evil because it denies you opportunity to hear from others.
“You need to give people impression that they matter, what we are doing is killing democracy and allowing banditry to gain the kind of scope it has gained, that we are using democracy to kill democracy.
“The fact that our universities are closed means we have opened more doors for banditry.”
