Kukah Faults Attack on NLC President, Urges Nigerians to Hold Politicians Accountable

•Says its unbelievable what former ministers say of Buhari

Chuks Okocha in Abuja and Emma Okonji

Following yesterday’s commencement of the organised labour union’s strike in Imo State, with threat to extend it nationwide by next week, the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Bishop Mathew Hassan Kukah has condemned the attack on the president of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero.

He insisted that Nigerians must always hold politicians in government accountable at all times. 

Kukah, who said this yesterday, on ‘The Morning Show’ on ARISE NEWS Channel, the broadcast arm of THISDAY Newspapers, explained that the promises that politicians make were subjected to all kinds of circumstances and conditions, which include checks and balances.

According to him, “When political parties sign peace accord, Nigerians should be given the opportunity to know what exactly the peace accord entails to enable them to remind the politicians each time they tend to deviate from the agreement signed in the peace accord.

“Nigerians think that after elections are over, they could relax and go play golf, without putting the necessary checks and balances on the politicians that they voted for.

“There is a need for robust engagement with elected officials in government and I commend the media, especially ARISE News Channel for doing that effectively.”

He further said: “We must collectively as a people continue to hold the feet of politicians to the fire in order to keep politicians on their toes. All over the world, polls have shown that politicians are the least trusted categories of human beings.

“The United Nation’s polls for instance, showed very clearly that the most trusted categories of people are medical doctors, followed by hair stylists. So I see the peace accord between political parties as symbolic, but the fulfillment of the peace accord is in the hands of the masses.”

Kukah advised the NLC president not to allow politics of violence to take over the people of Imo State, but to defend the people and their rights at all times.

Kukah, however advised the NLC not to use the situation in Imo State to stop the people from voting in the gubernatorial election slated for Saturday this week in the state.

“It will be a tragedy if the health condition of Ajaero is used as a strategy to prevent election from holding in Imo State this week Saturday, as planned by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

“NLC’s position that election will not hold in Imo State on Saturday this week, will not be in the interest of the good people of Imo State. The people of Imo State did not join in the attack of the NLC President and they should therefore not be disenfranchised of their voting rights, come this week Saturday,” Kukah said.

Speaking about election violence in Nigeria, which had become a re-occurrence decimal in the history of Nigerian politics since Independence in 1960, Kukah said the issue of election violence had eaten deep into the political fabrics of Nigeria and would take some time to be completely eradicated by law enforcement agents.

He said Nigeria must promote strong institutions that would not support election violence across the country. He also said there must be a national conference where civil society groups would have to debate with National Assembly members on the way forward for the Nigerian democracy that would lead to amendment of some laws that support election violence.

Assessing the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Kukah said one of the biggest challenges that the Tinubu administration was facing from May 29, 2023, was in the area of effective communication and the strategy in communicating with Nigerians.

“The quality of decisions taking by the Tinubu administration since its inception, has brought untold hardship to the people of Nigeria,” Kukah said.

 He advised Tinubu to articulate his decisions before throwing them out on Nigerians in order not to add to the existing hardship that Nigerians are facing. 

He however advised Nigerians to be patient with Tinubu’s government, since the Supreme Court has affirmed his presidency.

The clergy said that it was unbelievable and shocking what former ministers that served in the administration of  former President Muhammadu Buhari’s were saying about him and his government.

He reiterated that he had nothing personal against the former president.

According to Kukah. “I’m talking to ministers now who served in that government; I cannot call names. I am shocked to hear the kind of things people are saying about those who served in that government; that is for another day,”

He added, “There was nothing I said about President Buhari that was personal.”

The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese explained that the former president made Nigeria more vulnerable and succeeded in splitting the country.

Accosting to Kukah, “Buhari has served his term. He also knew, and I respect him for that, that there was nothing I was saying that was personal. I imagined poor Adesina (Femi) and his team had a job to do and they needed to do that job even though there was nothing to say.

“I will respect and I hope that Pastor Adesina knows that there is a Foursquare Gospel Church in Daura, I believe that the President of Foursquare Gospel Church should send him there as a Pastor so that he is close to his godfather.

“But having said that, I mean President Buhari had finished his term and he is gone and there is very little else to be said for and against. But everybody knew we had a job to do.”

Though, Kukah said six months was not enough to rate Tinubu, he urged the President to hit the ground running, since he claimed to have prepared for the number office in the country since 20 years ago.