Sokoto, April 10, 2023 – Matthew Kukah, the Bishop of Sokoto Diocese of the Catholic Church, has advised Bola Tinubu, the President-elect, to give priority to safety of human lives.
In his Easter message, Kukah advised Tinubuto make “keeping Nigerians alive” his first priority on assuming office.
“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,” he said.
Kukah said that the most urgent mission for Tinubu would be 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 collective freedom, and of cutting off the chains of ethnicity and religious bigotry.
Kukah urged the president-elect to help Nigerians recover from the feeling of “collective rape by those who imported the men of darkness that destroyed our country.”
He also reminded the judiciary of the challenge ahead of them in light of several election petitions.
“To the Honourable Justices of the Bench: 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,” he said.
The cleric said Nigerians were saddened that the courts had been invaded by the political class leaving the “toxic fumes” that threatening the judiciary’s 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,” he said.
“To the Youth of Nigeria: I salute your energy and courage. You fought a good fight across party lines.
“Your engagement and involvement substantially changed the contours of our politics,” he said. (GBN)
