The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Mathew Kukah, has said his criticism of the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari was never personal.
Recall that the Catholic priest was a major critic of the previous administration, especially the administration’s model of the fight against corruption and insecurity situation in the country.
Speaking during an interview on Arise TV on Wednesday, Mr Kukah said his major grouse with the former Nigerian leader was his inability to manage the country’s diversity.
He also said a former presidential spokesman, Femi Adesina, who was always on the defensive whenever he criticised his boss, was merely doing his job.
When asked if he was missing his friend, the former president, Mr Kukah, said, “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 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 quite close to his Godfather.
“But having said that, I mean, President Buhari has 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.
“There was nothing I said about President Buhari that was personal, that was disrespectful, I just felt he was doing things that was wring, especially in the area of managing our diversity and look, 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, those who served in that government, that is for another day.”
When asked to comment on the performance of President Bola Tinubu, he stated that while the six months might be too short to rate a sitting president, many expected him to hit the ground running, having prepared for the race for over 20 years.
He, however, noted that the leadership selection structure “is so self-constraining”.
“I am not making excuses for anybody; I am just saying the very fact that you had to rely on governors to give you names of Ministers and you rely on external agencies to be able to do things that ordinarily you who is composing the team needs to be able to do.
“I mean a court decides who is going to come in at what time depending on the excuse that the person has. So, I totally agree with you that by now you would have thought, ‘okay, this is what we want to do, this is who can do it and this is how it needs to be done,” Mr Kukah added.
He also encouraged citizens to continue to hold those in power accountable, adding that no leader should have an excuse for failure.
“If you stand up to be elected and you are elected, you must be prepared to face the consequences of that election, that means we must constantly hold your feet to the fire. So that’s why I am saying institutions and instruments of engagement must be in full glass. But also we must help to clarify public policies by articulating the things that need to be done and where the country needs to be heading,” the cleric added.
