The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Most Rev. Matthew Hassan Kukah says he is not a happy Nigerian but remained hopeful that the nation’s situation would improve.
He spoke on the state of the nation Thursday via The Platform, an annual programme organised by Pastor Poju Oyemade’s Covenant Christian Centre.
Kukah berated President Muhammadu Buhari’s handling of Nigeria’s diversity, saying it was exacerbating the fault-lines.
“I think even the most optimistic Nigerian must conceive that we are nowhere near coming to define the real sense of democracy. Beyond just going through the process of cycles of election, we have a very serious problem with recruitment methods.
“Reflecting federal character should be like viewing ourselves in the mirror and celebrating our diversity because the table is big enough to occupy everyone.
Read Also: Why Nigerians must not despair – By Goodluck Jonathan
“But when you don’t have that and you put all your apples in one basket, naturally you cannot make headway, because you’re violating the constitution and thinking that we are in a democracy.
“This president (Buhari) in my view in the last few years has made it very difficult for us to celebrate diversity. And Nigerians will concede that a reward system that is so skewed, whether in favour of men, women, Christians or Muslims is unacceptable because when it was time to vote, all of us came out to vote.
“We need to very quickly reset the template if we are to take our place after 60 years of independence. If we are unable to provide our people with water, food, light, security, then it is a tough call. I am not a happy Nigerian but I remain a hopeful Nigerian,” TheCable quoted Kukah to have said.