Kukah Says Bread And Butter Mentality Bane Of Nigeria’s Democracy

By Ayodele Oni

The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Hassan Kukah, has observed that those behind the problems of Nigeria are not also safe.

According to him, the masterminds of Nigeria’s woes are, also, as unsafe as the suffering masses. He said that although every country of the world had its own problems, it took the citizens and purposeful leaders to address such challenges.

Kukah pointed out that “It is not as if we cannot use democracy to develop Nigeria; but there are certain fundamental things that must be on ground before people can appreciate democracy.

“Unless Nigeria settles the issue of ‘bread and butter mentality’, the democracy can actually look like lottery.”

Kukah made the remarks in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, in his keynote address with the theme, “The Nigerian Question: Survival of the Federation in The Throes of Increasing Economic Challenges”, at the 3rd Annual National Public Lecture of an Online Newspaper.

The Cleric also expressed pity on Nigerians who, because of many troubles, hardly travel out of their immediate environments.

“It is not as if we cannot use democracy to develop Nigeria, but there are certain fundamental things that must be on ground before people can appreciate democracy. Unless Nigeria settles the issue of ‘bread and butter mentality’, the democracy can actually look like lottery.

“The good thing about Nigeria is that everybody knows what the problems are and the people who are responsible for the problems are not also safe, they too do not know peace.

“Nigerians talk about other countries, I feel sorry for many Nigerians who, because of many troubles, hardly travel out of their immediate environments, not to talk about traveling to other parts of Africa or other parts of the world.

“Though every country has its own problems, the challenge before us in Nigeria is: what do we want, obviously, can we democratize and develop our nation?

“It is a very difficult question to answer, because what we called the civilized world today is the last 200 years of exploitation of Africa that help to build these nations.

“So we are imagining it ourselves, why are we not like other people, we are not like others because every nation has to find its own navigational truth for development.”