THE Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, has warned religious leaders of "grandstanding, demagoguery, rave and rant by those who are offering quick solutions" to security challenges across the nation, adding: "No religious leader can resolve purely political and administrative problems of law enforcement and justice."
"Religious leaders," the cleric therefore noted, "must appreciate (their) role as citizens and stop misleading our people by preying on the insecurity induced by a weak state whose predilection with corruption has created an environment for impunity to thrive."
Bishop Kukah spoke in a message to mark Pentecost Sunday. The event signifies end of the Easter season in the Christian calendar and celebrates descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles.
"I am convinced," said Kukah, "and I may be wrong, that what we have is a state whose structural defects have been compounded by corruption and made ineffective and that what we are dealing with is not religion but the failure of law enforcement."
The cleric, notwithstanding, is optimistic that the country would some day come out of the woods: "Although these are troubling times," he said, "they are still times of promise, hope and possibility."
He said: "In seeking to position themselves, some of our religious leaders have plunged into dubious analysis of our predicament and are offering us dubious cures even without a proper diagnosis.
"There is a call for Christians to defend themselves against an invasion by Muslims and vice versa. Popular as these notions may be, beyond some cheap popularity, they offer neither medium nor even long-term solution to our myriad of problems."
"When Christians or Muslims claim self-defense, are they replacing the Commander-in-Chief of (all) the Armed Forces of Nigeria? Do these religious leaders have a Judiciary to try suspects, or a Barracks/Post to hold suspects? Or are they merely calling on their people to take the laws into their hands?"
The Guardian
Well said. I like this...