By Vivian Onyebukwa
The Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, Matthew Hassan Kukah, has urged Christians to embrace politics, as the country prepares to elect new leadership come 2023.
He said this while delivering an anniversary lecture at the unveiling of the logo and mascot of the Order of the Knights of Saint Mulumba, (KSM), Nigeria, at St. Leo’s Catholic Church, Ikeja, Lagos, to flag off the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the order. This is part of a one-year bouquet of activities geared at celebrating KSM’s platinum jubilee anniversary.
According to Kukah, the absence of good Christians in the political space has led to the bad situation in the country. He noted that Christians have so much power and are given little because they are not united and organised as a bloc, adding that they have the capacity and resources to make Nigeria a better place for all. He identified kidnapping for ransom, banditry, robbery, corruption and insurgency as some of the ills troubling the country, and posited that Christians are complicit by not participating in the political process and allowing those who do not have the interest of the people at heart to dominate the political space.
“Toxic politics is poisoning religion in Nigeria. Christians should walk towards the barking dog,” Kukah said.
He blamed politicians and government for implementing and executing policies and programmes that divide the people along ethnic and other sectarian lines.
Lamenting the security situation in the country, he also blamed government for lacking capacity and willingness to tackle it: “Now Nigeria is being ranked as ninth worst country for Christians to live in the world. We are number nine and Iran is number eight. Everywhere I go, people keep asking me what is happening to Christians and Muslims in Nigeria. Toxic politics has now poisoned our religion. Though I am not a veterinarian, I was told that when a dog is barking you walk towards it and not retreat because, if you turn back, it would attack. My point is that we Christians must walk towards the barking dog. We must not retreat.”
In his sermon, vicar-general/episcopal vicar, Ikeja Region, Monsignor John Aniagwu, who represented the Archbishop of the Metropolitan See of Lagos, His Grace, Most Rev. Alfred Adewale Martins, advised Nigerian the electorate to get their permanent voter’s card (PVC) and avoid being manipulated in the 2023 elections.
He said, “There is a way forward, if we allow true democracy to prevail and elect the right people. Nigeria is endowed with so many right people who can lead us to the right direction to overcome the challenges we are facing.”
Aniagwu flayed the economic situation in the country and lamented that many people were slipping into abject poverty and government could not arrest the situation.
Bishop Martins, who later joined the occasion, expressed delight that Lagos was kicking the off KSM’s 70th anniversary celebration.
“We are beginning this important celebration here in Lagos. Seventy is obviously a milestone in the life of an association, and to begin it here in Lagos is significant to us. I hope and pray that you have a very successful and fruitful time here in Lagos as you begin this celebration,” he said.
Martins stated that the celebration was an opportunity, with its theme, to look to the past, examine the present and to define the future, and believed that participants must have learned a lot speaking with Kukah.
“I wish that this association will continue to flourish because of the good that it has continued to do over the years, and, which we believe you will continue to do further into the future, so that the life of the church can continue to be better because this association exists, and that our children will continue to be a pride to the church, your association, and that which God himself will continue to bless as you journey into the future”, Martins said.
Among those who attended the event were, Prof. Placid Njoku, Deputy Governor of Imo State, also a member of the Knights of Saint Mulumba. He described KSM as a mustard seed that is growing, “With the enthusiasm that I have seen here today, the order will never stop growing.”
Njoku decried that distinguished people, just as members of KSM, shy away from the leadership of the country and, rather, allow people with no second address to rule the country, “If we want to get a better state, we must commit ourselves into politics, we should not run away from politics.”
Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, was represented by his Chief of Staff, Dr. Gabriel Nyitse. Before delivering his speech, a minute’s silence was observed in honour of the departed souls, the Ajanakus of the Owo KSM Sub-Council, and other victims of the recent attack on St. Frances Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State, Deborah Samuel, and the attack on the Holy Family Cathedral, Sokoto, last month. He condoled with the Catholic Church for being a target of several attacks in the country in spite of the historic contributions of the church in the development of Nigeria. Like the Catholic Church, Ortom also condemned the wanton killings going on in the country and stated that most of the IDPs were farmers: “We have about one million people in IDP (camps). We are heading towards food crises, if these attacks are not checked.”
He advised citizens to come out and participate in politics to avoid leaving it to those who take politics as a business.
The chairman on the occasion was Henry Bello. Chief host and Worthy Supreme Knight, Charles Mbelede, alongside chief hostess, Ladies of Saint Mulumba, Lady Meg Anozia, appreciated God for the landmark event, while promising that the group wuld do more to impact society positively.
The theme of the event was “70 Years of KSM In Nigeria: Reappraising the Past, Redefining the Present, Redefining the Future.”
Other activities to mark the anniversary were planting of anniversary trees at Illah Monastery, Delta State, KSM platinum documentary, jubilee luncheon and raffle draw, among others. The series of activities will hold consecutively in the nine metropolitan councils of the order between June 2022 and June 2023.