The Kukah message, the FG response

By John Eche

As is to be expected the Federal Government of Nigeria, FG has responded to the quite damning Christmas message from the Catholic Archbishop of the Sokoto Diocese, Bishop Mathew Hassan Kukah.

In his message, Kukah lamented the distressing turn of affairs in the country, including the relative state of hopelessness being felt by many Nigerians on account of the seeming lack of an answer to the deteriorating security situation in the land. He also took a swipe at what he described as the Buhari administration’s seeming inclination to promote an agenda that tends to alienate segments of the country.

His words:

“President Buhari deliberately sacrificed the dreams of those who voted for him to what seemed like a programme to stratify and institutionalise northern hegemony. He has pursued this self-defeating and alienating policy at the expense of greater national cohesion.”

In its reaction, the FG, speaking through Information Minister, Lai Mohammed faulted the Bishop’s observations on the parlous state of affairs in the country, affirming that it was not surprised by it anyway, given that Kukah had not really been known to be a supporter of the administration.

But this view does not exactly address the issues raised in the Bishop’s message. If the truth is to be told, Nigeria is not at the moment considering the colour of the observations being made on the state of affairs in the nation today. Almost to a man, the wish and desire of every well-meaning citizen is how the nation can get out of its presently most perplexing bind and to begin to soar again. And if Minister Lai Mohammed has no contributions to make in this regard, then he should better not bother to speak at all.

Lai Mohammed, Nigeria’s Information Minister