The Presidency has challenged the Bishop of Sokoto Province, the Most Rev Mathew Hassan Kukah to put away his clerical garb, join partisan politics and see how far he can go in righting the wrongs he has always accused those in government of.
In a statement today, April 18, reacting to the Bishop’s accusation against the government of President Muhammadu Buhari, a presidential spokesman, Malam Garba Shehu reminded him of his responsibility as a cleric, “as it is expressed in James 1:27: “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.”
Garba Shehu insisted that if Bishop Kukah is expert in the way Nigeria should be run for a better result, he should come out, contest for the Presidency and proceed to do his wonders.
The spokesman who described Bishop Kukah’s Easter sermon as ” Kukah’s virus of hate,” said the Bishop has added his voice to the political campaign activities now ongoing from his pulpit.
“As the nomination congress approaches, rumblings within the party rise to an acrimonious crescendo and the troubleshooting market blossoming in the opposition Peoples Democratic Party PDP, which is in desperate yearning for his tested skills, we are surprised, so too, are many others.”
He said that the presidency is not surprised that Bishop Kukah could still find the time for a lengthy homily on his usual target, Muhammadu Buhari, the President of Nigeria.
“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, Bishop Matthew 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.
“Bishop Kukah neglects the Bible’s teachings in James 1:26: “If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless”.
“Easter should be a time for renewal, and for hope. For those in authority – both temporal and spiritual – to come together in word and deed so those who look to them for example can be inspired by their grace.
“This is not a time for religious leaders to play politics, or politicians to play religion. It is a time, as in Titus 3:9 to “avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless”.
“Yet Bishop Kukah used his sermon purposefully to make dissensions and quarrels about the law. “His accusatory list against the government revealed only his hatred for them.
“Still, when he accused them of division, he gave no examples: merely assertions emanating from his own mouth. His allegation of ethnic and regional divide was innuendo without proof, and he gave none.
“His list of things he claims as broken – from churches to mosques to schools and motorways – belie all those that have been built, and others built anew during this government’s time in office.
“Should he feel compelled for whatever reason to criticize the government for what he views as their mistakes, the Bible makes clear how it should be done: “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness”, Galatians 6:1-2.
“If Bishops or religious leaders believe they have a willing audience for tales of government error or fragility, they do an injustice to their flock by filling their ears with talk of division and hateful thoughts.
“Nigeria knows too well Bishop Kukah’s views of the government. He has made quite clear how much he dislikes them from the day they were elected.
“Whether expressing his political views is a good use or an abuse of religious office is for others to decide. But the people of Nigeria have spoken – twice: They support this government at the ballot box. They have not been swayed by hateful talk from any bully-pulpit.
“We respectfully ask Bishop Kukah to leave government to the voters and the politicians they elect, while he concentrates on his job.”

A Yoruba monarch, the Oluwo of Iwo, in Osun State,Oba Abdulrosheed Adewale Akanbi, has made it clear that Igbos from Southeast cannot become the President of Nigeria because of their approach to the nation’s cohesion.
In a statement through Alli Ibraheem, his Chief Press Secretary, the Oluwo said that the failure of the South Easterners to change their approach will amount to chasing shadow on their political journey of producing Nigeria’s President.
He acknowledged the damage done to Igbos as a result of the Nigerian civil war, but advised the south easterners to rescind their attitude “of barring people from other parts of the country from owning properties in their domain.”
“I have people from across Nigeria in Iwo, including the South Easterners. They do not only have their businesses but also built their houses and own farm lands. Such is not only peculiar to Iwo but to other parts of the country, except the South-East. A Nigerian in Nigeria should be able to own land anywhere.
“The style by the South easterners is barbaric. Such is not only detrimental to their economic viability but also to their political recognition. As a traditional ruler, I can’t trust any South easterner as my President.
“You can’t be a leader on sectional interest. With such unsophisticated, primitive and uncivilized thinking, no Nigerian from other zones will vote a south easterner as their President.”
According to the monarch the sit-at-home order issued by the members of the Eastern Security Network (ESN) is not only inimical to their survival but also to the growth of the nation, asking them to have a rethink in their approach.
He stressed that until they return to the way of other regions that welcome visitors from other parts of the country with love and concern for national cohesion, no Nigerian will feel secured in the hands of a leader whose ethnic attachment deprived other Nigerians their rights.
“The civil war wounds meted on south easterners is a weak factor to institutionalize policies capable of tearing the nation apart.”

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has stressed the need for Nigerians to engage in what he called “frank discussions and transparency” to address  issues that cause division and strife in the country.
According to Professor Osinbajo, this is the way to find lasting solutions and also chart the way forward towards building a better and more united nation.

The Vice President, who spoke at the public presentation of the Dr. Yemi Ogunbiyi’s memoir titled: “The Road Never Forgets” in Lagos, aimed also at celebrating the author’s 75th birthday, said: “we need to talk more to ourselves not at ourselves.

“We need frank discussions on the issues that divide us; we need openness about our fears and prejudices. Perhaps, that way we may gain each other’s confidence.”
On the book itself, the Vice President said: “anyone who has had a chance like me to read this book will agree that not only does the road never forget, but the elephant that walked the road has a phenomenal memory. The elephant as you know forgets nothing, its brain is 5kg in weight. So, The Elephant in this room – if you will pardon the pun – Dr. Ogunbiyi, surely forgets little.
“He speaks of a broad spectrum of issues from his childhood and youth through to events that happened just last year with the same mind-boggling freshness of memory. Yemi Ogunbiyi’s story is at once the life story of a truly remarkable individual and at the same time, the story of a country. And who better to tell the story of Nigeria, the magical possibilities of our ethnic blending, than one born in Kano of a Yoruba father and an Igbo mother and whose first language was Hausa.
“In this contemporary history of Nigeria, it turns out by some quirk of circumstance, that the author is present in critical events that occurred in Nigeria.  He had a ringside seat during the ‘wetie period’ in the old Western Region by virtue of the fact that Ibadan Boys High School was located behind the Awolowo home in Ibadan.  His first open day at Kings College was the day of the first coup in Nigeria and he was right there when Adekunle Adepeju was fatally shot at UI.
“So, in telling his own compelling story, we are led through the nationalistic idealism of the pre-colonial days, the excitement of civil rule and its tragic denouement, then Military rule, a curious diarchy, other iterations of civil rule, and all manner of contemporary events. He engages every subject honestly, openly and frankly, somehow it almost seems that by his open vulnerable style he disarms and commands empathy and admiration.”
He said that the book is a powerful memoir of a life shaped by history as much as great successes and redemption, as the VP noted that Ogunbiyi would go on to “become the brilliant university teacher, newspaper executive, debonair, connoisseur of wine and collector of fine art, equally at home in modern and traditional settings.”
The Vice President restated the importance of one’s contribution to society, saying: “the best amongst us owe us three taxes.”
According to him, one of them is the “Income Tax” which he opined Ogunbiyi has delivered on, adding that  “many may not know that he is a rather wealthy man in his own right.
“The second is a Social Tax, philanthropy and in this respect Dr. Ogunbiyi also has a good track record, his many charitable contributions. And the third is a Civic Tax. The obligation to share their stories with the world. The obligation to tell it like it is to enable us all reflect and learn.”

Prof. Osinbajo observed, adding that the author “in this ultimate Magnus opus “The Road Never Forgets,” fully discharged this obligation.”
Observing the author’s consistency through the years, the Vice President stated that Ogunbiyi’s has “been consistent in your kindness, generosity and commitment to seeing a better nation.”