The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto, Mathew Kukah, on Wednesday
said Nigerians had never suffered psychological trauma like they are currently
experiencing under this current government.
He said this at the inaugural lecture and Gold Prize award
ceremony organised by Nigerian newspaper, ‘ThisNigeria Media Limited’.
Earlier, the Director-General, Michael Imoudu National
Institute for Labour Studies, Issa Aremu, had accused Kukah and other Nigerians
of causing division in the country, describing the priest as a divisive figure.
Responding, however, Kukah said the state had created the division and not Nigerians who are the victims.
He said, “You are sitting here in Nigeria, are you going to
pretend that you don’t know that there is iniquity in this country, that we
have never suffered psychological trauma like we are suffering now?
“I don’t think anybody is ever going to govern this country
with this kind of blatant, unacceptable, literally criminal partisanship. So,
when you talk about Bishop Kukah making divisive comments in what sense? I
understand that you are now holding a government position; you have a seat at
the table that is understandable.
“Suddenly, we have now ended up with a country when you talk
about divisiveness. It is the state that has created the division, not us the
victims. You’re blaming the victim, everywhere you turn in Nigeria today what
are people telling you? We are living with injustice. How do we wake up a
sleeping giant, first we must admit that the country is sleeping.”
Also speaking, the Chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum,
Kayode Fayemi, said a lot was wrong with the country at the moment.
He added that no development could take place in the country
if there is no unity.
Fayemi said, “The Nigeria state is not in its most healthy
state, there is no debate about that and regardless of political affiliation,
ethic considerations and economic opportunity available to individuals our
country is in the doldrums.
“We can talk about unity and national integration and
lionise patriotism as much as we like but you cannot build the country on the
basis of iniquity, injustice and the lack of fairness and expect unity to
prevail”
In his remarks, Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, said the
only way to ensure credible leaders emerge is to ensure that there are free and
fair elections.
He, therefore, commended the Independent National Electoral
Commission for organising a credible election in Anambra State.
Wike also faulted the arbitrary deduction of state
allocations by the Federal Government, adding that he had no regret suing the
government over the Value Added Tax issue and Police Trust Fund.
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