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… Says citizens shouldn’t worry about Wike-Fubara rift
By Egena Sunday Ode
The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Hassan Mathew Kukah, on Wednesday observed that nearly one year into the administration of President Bola Tinubu, Nigerians are still writhing in different levels of pain.
The fiery clergyman spoke on Wednesday after he emerged from a closed-door meeting with Tinubu at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, Abuja,
Fielding questions from newsmen who had asked him to assess the first year of the Tinubu government, he said even though the period is such a short time to judge the administration, citizens had found themselves in a difficult situation.
He noted, however, that the pain is unintended, blaming it, nevertheless, on government policies which he hoped would be amended for the sake of the welfare of the people.
According to him, reviewing such policies is necessary because the essence of government is to guarantee the welfare and security of the people.
However, he highlighted the need for national renewal as he stressed that the government should continue to build on the things that it believes it is doing well, urging citizens to commit themselves to nation building.
The clergyman said: “I’m sure many people will tell you that one year is not enough to make a judgment. However, from where all stand, we know that we are all in a very difficult situation.
“Nigerians are in various levels of pain and they are pains that are unintended. But they are the results of certain policy decisions that hopefully, with time, can be amended in order to serve the welfare of the people.
“Because I believe that the essence of government is to guarantee the welfare and security of ordinary citizens. I believe that the times that we are in now are very difficult times and nobody should be under any illusion. But they are also times for renewal.
“We just need to commit ourselves to the fact that building a good society takes a lot of time. It’s not something that is done in one lifetime. And for me, the most important thing is to continue on the building blocks of the things that we think are being done well.
“My argument has always been that the government needs to very quickly improve the quality of communication so that Nigerians can at least get a sense of how long it is going to be before food is ready.”
On the political crisis in Rivers State, Bishop Kukah admonished Nigerians not to worry themselves over the rivalry among politicians, saying that they know how to resolve their problems.
He hoped that the issues would be resolved sooner rather than later as he noted that the state is very dear to his heart.
