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| Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Rev. Father Matthew Kukah |
Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Rev. Father Matthew Kukah, says the constitution of delegates to the proposed national dialogue might pose the greatest impediment to its success, saying its result may not be different from similar past efforts if politicians are allowed to appoint delegates.
Speaking with newsmen in Sokoto yesterday, Bishop Kukah said: “My worry is if politicians are going to appoint the delegates as it happened at the political reform conference, then what you are going to have is a gathering of politicians. That has been the greatest undoing of all the initiatives we have had in the area of constitution”.
Kukah who noted that the unity of Nigeria lies in the hands of Nigerians, just as ordinary Nigerians are yet to get good value for governance, said he doesn’t see the national dialogue being concluded in time before the general elections, or in time enough to become issues of policy.
He explained reasons for holding that the problems of Nigeria would not be resolved by dialogues on the constitution: “I participated in the political reform conference and tragically the politicians sank the findings of that committee. And subsequently I was also convinced that the problems of Nigeria are not going to be resolved by constitution dialogues and so on because we are at a level where we are dealing with the issues of electricity, power ,roads, security, welfare, education and frankly, my own personal conviction is that Nigeria does not even need new laws for now. What we need is a review of the existing laws that we have which cover literally everything that are hardly being implemented and my cynicism, not much has changed.”
Bishop Kukah stressed: “The unity of Nigeria is in the hands of Nigerians, it is not something that anybody is going to do for us. I think one of the saddest things that has happened to us is that for over 30 years of military rule, and even the experience we have had with democracy, it doesn’t seem to be the case that ordinary Nigerians have gotten good value for governance, whether military or civilian, and these are the issues that we are still battling with. You may say the simple name for it is corruption, the whole discussion about Nigerian’s unity will never happen unless Nigerians see quality and quantitative change in the quality of their lives.”
“We want some certainty about our personal security, personal welfare, we want to be sure our children can go to school and that they are safe, to be sure that there are jobs available for those who qualify, we also want a system of government that at least creates a condition to thrive in whatever they choose to .These things are really at the heart of the persistent questions about whether Nigeria will stay united or not.”
The bishop noted with concern that consciousness of religious or regional identity continue to put Nigerians back from the sense of nationhood.
He said he feels most secure when in Sokoto than outside the state. “I see everybody who comes here is pleasantly surprised, people keep asking me about the safety and I say we are safer here than in most parts of Nigeria. Strange as it may sound, I tell people I feel most secure when I’m in Sokoto than when I’m outside Sokoto,” he added.
Kukah who noted that the unity of Nigeria lies in the hands of Nigerians, just as ordinary Nigerians are yet to get good value for governance, said he doesn’t see the national dialogue being concluded in time before the general elections, or in time enough to become issues of policy.
He explained reasons for holding that the problems of Nigeria would not be resolved by dialogues on the constitution: “I participated in the political reform conference and tragically the politicians sank the findings of that committee. And subsequently I was also convinced that the problems of Nigeria are not going to be resolved by constitution dialogues and so on because we are at a level where we are dealing with the issues of electricity, power ,roads, security, welfare, education and frankly, my own personal conviction is that Nigeria does not even need new laws for now. What we need is a review of the existing laws that we have which cover literally everything that are hardly being implemented and my cynicism, not much has changed.”
Bishop Kukah stressed: “The unity of Nigeria is in the hands of Nigerians, it is not something that anybody is going to do for us. I think one of the saddest things that has happened to us is that for over 30 years of military rule, and even the experience we have had with democracy, it doesn’t seem to be the case that ordinary Nigerians have gotten good value for governance, whether military or civilian, and these are the issues that we are still battling with. You may say the simple name for it is corruption, the whole discussion about Nigerian’s unity will never happen unless Nigerians see quality and quantitative change in the quality of their lives.”
“We want some certainty about our personal security, personal welfare, we want to be sure our children can go to school and that they are safe, to be sure that there are jobs available for those who qualify, we also want a system of government that at least creates a condition to thrive in whatever they choose to .These things are really at the heart of the persistent questions about whether Nigeria will stay united or not.”
The bishop noted with concern that consciousness of religious or regional identity continue to put Nigerians back from the sense of nationhood.
He said he feels most secure when in Sokoto than outside the state. “I see everybody who comes here is pleasantly surprised, people keep asking me about the safety and I say we are safer here than in most parts of Nigeria. Strange as it may sound, I tell people I feel most secure when I’m in Sokoto than when I’m outside Sokoto,” he added.
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