The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Hassan Kukah, has said that President Muhammadu Buhari has continued to pursue nepotistic agenda, showing his preference for men and women of his faith.
Mr Kukah stated this on Wednesday while virtually addressing the United States Congress Commission on the rising insecurity in the country.
According to him, the current administration has been unable to tackle the security challenges like it promised to do before taking power in 2015, noting that the whole country has been invaded by bandits.
“The North, even the whole country, is invaded by armed bandits. The fact that the government seems to be either helpless or uninterested in dealing decisively with these people has added more confusion.
“The contradiction here is that the President has blatantly pursued nepotistic agenda and policies that show very clearly his preference for men and women of his faith,”
The Bishop accused Mr Buhari of appointing more people of his ethnicity and religion into political office, which according to him, has heightened religious rivalry in the country.
“For the first time in Nigeria, the people heading the three arms of government – President, Senate President, Speaker and Chief Justice – are all Muslims. These are all fine gentlemen, but that is not the point,” he said.
“The level of rivalry between Christians and Muslims has worsened. This kind of situation has never happened before.”
The Bishop explained that the persecution of Christians in Nigeria, which has been going on for a long time, has risen in the past 10 years.
Mr Kukah said Christian schools are attacked in the North by extremists who convert the girls to wives, sex slaves and spies.
“The story of Leah Sharibu suggests very clearly that there is, in many instances, a relationship between the conditions in which people find themselves and their faith.
“In 2020, some of our priests in the North were killed. The extremists kidnapped our children and forcefully converted them to Muslims.
“What is significant here is that we are in a democracy; with weak structures and institutions. These are existential issues. So, we require practical assistance that can help us and our children,” he said.
