In Nigeria, “there is no problem between Christians and Muslims”, Catholic Bishop Says

The Catholic Church leader used the analogy of soccer to explain governance failure in Nigeria. 

He narrated, “If you are watching a football match or any game at all, that’s why there are referees. If the referee does not do what needs to be done and allows supporters to jump onto the field, you can see for yourself that referees are punishing coaches who overreach themselves by stepping even if it is just one inch, into the field. They are punished; sometimes they are taken off the pitch.”

“Now, this is really what a state is supposed to be. Because without the state, it will be all of us against each other. And that is why the state is called a leviathan. You put so much power so that the state can protect us,” Bishop Kukah said.

He continued, “The Nigerian state has proved itself to be incompetent, grossly malfunctioning, unable, and unwilling to commit the welfare of citizens as the principal basis of governance.”

Bishop Kukah who turned 70 on August 31 said that citizens must carry a “Nigeria land” mentality, which presupposes the knowledge of shared interests.

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“The Nigerian system was only about politics, and not science,” he added.

Bishop Kukah went on to express the need for a country where the “rule of law was placed over religious or ethnic sentiments.”

Under the current regime, “Nigeria operated as a democracy, not a theocratic government,” he said, and added, “The role of religion must be scientifically defined. The lack of definition emboldened leaders to privilege a religion or ethnic group over another.”

“The constitution guarantees us freedom of religion and freedom to decide what we don’t want. Religion is an association. I’m free to opt out of an association,” Bishop Kukah, who has been at the helm of Sokoto Diocese since his Episcopal Ordination in September 2011 said.

He added, “But if we have these unresolved issues as to the boundaries of the power of the state, how much can be appropriated in the name of religion, then you’re going to have the chaos that we have.”

“This is why we’ve not been able; we’ve refused to scientifically define and address the role of religion,” Bishop Kukah added during his September 5 input on TVC News Breakfast show.

Jude Atemanke is a Cameroonian journalist with a passion for Catholic Church communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Buea in Cameroon. Currently, Jude serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.