January 11, (THEWILL) – The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Hassan Kukah, on Wednesday, visited President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House, Abuja.
Media Adviser to the President, Femi Adesina, said President Buhari shook hands with Bishop Kukah, who visited among other Executive members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN).
Recall that Kukah had in his 2022 Christmas homily, hit hard on President Buhari, saying despite his lofty promises, he would be leaving office with Nigerians “far more vulnerable”.
The firing Bishop had complained bitterly about nepotism, favouritism and breach of federal character in Buhari’s administration.
Noting that the President has failed in fulfilling his campaign promises to Nigerians, Kukah said the broken promises of Buhari are leaving Nigerians more vulnerable, adding that the corruption he promised to fight has become a leviathan and sadly, a consequence of a government marked by nepotism.
But Adesina, in a response to Kukah’s Christmas message, said the clergy only saw things through the prism of a political priest, with a propensity for the opposition, the Peoples Democratic Party.
Adesina also said if Kukah was succeeding in his duty as a priest, then his adherents should be less prone to corruption, and the leviathan should have been slain or badly wounded.
He had equally noted that if “corruption is still the monster the Bishop claims it is, then he, too, is failing as a moral authority and guide.”
But speaking on Kukah’s visit, Adesina disclosed that when he came into the Council Chamber, the firing Bishop pulled him, and started laughing.
“We laughed heartily,” Adesina said, adding: “After it all, the Bishop invited me for a personal picture with him. Bishop Kukah was cooking peace this time, and how refreshing it was.
Read Adesina on Kukah’s visit below:
“WHAT’S BISHOP KUKAH COOKING AGAIN?
“Matthew Hassan Kukah, Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, was among the Executive members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), who visited President Muhammadu Buhari at State House, Abuja, on Wednesday, January 11, 2023.
“Recall that at Christmas, the Bishop had given a homily that was unduly critical of the President, and which was filled with inexactitudes. I had responded via an article entitled; Kukah, Don’t Cook Me Nonsense.
“When the Bishop came into the Council Chamber, the venue of the visit, he pulled me and started laughing, asking whether we should be fighting or greeting each other. We laughed heartily.
“During group photographs, the President, never holding malice against anyone, shook hands with the Bishop, describing him as “most vigorous fighter.”
“After it all, the Bishop invited me for a personal picture with him. Bishop Kukah was cooking peace this time, and how refreshing it was.”
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