“Mr President, Please, Bring Us Down From This Painful Cross Of Hunger” – Kukah To Tinubu

By Ayodele Oni

Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, of Catholic Diocese of Sokoto has observed that Nigeria is presently carrying insecurity as its cross of shame.

In his Easter homily, titled “Mr President Bring Us Down From This Cross,” the activist – Bishop pointed out that allowing insecurity to persist in the country will undermine all forms of goodwill that this or any government in Nigeria espouses.

“We have all the ingredients to create a toxic mix of violence that can spin out of control.

“Right now, frustration has penetrated every spectrum of our society especially as the government and its security agencies seem to have largely become spectators in the dance of death that has overtaken our country.

“We are in a dilemma now and the question is simple: is the persistence of the insecurity a statement of the lack of capacity of our men and women in uniform, or is it evidence that those at the top are reaping the fruits of funding their own war machine?

“In other words, are Nigerians lambs being sacrificed to an unknown god? Mr. President, step up, get to the finishing line and bring us down from this cross of shame.

“Mr. President, we all admit that you neither erected this cross nor did you effect our collective crucifixion. Notwithstanding, Nigerians have been dangling and bleeding on this cross of pain and mindless suffering for too long.

“A culture of cynicism and self-doubt over our capacity to secure peace for ourselves pervades our land. Indeed, a majority of our citizens feel that there is no hope in sight.

“Some years back, some of our public officers confessed that they brought our current killers into our country as a strategy for upstaging the government of the day and to gain power.

“Strange as it may sound, today we have watched as the cancer of insecurity and violence have metastasized. Now, this cancer threatens the very foundation of our common humanity.

“The bandits have not only become embedded in every sphere of our lives, they threaten to destroy all that holds our communities together.

“This self-destructive cancer has invaded our communities and kidnapping is a now a dog whistle for undermining the very structure and foundation of our country. We now hang on the cross at the mercy of these forces of darkness. Mr. President, please, bring us down from this cross of insecurity.

“We are confident that a majority of the citizens of our country want to live in peace with one another.

“However, allowing this insecurity to persists will undermine all forms of goodwill that this or any government in Nigeria espouses. We have all the ingredients to create a toxic mix of violence that can spin out of control.”

Kukah also identified hunger as one of the problems of Nigerians urging President Bola Tinubu to make food security right for Nigerians.

‘Mr. President, hunger, sickness and desolation stalk the land. We still believe removing the subsidies was the right decision.

“We note that the country now has a huge volume of resources in its domestic reserves. For over ten years now, farming has become one of the most hazardous pre-occupations in our country.

‘I restate the obvious by warning that mere palliative distribution diminishes the dignity of citizens. We have remained between the rock of self-doubt and the hard place of hopelessness. Make food security a fundamental human right to all citizens. Mr. President, please bring us down from this painful cross of hunger.”