The Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Sokoto, Most Reverend Matthew Kukah, on Tuesday fired back at The Presidency, saying President Muhammadu Buhari has done a terribly bad job in presiding over Nigeria.
Kukah had earlier in his Easter message said Buhari had succeeded in dividing Nigeria into ethnic and religious lines and that his government is in hibernation mode.
The Presidency on Monday attacked Kukah, saying he is carrying a virus of hate for the president.
Garba Shehu, Presidential Spokesperson said for a man who has been spreading hate for decades, nothing new in the homily, except for the fact that while millions of Christians were remembering the Lord’s crucifixion on Friday, His descent on Saturday, His resurrection on Sunday, and subsequent appearance to his disciples, Kukah was playing politics.
“From his pulpit he devoted his Easter message not to Christ’s death and rebirth so man might be saved – but to damning the government in the most un-Christian terms,” Shehu said.
But Kukah replied The Presidency in an interview on Arise TV, saying all those saying he attacked the President refuse to admit that he had never attacked his person.
He said all he had spoken about was his inability to manage diversities effectively and efficiently, saying that he had studied diversity as a subject and that he knew what he was talking about.
“Those who think these things are personal would see that I have never talked about his person or character; I believe he is a gentleman but as far as being the President is concerned, he has done a bad job, even his wife has also disagreed with his policies,” he said.
Kukah added that those guys should not sit in their air-conditioned office drinking coffee and thinking everything is honky-donkey, saying “Let them disagree with the text of my message.”
In setting the record straight, Kukah said he delivered his sermon to his congregation and the message, saying that the bearers of the message were directed primarily to the good people of Sokoto dioceses.
According to him, “The President knows that I have great respect for him and he is a gentleman, but he has done a terribly bad job as the President of Nigeria.”
Kukah added that there is nothing new in what he said, stressing that all the pastors who preached during the Easter service said the same thing.
