Nigerians need caring president– Kukah

 

Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah has said next month’s presidential election should not be about who triumphs, but a winner who will be ashamed of the state of the nation and do the right thing to fix the bad situ­ation.

Bishop Kukah spoke at the weekend during the burial of a prominent community leader and a retired military officer, Lt.-Col. Christopher Waziri Zonkwa, which held at Ungwar Rana, Ashafa Ikulu Chiefdom, Zangon Kataf Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

He said it did not matter who becomes the president, stressing that Nigerians will be interested in somebody who will address the problems facing them.

According to him, it was unfortunate that 50 years after, Nigerians were still talking about the same issues that are facing the country, blaming the leaders for their failure to move the nation forward.

Kukah said: “This is a country where people steal and go to other countries to set up businesses and buy houses. The issue of 2015 elections is not about who wins, but it is about somebody who is ashamed of the state of the Nigerian nation and strives to do the right thing.

“The things that Nigerians are doing today, especially politicians, are responsible for why things are not working. We must ask ourselves why we are still talking about the same issues 40, 50 years after.

“The election is not about prayers alone, it is about whether politicians can understand that politics is about service and allow free and fair elections to hold. Whether the country will stand or fall, depends on whether the politicians will stop their greed. We cannot go on like this as a country.

“Everything in this country is done by arrangement; there is no how we can make progress when everything is done by arrangement. Nigeria is the only country that does not think and plan for the future, all the developed countries think and plan 10 years ahead. For instance, if America hears of happenings in other parts of the world, they think of how it is going to affect the Americans and begin to plan ahead,” he noted.

The clergyman described the late military officer, who died at the age of 74, a principled officer, who served the military and his people very well.

Also, paying tributes, former military governor of Kaduna State, Maj. Gen. Tanko Ayuba (rtd) and former military governor of Rivers State, Maj. Gen. Zamani Lekwot, described the late Zonkwa as a humble, resourceful and hardworking person.

Recalling, their days in the Army, Gen. Ayuba said: “I know the late Lt.- Col. Zonkwa since 1962 when we were serving in the military. He was a private soldier and we grew together in rank in the Army. His hardwork, loyalty and dexterity endeared him to many top military officers and commanders who he served”.