Bishop Kukah to FG: Tackle unemployment, religious extremism to curb insecurity

Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Bishop Mathew Kukah has called on both the Federal and the State Governments in Nigeria to address the issue of unemployment and that of religious extremism to tackle rising case of insecurity in the land.

Kukah in his Christmas message for the year 2024 identified insecurity as the first child of corruption saying “We cannot win the war against insecurity without addressing the issues of unemployment and violent religious extremism which create the conditions for violence.

“Religious extremism can only be resolved if the government employs the force of the law and prosecutes the perpetrators as criminals and murderers.

“I appeal to Christians not to forget that we are the light of the world, the city on the hill that cannot be hidden. Christians must not allow the structural weaknesses, the foibles and failures of the Nigerian state, to become an excuse for doing wrong.

“We cannot continue to blame the Constitution, the Judiciary, the Police, or other public servants for the corruption in our society. Corruption is another word for our not keeping the words and promises we made at baptism as Christians.

“We swore to be faithful to Christ at baptism before we encountered the Constitution. The Constitution is a human instrument with limitations and flaws. However, the Word of God is a divine command and inerrant. Good Christians have the laws of God written in their hearts (2 Cor. 3:3) They need no other law.

“The tragedies that occurred in Okija, Ibadan, and Abuja where innocent people lost their lives in stampedes at food distribution points are a metaphor for the situation of desperation that citizens have been thrown into.

“The failures of government to respond concretely toward ending the horrible crisis of hunger and desperation has created the conditions for these avoidable tragedies. Citizens are lapsing into despair.

“The Catholic Church is not new to providing succour for the needy and vulnerable. Under the auspices of St. Vincent de Paul, the Church continues to provide succour to the poor across the wider society.

“These tragedies were avoidable. Government needs to work more closely with institutions that help to promote the common good of our society. May God grant eternal rest to the dead and console their families.

“It is the duty of the government to ensure minimum dignity for our people. This year, the Holy Father, Pope Francis, issued an Encyclical Letter entitled, Dilexit Nos (He loved Us). In it, he warned that: A society dominated by narcissism and self-centeredness will increasingly become heartless, trapped in walls of our own making, no longer capable of healthy relationships.

“Christmas, with its message of joy, calls us out of the cocoon in which selfishness traps us, and frees us to love tenderly. When Jesus asked His apostles to take the Gospel to all the ends of the earth, it was because He was offering salvation to all humanity.

“Let us therefore now open out hearts and renew our commitment to living the ideal for which Jesus came into the world. My wishes for a blessed Christmas. May the new year bring us blessings.”