THE Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) has reacted to points raised on insecurity by Rev Fr Mathew Hassan Kukah, during a sermon at the Good Shepherd Major Seminary, Kaukau in the Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
In a statement, the Islamic group condemned the comments of the catholic priest, stating that his utterances should be guarded to promote love and not disunity.
“The comments by Rev Fr. Mathew Hassan Kukah, a leader we admire so much is very unfortunate. As religious leaders, our utterances should be guided by trio of national cohesion, security and love for our fatherland.
“The comments are misleading and carefully crafted to weaken the confidence of Nigerians on Buhari’s government. Are the duo of Emefiele and Obiora Muslims from the North? Yet, Buhari appointed them Governor and Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria. Rev Fr Kukah is being economical with the truth,” the statement read.
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On his part, Kukah who preached just before the burial of Michael Nnadi, a seminarian, who was killed by kidnappers, accused President Muhammadu of being a divisive leader.
He also accused Buhari of running a kingdom ruled by nepotism and clannishness, hammering that the administration is marked by ‘supremacist and divisive policies that would push the country to the brink’
In his rhetoric, he painted a picture of a helpless nation built on the foundation of “false piety, empty morality, fraud and pharisaism,’ stating that with inactions from both the government and citizens, the nation has found itself in the belly of the beast, with no hope in sight.
“Nigeria is on crossroads and its future hangs precariously in a balance,” he said.
The Reverend father reiterated that the absence of values makes it impossible for any sane Nigerian to choose to die for the country, to which, he demanded that it is time that the people sit back and rethink the nation.
“Nigeria is at a point where we must call for a verdict. There must be something that a man, nay, a nation should be ready to die for,” Kukah said.
Kukah is not the only person of authority who has pointed fingers against the Buhari administration.
Weeks earlier, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) shared the same sentiment while mourning the death of Lawan Andimi, CAN chairman in Adamawa, who was murdered by insurgents several days after he was abducted by Boko haram.
In demanding justice for the dead, CAN asked that Buhari replace its service chiefs, submitting that their inability to curb insecurity in the nation is indicative of their incapacity.
A group of elders from northern Nigeria also recently came after PresidentBuhari over rising insecurity and poverty in the nation.
The group, under the aegis of Northern Elders Forum (NEF), chaired by Professor Ango Abdullahi disclosed that the President appears incompetent to address the lingering security situation, with much emphasis on the northern part of the country.
Similarly, group of Christian and Muslim leaders comprising of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) and the Catholic scored Buhari’s government low on insecurity, saying all is not well with Nigeria.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) also expressed its grievances with the state of the nation recently, when it took to the streets to demand better leadership of the country. The opposition party accused the president of abandoning its people as terrorism peaks in the nation.
The PDP also said in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, on Tuesday, that in an ideal clime where “insurgents murdered citizens like in Auno, a concerned president would have immediately left everything wherever he was and returned home in solidarity with his people”.
As at the time, the president was in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where he was attending the 33rd Ordinary Session of Presidents and Governments of the African Union.
However, a little past noon on Wednesday, the president departed Ethiopia and touched down in Maiduguri, Borno state, to sympathize with the government and people of the state over the recent Auno attack perpetrated by Boko Haram.
This was confirmed in a tweet shared by Bashir Ahmad, the Personal Assistant on New Media to the president.
Seun Durojaiye is a journalist with International Center for Investigative Reporting (ICIR).