The drama over Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah’s Christmas Message has taken another dimension as a Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, Jonathan Vatsa, has advised the Federal Government and Arewa youths to leave the clergyman alone and address the issues he raised on the state of the nation.
The former Publicity Secretary of the APC in Niger State said it was unfortunate that some “political contractors” are also picking holes in what Kukah preached, adding that it was “the truth and sincere assessments of the present situation in the country. The country is worse than it was six years ago.”
The Coordinator on Public Affairs to Governor Abubakar Sani Bello of Niger State in a statement in Minna, titled: “When shall we accept the truth,” pointed out that all the issues raised by Kukah “are the whole truth and nothing but the truth”.
Vatsa disclosed that the divisions among Nigerians today is more visible than the one that led to civil war in the country, warning: “Every right thinking human being knows that the country is drifting towards anarchy with the current situation.”
Vatsa, a former Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, while expressing regrets, said: “Rather than looking at Kukah’s assessment of the situation in the country and try to proffer solutions to them, the Federal Government and its ‘paid contractors’ are picking holes and politicizing this genuine and sincere observations.”
He pointed out that the greatest challenge facing the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration is its inability to accept “genuine criticism,” adding: “A serious government uses such criticism to correct its mistakes and forge ahead.”
He said: “There is nothing Bishop Kukah said in his Christmas Message that is not happening in the country today. The insecurity situation in the country today is worst than since independence, the entire country is under siege from criminal elements with the worst scenario in the north.
“Traveling to any part of the North is like passing death sentence on yourself. Apart from the security challenges, hunger and poverty have taken over the country.
“The feeding formula of an average Nigerian has changed. It is either 1-0-0, 0-1-0, 1-0-1 or in some homes its 0-0-0. Huge percentage of Nigerian homes can not boast of three meals a day.”
Vatsa said the entire Niger State has lost its peace in the last six years due to bandits activities, adding: “Niger state has lost its pride name to home of bandits.
“Every available farmlands have now been turned into burial ground of people killed by bandits, yet we don’t want to take criticism. People must be allowed to air their views.”
He argued that the state government spends more money in fighting insecurity than infrastructural development, adding: “The money the state government spends on security in a month is three times more than the security votes allocated to it.”
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