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Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Hassan Kukah, has issued a passionate plea to President Bola Tinubu, urging him to rescue Nigerians from what he described as “a cross of evil” marked by unprecedented suffering, insecurity, and economic despair.
Speaking during the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday, Kukah painted a grim picture of Nigeria’s current state, calling it a “national morgue” plagued by fear, death, and widespread hopelessness.
“Nigerians have been dangling and bleeding on this cross of pain and mindless suffering for too long,” he said. “Mr President, Nigeria is reaching a breaking point.”
The bishop acknowledged that Tinubu didn’t create the current crisis but insisted he has a moral duty to stop the bleeding. “With a greater sense of urgency, hasten to bring us down from this cross of evil,” he charged.
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Kukah also lamented the increasing brutality across the country, where kidnappings and killings have become daily news. “A dark pall of death hangs languidly from north to south. It is impossible to find a home, a family, or a community that has not been caught in the cusp of this savagery,” he said.
He further warned that rising insecurity is eroding public confidence in governance, accusing security agencies of being “spectators in the dance of death” sweeping the nation. “Are Nigerians lambs being sacrificed to an unknown god?” he asked.
Touching on the worsening economy, the bishop described hunger and disease as “stalking the land,” urging the government to go beyond temporary palliatives and prioritise food security as a right, not a handout.
“Palliatives diminish the dignity of citizens,” he said. “Make food security a fundamental human right to all Nigerians.”
Referencing past confessions by political figures who admitted to arming thugs during elections, Kukah warned that those very elements have now turned against the country. “The bandits have not only become embedded in every sphere of our lives, they threaten to destroy all that holds our communities together,” he said.
Despite the gloom, Kukah encouraged Christians to remain hopeful, citing Pope Francis’ declaration that 2025 would be the Year of Hope. “We are the light of the world… equipped with the light of Christ to drive out the darkness that threatens to engulf our country,” he said.
Kukah concluded with a message of collective action, calling on citizens and leaders alike to rise above cynicism and rebuild Nigeria from the rubble of despair.