The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Hassan Kukah, struck the right cord recently when he advised Nigeria’s President-elect Asiwaju Bola Tinubu to avoid cheap talk and work towards fixing the country’s challenges. Coming from a cleric who has been more of an activist and advocate of good governance in the country for several decades, Kukah’s admonition to Tinubu could not have been more timely, apt and germane.

The Catholic bishop also stated that the most urgent task facing Nigeria is not infrastructure or the “usual cheap talk” about the dividends of democracy, urging the president-elect to start a psychological journey of making Nigerians feel whole again, of creating a large tent of opportunity and hope.

He lamented that social media has gradually become the conveyor belt for the diffusion and distribution of hate. Kukah who stated this in his Easter message last week, told the president-elect to create a large tent of opportunity and hope for everybody, expand the frontiers of our collective freedom, cut off the chains of ethnicity and religious bigotry, and help Nigeria recover from the feeling of collective rape by those who imported the men of darkness that destroyed our country.

His message was also passed to the Supreme Court of Nigeria, which Nigerians are watching with keen interest to decide issues arising from the 2023 general elections. He however, prayed to God to guide President Muhammadu Buhari in retirement from May 29, 2023.

He said, “As you (President Buhari) prepare to return to Daura or Kaduna, I do not know if you feel fulfilled or that you met the tall dreams and goals you set for yourself such as: ending banditry, defeating corruption, bringing back our girls, belonging to everybody and belonging to nobody, selling off our presidential fleet and traveling with us, etc.

“You may have followed my engagement with you through these messages over the years. You publicly referred to me during one of our visits as your number one public critic with a huge smile. 

“I commend you for the fact that you have known that none of this was done out of malice but that we want the best for our country. May God guide you in retirement while we all embark on the challenge of reclaiming the country we knew before you came.

“I am hopeful that you (president-elect) will appreciate that the most urgent task facing our nation is not infrastructure or the usual cheap talk about dividends of Democracy. These are important but first, keep us alive because only the living can enjoy infrastructure. For now, the most urgent mission is to start a psychological journey of making Nigerians feel whole again, of creating a large tent of opportunity and hope for us all, of expanding the frontiers of our collective freedom, of cutting off the chains of ethnicity and religious bigotry, of helping us recover from the feeling of collective rape by those who imported the men of darkness that destroyed our country, of recovering our country and placing us on the path to our greatness, of exorcising the ghost of nepotism and religious bigotry.”

To the Supreme Court, he said: “We are saddened that your sacred temples have been invaded by the political class leaving the toxic fumes that now threaten your reputation as the last hope for all citizens. It is sad that your hard-earned reputation is undergoing very severe stress and pressure from those who want justice on their own terms. Nigerians are looking up to you to reclaim their trust in you as the interpreters of the spirit of our laws. The future of our country is in your hands.”

To the youths, he said, “I salute your energy and courage. You fought a good fight across party lines. Your engagement and involvement substantially changed the contours of our politics. Things will never be the same again. However, the youth do not belong to any single party, no matter the temptation. You must look at the mistakes of the past and avoid them.

“Note that your actions today will shape tomorrow. Learn the rules of good sportsmanship, know rules, know your roles, know when to fight, what to fight for, and know when to walk away so you can embrace other fights. In all, most of you did well, but some of your colleagues lost their lives in the hands of members of your own groups.”

He, however, urged the youths to keep their dreams, but know the contours of the long road ahead.

He prayed that God should give Nigeria the spirit of forgiveness and heal the nation from infirmities and blindness which makes us forget that we are brothers and sisters, children of one father.

Kukah’s advice to the in-coming Tinubu government is in furtherance of his desire for the good governance of Nigeria, where equity, justice and egalitarianism will prevail.

 It is also for a country that will provide the basic necessaries and welfare to the mass of its people, in accordance with the fundamental principles and directive policy of government enshrined in the extant 1999 constitution, as amended. It is in this light that we urge Tinubu, who will take over the mantle of leadership in Nigeria on May 29, 2023, to reflect on Kukah’s admonition with a view to achieving the deliverables.