The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese,
Bishop Matthew Kukah, has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to stop
agonising about the past administration but to tackle the challenges
facing the country.
He said Nigerians did not vote for him (
Buhari) to complain about previous government but to perform better
than his predecessor.
The clergymen stated this at a dinner
organised by the Ondo State Government after the 2016 Catholic Bishops
Conference of Nigeria held in Akure, the state capital on Wednesday.
He said, “We didn’t vote a government
to complain about yesterday, if we wanted yesterday the new government
would not be there. The previous government didn’t only do bad things;
he did a lot of good things.
“I think the business of government is
not our business; our business is, the previous government did bad, that
is why we voted a new government. It is really about taking
responsibility. No matter how much you praise or abuse (former President
Goodluck) Jonathan, he is no more the President of Nigeria. I think
that people must understand that you take power to solve problems not to
agonise.
“We are not asking you to change the
whole world, but Jonathan created problems: we are now riding a train
between Abuja and Kaduna now; the train wasn’t there before. Things that
Jonathan did that can help Nigeria, let’s continue with them. The bad
things that Jonathan did and those who deserve to go to prison should go
to prison. “
Kukah added that the only way the
current administration could succeed in fighting corruption was to first
solve the problem of poverty and inequality in the country.
“I still believe that unless we get to
the root cause of poverty and inequality, which are really the evidences
and symptoms of corruption; you can talk of fighting corruption all the
rest of your life and very little is going to happen.
“Sending people to prison will only be useful if it puts bread on the table of the people, “ the Catholic cleric said.
In his remarks at the dinner, the Ondo
State Governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, reiterated his call for the
restructuring of Nigeria to reflect the needed true federalism as the
only panacea for the development of the country.
Mimiko expressed worries that the
Federal Government was biting more than it could chew with the larger
percentage of the resources at its disposal to the detriment of the
federating units.
The governor posited that the problem of corruption facing Nigeria could be addressed with the right policy.
He called for the prayers of the
religious leaders in the country to tackle inter-religious conflicts,
noting that the (conflicts) might lead the country to more danger that
might be difficult to overcome.
“Government has the responsibility of
bringing these bigots to book. We are not comfortable with what the
bigots are doing. What they are doing is most worrisome in Nigeria. The
Church has a major role to play by praying for Nigeria,” the governor
added.
Meanwhile, about 200 pastors and
bishops from the Anglican Church across Nigeria are currently in
Makurdi, the Benue State capital, for a one-week conference where they
would pray for the peace, security and development of the country.
The Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom,
while declaring the conference open at the Benue State University,
Makurdi, expressed excitement that the state was hosting the All
Anglican Clergy Conference and assured the pastors that their security
would be guaranteed.
Ortom said, ‘’The government and people
of the state believe in divine intervention in human affairs and my
conviction accounted for the dedication of the state to God at the end
of May, this year.
“My faith in God right from my teenage
years has accounted for my elevation from a humble beginning to the
present status and I’m resolute in my determination to serve God
wholeheartedly.’’
He expressed appreciation to the Primate
of the Church, Most Reverend Bishop Nicholas Okoh, and other clergy and
the laity of the church, for making themselves available for God to use
them to bless the present generation.
Ortom urged them to carry on with their
activities at the conference without any fear of molestation and advised
Benue people to put their trust in God to experience breakthrough in
all facets of life.
He said he was sure that the conference would bring blessings to the people of the state as well as all the delegates.
The governor assured the people that his
administration was working tirelessly to revamp the agricultural value
chain, which he said, would turn around the economy for the better.
In his remark, Okoh thanked Ortom for his contributions toward the success of the conference.
He reiterated the anti-gay stand of the
Anglican Church in Nigeria and advised members of the clergy who had gay
tendencies to resign their position honourably or risk being disgraced
out of the church.
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