Nigerians in pains, Kukah tells Tinubu

From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja

Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Rev. Fr. Matthew Kukah,has told President Bola Tinubu that Nigerians were suffering from various degrees of pain and hardship due to certain government policies.

Speaking to State House Correspondents after a meeting with the President Bola Tinubu, he said while one year may not be enough to make a judgement, it is evident that Nigerians are facing a very difficult situation.

According to him, the pains experienced by the people are unintended but certain policy decisions may need to be amended to better serve the welfare of ordinary citizens.

Kukah emphasised that the essence of government is to guarantee the welfare of ordinary citizens, acknowledging that these are difficult times, but also a time for renewal, requiring a commitment to using a good society as a building block.  The cleric stressed that this process cannot be achieved in one lifetime, and the most important thing is to continue on the building blocks of things that are being done well.

Kukah suggested that the government needs to quickly improve the quality of communication so that Nigerians can get a sense of how long it will take before the situation improves.  He expressed believes that this will help provide a clearer understanding of the challenges and the government’s efforts to address them.

“So many people will tell you that one year is not enough to make a judgement. However, from where we all stand, we know that we are all in a very difficult situation.

“Nigerians are in various levels of pain; pains that are unintended. There are also certain policy decisions that, hopefully, can be amended in order to serve the welfare of the ordinary people.

“I believe that the essence of government is to guarantee the welfare of ordinary citizens. I believe that the times that we’re in now are difficult times and nobody should be under any illusions.

“But this is also time for renewal; we just need to commit ourselves to using a good society. It takes a lot of time and cannot be done in one lifetime. For me, the most important thing is to continue on the building blocks of things that 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 get a sense of how long it will take before food is ready,” he added.

Asked to share his thoughts about the political crisis in Rivers State, Kukah refrained from commenting, saying politicians have the capacity to resolve their own issues.

“Well, I don’t live in Rivers State. Look, this is politics and very often, we ordinary people cry more than the bereaved.  The important thing is politicians will fix their problems.

“Rivers State is a place that is very dear to me because I have been associated with them for a very long period of time.

“But look, when politicians fight, don’t get carried away because they have their capacity to fix their quarrel and I hope and pray that Rivers State will sooner rather than later reposition because it is not an insignificant part of Nigeria,” he said.