The Presidency has described the Easter remark of the Archbishop of Sokoto Diocese, Bishop Hassan Mathew Kukah accusing the government of paying lip service to Boko Haram insurgency as ungodly.
The condemnation of Kukah’s comment is contained in a statement by the Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu.
The statement says if someone professes to being a man of God, as Kukah does, ideology should not stand in the way of facts and fairness.
It notes that Kukah did not speak like the man of God when he said Boko Haram terrorism was worse than it was in 2015.
The statement urges him to go to Borno or Adamawa and ask the people there the difference between 2014 and 2021.
It also disapproves Kukah’s remark on the issue of hijab in Kwara State, saying that it is a state matter, which the courts of the land have adjudicated.
It says Father Kukah is playing partisan politics by dragging President Buhari into matters that had appeared in several states as far back as the Obasanjo administration.
The statement adds that some of the comments in Father Kukah’s Easter message are no more than a sample of the unrestrained rhetoric he trades in, which he often does in the guise of a homily.
It says an administration that has created a whole Ministry, for the first time in the country’s history appropriating enormous resources to it, to deal with issues of internally displaced persons cannot be accused of not caring for them.
The government urges well-meaning citizens to continue to support the ongoing efforts by the administration to secure the country and move it forward.
Kukah had in his 2021 Easter message titled: “Before our glory departs” accused the government of being clueless in the fight against insurgency.
During the sermon, he said “Taunted by Boko Haram, ravaged by bandits, kidnappers, armed robbers and other merchants of death across the nation, there is collective fear as to whether Nigeria’s glory is about to depart!
“Retired military and intelligence officers lament over what has become of their glorious profession as they watch the humiliation of our military personnel. Traumatised citizens are tortured daily by bandits.
“A thick and suffocating cloud of desperation, despondency, desolation, gloom, and misery hangs in the hot air. We have no message and have no idea how long this will last.
“Our people seek solace and protection, but frustration and darkness threaten to drown them. Is their government on AWOL?”
Kukah concluded as Nigeria’s troubles are growing by the day, the citizens should intensify their prayers.
