Kukah: Nigerians Must Interrogate Politicians Aspiring to Lead Them in 2023

•Says nation has problem of team selection

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

The Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, Matthew Kukah, yesterday maintained that beyond campaign carnivals , Nigerians must interrogate those meaning to lead them after the 2023 general elections.

Kukah, who spoke on Arise Television last night, urged the Nigerian electorate to “cross off” any politician who is interested in 2023 but refuses to show up to be questioned.

He argued that beyond infrastructure, the next set of leaders must tell Nigerians how they intend to ramp up the value attached to the life of a Nigerian, recalling the case of Deborah Samuel, a student of Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto, who was stoned to death for alleged blasphemy.

Kukah maintained that there were a lot of disequilibrium in all facets of the country, noting that until injustices are addressed it will be difficult to enjoy peace in the country.

“Last time somebody was killed on the ground that she had blasphemed against the prophet. You cannot live in a society where there are no rules or no regulations.

“And the tragedy in all of this is that when it comes to religion, the people who are in power are usually in retreat. And yet the reality is that we will never build a society unless we have a level playing field, because these are the reasons why I continue to contend because there are better stories somewhere that we can learn from,” he noted.

He explained that whatever decisions have been taken by the political contenders in the run-up to the 2023 election shouldn’t necessarily be a matter of concern, explaining that it behoves the voters to decide who should lead them from next year.

“In my view, these arguments will continue until we achieve an equilibrium. In 2023, there are things that are inevitable. There’s nothing we can do about them. We have seen issues of team selection and it is left for Nigerians to make up their minds.

“We should not spend too much time worrying about what has already been done. I’ve made up my mind, but I will finally make up my mind, however let me tell you what is something we must do.

“And some of them, some of the media outlets are taking this very seriously, but beyond bringing these politicians in and having conversations with them, I think all interest groups in Nigeria must decide that this time around, things must be done differently,” he explained.

Kukah who just clocked 70 years, argued that Nigerians must look beyond the carnival-like campaigns to interrogate the politicians on areas of concern.

“ This is because the traditional politics in Nigeria is that people sew uniforms, they enter the stadium, there’s a bit of a jamboree and people are talking to one another. It’s a carnival.

“And then when we go through this carnival, we must develop the mechanisms and insist that these people answer our questions. So for me, market women traders, young people, you must summon the politicians and the one who refuses to answer your call, you cross him off the list.

“So for me, I think that the choices are obvious, but it must no longer be based on politicians scratching us where we are not itching. It’s not about somebody telling us we’re going to bring NEPA, we are going to build roads, we’ve heard all that.  The question is what is happening to us as human beings,” he argued.

Expressing shock over a recent report by the International Red Cross (ICRC) for instance, that over 25,000 persons were currently missing in the country, Kukah said that the next leader must tell Nigerians how he intends to address the problem.

“Yes, our infrastructure has not been the best infrastructure. Infrastructure is not enough. Hitler built infrastructure. Apartheid built the best infrastructure in South Africa. It is about what is happening to the human person. How are human beings being treated. The other day, the ICRC was saying that 25,000 Nigerians were missing.

“Does anybody care? This is not acceptable. It is reprehensible and it is condemnable and a society that can live with this cannot lead to anything different,” he declared.