It's in Nigeria that religion has become a source of dreadful violence, says Bishop Kukah

Bishop Mathew Kukah 

Matthew Kukah, bishop of Catholic diocese of Sokoto, says in Nigeria we evoke God to witness corruption and “outright larceny.”

He also said that it's only in Nigeria that religion has become a source of violence.

Kukah said this while speaking at the convocation of Achievers University, Owo in Ondo state.

In his lecture entitled: “Some reasons why Nigeria has failed to achieve greatness”, the bishop said the rest of the world is making progress without evoking God.



“We are over 90 percent Christians and Muslims in Nigeria, but there is nowhere in the world where religion has become an incubus, a burden and source of dreadful violence as it has in Nigeria,” NAN quoted him as saying.

“Our leaders are kneeling before pastors and imams seeking blessings, while the rest of the world is moving on, drawing inspiration from sweat, brains and brawn even without evoking God.

“We evoke God to witness to our corruption and outright larceny.”




Kukah cautioned the federal government against the planned regulation of social media, saying it could hinder freedom of speech.

According to him, social media is an avenue for Nigerians to bare their minds and feelings about happenings in the country.

The bishop said he is ready to defend freedom of speech with the last drop of his blood.

“I’m worried that many in power don’t know the sacrifice[s] we made, the freedom we fought for,” he said.


Kukah explained that what is holding Nigeria together is resources which he said were being used irresponsibly by those who run the country.

“The main challenge is not of the boundaries of geography but the spread of ideas and knowledge and, of course, memory is a source of knowledge,” he said.



“We are angry, but we are not the first group to be angry.”

He urged the country’s leaders to invoke common emotions that could hold its citizens together as one.