President Bola Tinubu and Bishop Hassan Kukah

Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto has attributed the pain experienced by Nigerians to the policies implemented by President Bola Tinubu.

Despite the current challenges faced by the populace, Kukah expressed optimism that these policies could be amended over time to better serve the welfare and interests of the Nigerian people.

As a respected religious leader, Kukah’s observations shed light on the impact of political decisions on the lives of ordinary citizens, underscoring the need for inclusive and responsive governance.

Speaking at a press briefing after a closed-door meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, Bishop Kukah emphasized the need for improved communication between the government and the Nigerian people.

He suggested that President Tinubu should establish channels to inform the public about when his policies will begin yielding tangible results, acknowledging that while one year may not be enough to fully evaluate the administration’s impact, Nigerians are currently experiencing various unintended hardships stemming from policy decisions.

When asked to assess Tinubu’s administration as it prepares to celebrate the first year in office, the Catholic Bishop acknowledged that it might be too early to give a comprehensive assessment.

In his words “I ’m sure many people will tell you that one year is not enough to make a judgment. However, from where we all stand, we know that we are all in a very difficult situation.

“Nigerians are in various levels of pain and they are pains that are unintended. But they are the results of certain policy decisions that hopefully, with time, can be amended to serve the welfare of the people.

“Because I know that the essence of government is to guarantee the welfare and security of ordinary citizens, I believe the times we are in now are very difficult times and nobody should be under any illusion. But there are also times for renewal.

“We just need to commit ourselves to the fact that building a good society takes a lot of time. It’s not something that is done in one lifetime. And for me, the most important thing is to continue on the building blocks of the things we think 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, at least, get a sense of how long is it going to be before food is ready.”

Bishop Matthew Kukah when questioned about the political crisis in Rivers State, initially hesitated to share his thoughts. However, he did acknowledge the common tendency for everyday citizens to express more distress over political issues than the politicians directly involved.

“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.

“But look, when politicians fight, don’t get carried away because they can 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.”

On his mission to the state house, Kukah shared that the primary goal of the visit was to engage in a discussion with the President.

In Kukah’s statement: “I came to see the President with the director of the Kukah Centre. We came to discuss with the President an invitation we had earlier extended, which we renewed, to have a conference in which we would like him to be in attendance, to address the theme of national cohesion. So, that’s really what we came to discuss.”

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