2 weeks ago
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The Bishop of Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, Matthew Hassan Kukah, has urged the planetary assemblage against designating Nigeria arsenic a “Country of Concern”, saying that portion the federation faces a terrible situation of spiritual state and security, specified a determination would undermine fragile advancement achieved by the existent government.
Bishop Kukah’s connection came during the motorboat of the Aid to the Church successful Need (ACIN) 2025 World Report connected Religious Freedom, a broad papers detailing a ‘worrying decline’ successful spiritual liberty globally, affecting implicit 5.4 cardinal people.
The Catholic Bishop did not shy distant from detailing Nigeria’s profound struggles, describing the state arsenic a “huge sidesplitting field” ravaged for implicit 15 years by jihadist groups, banditry, and a surge successful interior displacement.
He acknowledged the “genocide” successful galore communities and the targeted unit against Christians, which includes the demolition of churches, the kidnapping of clergy, and murders.
Kukah said that the elemental information is that Nigerians were dying for a living, highlighting the disorder successful uncovering the due connection to picture the analyzable situation wherever some Christians and Muslims who reason extremism are victims.
However, helium presented a captious favoritism betwixt the erstwhile medication and the existent one.
He criticised erstwhile President Muhammadu Buhari’s government, describing it arsenic the worst signifier successful the past of interfaith relations successful Nigeria.
“The quality betwixt President Buhari and the Jihadists was that helium was utilizing a pen portion the jihadists were utilizing weapons of unit against Christians,” Kukah said.
The Bishop accused the Buhari medication of giving oxygen to jihadists done policies that overtly favoured Islam and bluish Nigeria.
Kukah besides pointed to the medication of President Bola Tinubu arsenic a “window of opportunity,” citing respective confidence-building measures, which including the President, a Muslim, is joined to a Pastor.
“The assignment of Christians to cardinal positions specified arsenic the Chief of Army Staff, the Director of the State Security Services, the person of the ruling party, and the Chairman of the electoral committee (INEC).
“The President’s idiosyncratic sojourn to victims of unit successful Benue state, a motion of empathy lacking nether his predecessor. Christians person not felt alienated. Our concern is acold from perfect,” helium said.
While the ACIN study itself noted that spiritual state successful Nigeria is nether sedate menace and prospects stay highly grim, Bishop Kukah made a strategical plea against ceremonial designation arsenic a Country of Concern.
“Re-designating Nigeria volition wounded the initiatives we are moving connected with the existent government. It volition lone summation tensions, sow doubt, unfastened windows of suspicion and fearfulness and simply let the criminals and perpetrators of unit to exploit the situation,” helium said.
Instead, helium called for continued vigilance and unit from planetary and civilian nine groups to assistance Nigeria escaped the state of the microorganism of spiritual extremism.
The Bishop further challenged the national government, by demanding that each laws, specifically the Sharia ineligible codes adopted by 12 bluish states, beryllium brought nether the purview of the nationalist Constitution.
He urged President Tinubu to spell to tribunal and person these adoptions declared unconstitutional to extremity mob justness and the killings implicit blasphemy allegations.
“The secular authorities anticipated by the Constitution indispensable beryllium enforced. Nigeria should beryllium supported and encouraged successful this effort and not punished,” he said.
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