Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, His Eminence John Cardinal Onaiyekan, has warned 'whoever is speaking for the presidency', that Bishop Matthew Kukah, is not planning a coup against the Buhari government, and therefore cannot be denied the right to demand for good governance in the country.
Kukah in his Easter sermon titled “Nigeria: Before our glory departs,” said it is a very sad situation when a government invests billions of naira on those terrorizing its people, while the affected families are left to grieve alone in silence.
He said the Buhari administration has shown that crime pays, yet wants victims of crimes to be patriotic. He warned that unless victims of crimes are prioritized by government, Nigeria will never heal.
He said, “It is a Mystery, that the (Buhari) government is investing billions of naira in rehabilitating so-called Boko Haram repentant members and their other partners in crime in the belief that they want to turn a new leaf. These criminals have waged war against their country, murdered thousands of citizens, destroyed infrastructure and rendered entire families permanently displaced and dislocated. Why should rehabilitating the perpetrator be more important than bringing succour to the victims?
“When kidnapped or killed, victims and their families are left to their wits. They cry alone, bury their loved ones alone. And our government expects us to be patriotic? The victims of violence need empathy, which the dictionary defines as the ability to understand and share the feelings of the other. A critical deficit of empathy on the side of the government makes healing almost impossible for the victims. We have not heard anything about a rehabilitation programme for the thousands of schoolchildren who have been victims of abduction."
The Buhari administration however, described Kukah's criticism as ungodly, and accused him of playing partisan politics in his Easter message.
But Onaiyekan, who appeared as a guest on AIT's breakfast show, Kakaaki, in Abuja, said that he believed that genuine religious leaders had a role to play in politics, which included advancing the course of the masses and speaking truth to power in the name of God.
"With all due respect to whoever is speaking for the Presidency, he has a wrong idea of politics. Maybe, for him, politics has been just a game they play in the middle of the night.
"If you understand politics as to how you organise and manage the community for the common good, we are all supposed to be politicians.
"Does that mean that whenever we (religious leaders) tell the truth and work to make our country better, we should shut up because we are playing politics? No, we refuse. We will continue to talk.
"In the whole project of nation-building and good governance, people have different roles to play. The role of Mr President is, of course, the most important in terms of organising everything. The role of religious leaders, if you are a genuine one, should be to be able to speak in the name of God.
"So, let no one stop Kukah and other religious leaders from speaking from their hearts. They cannot force you (the government) anyways.
"Kukah is not preparing a coup against Buhari. He is only concerned about the people he sees every day. Kukah is speaking for so many who do not have a voice. What we expected from the Presidency was to hear what Kukah had to say and take the issues one-by-one; maybe give explanations, if there is a need for such, and hopefully consider considering his message in its plans," Onaiyekan said.