Onaiyekan warns: Nobody can stop Kukah from speaking against bad governance

Emeritus, Catholicolic Archbishop of Abuja, His Eminence John Cardinal Onaiyekan, on Monday, said that nobody can stop the Bishop of Sokoto, Most Rev. Matthew Kukah, from speaking against bad governance in the country.

The Presidency had described the bashing of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration by Kukah as ungodly, accusing him of playing partisan politics in his Easter message.

But Onaiyekan, who appeared as a guest on AIT’s breakfast show, Kakaaki , in Abuja, said that he believed that genuine religious leaders had a role to play in politics, which included advancing the course of the masses and speaking truth to power in the name of God.

“With all due respect to whoever is speaking for the Presidency, he has a wrong idea of politics. Maybe, for him, politics have been just a game they play in the middle of the night.

“But, if you understand politics as to how you organise and manage the community for the common good, we are all supposed to be politicians.

“Does that mean that whenever we (religious leaders) tell the truth and work to make our country better, we should shut up because we are playing politics? No, we refuse. We will continue to talk.

“In the whole project of nation-building and good governance, people, have different roles to play. The role of Mr President is, of course, the most important in terms of organizing everything.

“But the role of religious leaders, if you are a genuine one, should be to be able to speak in the name of God.

“So, let no one stop Kukah and other religious leaders from speaking from their hearts. They cannot force you (the government) anyways.

“Kukah is not preparing a coup against Buhari. He is only concerned about the people he sees every day. Kukah is speaking for so many who do not have a voice.

“What we expected from the Presidency was to hear what Kukah had to say, and take the issues one-by-one; maybe give explanations, if there is a need for such, and hopefully consider considering his message in its future plans,” Onaiyekan said. Vanguard