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Kukah: Citizens queuing for food height of national insult *Nigeria becoming a graveyard
“I think it is the height of indignity to see Nigerians lining up every day under the sun and waiting to collect bags of rice which probably never come not because money has not been given but because everybody who gives out money in Nigeria from the Federal Government knows that a good part of this money is always stolen. Nigerians are not looking for handouts.”
These were the exact words of Matthew Kukah, Catholic Bishop of Sokoto, with which he bemoaned the parlous state of the Nigerian economy and the concomitant social deprivation of citizens.
A guest of Sunday Politics, a current affairs programme on Channels Television, Kukah, who argued that Nigerians were never beggars, but hard-working people eager to earn their living through their own hands, regretted that they had failed to do so in recent years by the serious insecurity in the land.
Lamenting the situation, he argued that even the distribution of palliative which the government of the day had embarked upon to cushion the effect of the biting economy, had been mired in corruption, because the items never really get to those they were meant for.
Describing such government handouts as undignifying, he argued that those involved must map out better plans to tackle the nation’s issues, adding: “We need to see a much more robust programme designed by the government to help us go away from just lining up and collecting palliative when we are not at war.”
Kukah also bemoaned the parlous security situation in the country, attributing its persistence to the absence of the will power by those in authority to deal with it, insisting that the nation’s security operatives were very well equipped to go after the criminals.
His words: “There is a feeling that at the top there is no political will…I believe the Nigerian military is pretty well-equipped. The question we should ask ourselves is why fighting insecurity has been so much institutionalised.
“Ordinary farmers just want to go back to their farms. People just want to be able to get back to their lives. Ending insecurity is the beginning of this healing and a decisive programme and plan to end is the beginning of the healing.”
Bemoaning a situation where Nigeria as a nation appears nearly transformed into a graveyard over the past five to 10 years, he said it was unacceptable and government must rise to the occasion urgently.
Citing the staggering number of daily fatalities across the country, which he said had promoted pervasive atmosphere of fear and unrest among the populace, he particularly highlighted the prevalence of abandoned development projects scattered throughout Nigeria as poignant reminders of the country’s deep-seated fractures.
Emphasising the plight of hundreds of Nigerian citizens held in captivity and the sobering reality of mass burials occurring with alarming frequency, he said: “The evidence is undeniable. Nigeria has become a graveyard of sorts, with hundreds of lives lost and no end in sight.”
Kukah, who urged the government to prioritise the goal of eradicating insecurity as a crucial step towards national healing to allow citizens resume their daily lives, particularly farmers, added: “Ending insecurity is the first step towards healing our nation. The government must implement decisive measures to combat this crisis and restore peace to our communities.”
Hours after Mohammed Hayatu-Deen did, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, on Tuesday, also flatly rejected the outcome of the presidential primaries, of the African Democratic Congress, alleging widespread voter disenfranchisement and electoral malpractice.
Amaechi former Minister of Transportation and former Governor of Rivers State, described the announced results as “concocted,” insisting that the process failed to meet the standards of transparency and fairness earlier promised by the party.
He said in a statement: “I unequivocally reject the concocted results being announced,” Amaechi stated.
He said he had previously maintained that he would only accept the outcome of the primaries if the process was free, fair and transparent, stressing that the exercise did not reflect the democratic values the ADC claimed to represent.
“I will not accept results from a process that does not reflect the values that the ADC had pledged to uphold, to rescue Nigerians from the impunity and gross mismanagement that our country is currently facing in the hands of the ruling party,” he said.
Amaechi alleged that a significant number of party members were denied the opportunity to vote during the exercise.
“There’s no way that about eighty percent of members of the party were not allowed to vote, and you expect me to accept such results,” he stated.
The former Rivers State governor questioned the moral basis of the ADC criticising the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over alleged electoral malpractice while allegedly engaging in similar conduct internally.
“A party that criticizes the ruling APC and INEC for vote buying, rigging and writing of results, cannot be engaged in vote buying, writing of results, and other electoral malpractices that leads to the disenfranchisement of voters who are party members. This is not acceptable!” he declared.
Amaechi said the ADC was envisioned as a platform to amplify the voices of ordinary Nigerians and provide credible political alternatives irrespective of ethnicity, religion or social background.
His rejection of the outcome is expected to deepen tensions within the opposition party following the conclusion of its presidential primary election.
“These timeless virtues of devotion, selflessness, and submission to divine will are values our nation desperately needs today,” were the exact words with which Godswill Akpabio, attempted to rouse Nigerians to the ethos of unquestionable faith and service to the country.
Akpabio, Chairman of the National Assembly, who drew example from Prophet Ibrahim, admonished Nigerians to emulate his unwavering faith, obedience, and willingness to sacrifice for the sake of Almighty Allah.
The Senate President, who conveyed his sentiments via a statement by Eseme Eyiboh, also used the specifically hail President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, his vice, Kashim Shettima and Muslim faithful in Nigeria and around the world as they celebrate Eid El Kabir.
Stressing that the occasion called for prayer and sober reflection on the theme of sacrifice, he added: “This sacred occasion reminds us of Prophet Ibrahim’s unwavering faith, obedience, and willingness to sacrifice for the sake of Almighty Allah.
“To our dear President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, his vice, Senator Kashim Shettima and Muslim brothers and sisters, I felicitate with them on behalf of my family, constituents and the Senate on this blessed Eid. May the lessons of sacrifice, compassion, and generosity that define this season strengthen your faith and bring peace to your homes.
“As you share with the less privileged and extend love to neighbours of all faiths, you embody the true spirit of Nigeria. To all Nigerians, I urge us to use this solemn period to pray fervently for peace, security, and prosperity in our land. Let us pray for our troops in the frontlines, for farmers to return safely to their fields, and for unity to prevail over division in our Nation.
“Eid El Kabir also calls us to deep reflection on the future of our country. Just as Prophet Ibrahim was tested, Nigeria is in a season of testing. The sacrifices we make today in patience, in tolerance and in choosing hope over despair will determine the Nigeria our children inherit.
“The Renewed Hope Agenda of this administration, supported by the National Assembly, is anchored on that same principle: that meaningful progress often requires collective sacrifice.
“May Almighty Allah accept your prayers and sacrifices. May He heal our land, guide our leaders, and bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Barka da Sallah. Eid Mubarak.”
“I will not be attending the announcement of the ADC Presidential Election Results today. I am concerned by reports from across the country of widespread vote rigging, some of which I myself observed, and will therefore be taking advice on my next steps.”
These were the exact words of Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, one of the presidential aspirants of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), with which he cast a slur on the ongoing presidential primaries of the party, hinging his position on reports of fraud trailing the exercise.
Hayatu-Deen, a second timer in the search for the nation’s number one job, ran against Atiku Abubakar, Nigeria’s former Vice President and Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, former Minister of Transportation.
In a statement on his assessment of the exercise which began on Monday, the renowned economist Chairman of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), used his X platform to convey his dissatisfaction with the process.
The ADC which said the collation for the exercise would take place in Abuja had urged aspirants, party leaders, delegates, and members to conduct themselves peacefully and uphold party unity.
Bolaji Abdullahi, its spokesman, who described the exercise as a defining moment for both the ADC and Nigerians seeking a credible political alternative, maintained that it remained committed to internal democracy and a transparent leadership selection process.
“The ADC remains proud to stand today as the only truly democratic party in Nigeria because it is the only political party whose choice of presidential candidate is determined through open primaries,” he said adding that the conduct of aspirants and party members during the exercise would reflect the leadership culture the ADC seeks to promote.
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