Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto says Nigerian leaders hide behind religion to steal national resources.
Kukah made this known in a scathing sermon on Tuesday at the funeral mass for Archbishop Peter Jatau, the pioneer indigenous archbishop of Kaduna Catholic Diocese at St. Joseph’s Catholic Cathedral, Kaduna.
He said: “Nigerians complain that the country is full of churches and mosques and they cannot find the values of these religions in everyday life. We sin at home by stealing the nation’s resources but we seek repentance and forgiveness in Saudi Arabia and Jerusalem in the guise of lesser or higher pilgrimages.
“Our duty is to reject the notion of corrupt governments that somehow, the Lord has not provided for every society. When they call for us to tighten our belts because there is recession, that oil prices have fallen, that there are problems with balance of payments and so on.
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“The priest at the duty post must say what he can see, namely, that when those who preside over the affairs issue a bad check, it must be resisted, that when they pretend that the society faces bankruptcy, or that there are insufficient funds, we must reject these and insist on the equitable use of the resources for the common good of all.
“We make money from abandoning projects duly paid for by governments which have adopted contractocracy as a governance mechanism. We are allowing others to use our money to develop their own infrastructure. Our elites all assembled in Dubai for Christmas and also to welcome the new year.
“As virtue recedes into the sunset in our country, there is an urgent need for us to pause and take stock of what is required to save our country.”
Kukah also extolled the virtues of the late archbishop. He said the late clergyman took over the mantle of leadership, raised the bar and by sheer diplomatic efficiency strengthened the relationship between the church and state.
