The Bishop of Sokoto Diocese of Catholic Church, Bishop Matthew Kukah, has said that the people responsible for Nigeria’s problems are not safe just like the masses.
The cleric however stated that every country of the world also has its own problems, noting that it takes the citizens and purposeful leaders to address such problems.
Kukah said this while delivering a keynote address at the 3rd annual national public lecture of the First News with the theme, “The Nigerian Question: Survival of the Federation in The Throes of Increasing Economic Challenges” in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State on Friday.
He said: “The good thing about Nigeria is that everybody knows what the problems are and the people who are responsible for the problems are not also safe, they too do not know peace.
“Nigerians talk about other countries, I feel sorry for many Nigerians who because of many troubles are hardly travel out of their immediate environments, not to talk about traveling to other parts of Africa or other parts of the world.
“Though, every country has it own problems, but the challenge before us in Nigeria is that, what do we want, obviously, can we democratise and develop our nation? It is a very difficult question to answer, because what we called the civilized world today is the last 200 years of exploitation of Africa that help to build these nations.
“So we are imagining it ourselves, why are we not like other people, we are not like others because every nation has to find it own navigational truth for development. It is not as if we cannot use democracy to develop Nigeria, but there are certain fundamental things that must be on ground before people can appreciate democracy.
“Unless Nigeria settle the issue of ‘bread and butter mentality’ the democracy can actually look like lottery.” He said.
The publisher of the First News, Mr Daniel Iworiso-Markson, said the essence of the lecture was to brainstorm on the Nigeria’s challenging economy and proffer possible solutions, adding that the nation’s economic problems are very glaring.
According to him, Nigeria’s situation has defied any solution that is why the lecture was arranged to find solutions to the economic challenges.
Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Mr Gideon Ekeuwei, urged Bayelsa people to develop themselves in order to cope with the economic situation. (Daily Trust)
