The Bishop of Sokoto Catholic Diocese, Bishop Mathew Hassan Kukah has wondered why Nigeria should be described as world capital of poverty when many citizens live in opulence.
According to him, a country whose citizens spend billions of naira in organising parties for burials, birthdays and other social activities cannot be the world headquarter of poverty.
Bishop Kukah, who spoke today, October 4, as keynote speaker at the 3rd Annual Conference of the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP) at the Sheraton Hotel in Ikeja, Lagos, said that the problems of Nigeria’s economy started before the nation’s Independence in 1960.
He said that the colonialists did not structure the country for meaningful economic development, even as he said that the military incursion into the nation’s partisan politics after the civil war worsen the developmental challenges.
The Bishop, who said that despite the efforts of the government of President Muhammadu Buhari, things are still not working as insecurity, including kidnapping and Boko Haram insurgency, blamed the problem of lack of development to inconsistencies in government policies.
Bishop Kukah challenged politicians, especially members of the National Assembly to relinquish half of their pay and allowances to provide employment for Nigerians.
