The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Most Rev Dr. Matthew H Kukah has said that the worst form of corruption is the denial of the right and identity of other people.
The Bishop said this yesterday during the dedication of St. Edward Catholic Church, Gusau, Zamfara State.
Bishop Kukah lamented the injustice done to women and non muslims in Northern Nigeria. He said "The only right we have in the North is to vote for men who are muslim, only men, because there is no single woman in the state house of assembly here. Only men muslims are representing the rest of us"
"I'm insisting that we must understand that nobody here is a stranger. All of us, this is our country"
"Boko haram is killing everybody, it is not the people of borno who are fighting boko haram, it is not muslims, it is Nigerians who are fighting boko haram"
"We are pretending that boko haram has just ended, but we know we still have a long way to go. let's not deceive ourselves "
Bishop Kukah said the first time the presence of the federal government was felt in his village was when the corpse of his cousin who died fighting war was brought back. It wasn't by providing basic amenities like water and electricity.
"How come we suffer and we die as Nigerians and in living we have different categories of existence?"
"We know how to vote but we can't be voted for. In Iran and muslim dominated sudan, christians are represented in the national assembly but here we are pretending because we are hypocrite and we say we want a united country."
"Nobody using the government money meant for the people of nigeria should be committed to building a mosque or building a church for people."
Bishop Kukah said that the government is building mosque and churches all over the place yet we don't have hospitals and water.
He said we must come to terms why we are nigerians. "why nigeria has not grown and why nigeria will not grow is because too many hypocrite has taken over power and are not governing even for the wellbeing of the people they pretend to represent."
Bishop Kukah said he expects a lot from president Buhari in terms of ending this divide and discrimination amongst Muslims and Christians in Nigeria. President buhari has to come to terms with the injustices that has been visited on christians because he was not voted for by muslims only.
"I know what the Catholic Church has done in this Country." He said without the Church a good percentage of those educated today will be nowhere now. The Emir of Kano, Wives of Governors, wife of the President of Nigeria attended Catholic Schools.
The Bishop said that the Catholic Church built schools and clinics, yet the State Government took over the Schools which did not violate any law nor commit any crime.
"Those who took over schools are what we call thieves, they should be standing trial."
"we christians have paid our dues, let us be who we are. we have done enough to merit more respect in northern nigeria"
Bishop Kukah said the diocese has lost an experienced and dedicated health cordinator, Late Rev Sr. Christiana Umeadi, who died doing what the state itself does not have the capacity or the willingness to do.
"Our faith does not depend on how many churches we built or whether everyone becomes a christian, it depends on the honesty of our commitment".
He said we must make our country great "let us not make contract with evil, let us not sign a contract with injustice"
"This country will never ever be steady, will never be united, it'll never be peaceful, until each and every one of us as a citizen feels a sense that we are not walking and looking at our back , that i can appear for interview and the fact that my name is Ngozi or thomas doesn't make me inadequate."
