The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Mathew Hassan Kukah, has warned the government and those in authority against denying Nigerians the avenue to express their grievances, saying that doing so will ultimately lead to trouble.
Kukah spoke yesterday at the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) and Voice of Nigeria (VON), Festival of Nine Lessons service in Abuja at the weekend, stressing that there must be more accountability, transparency and honesty on the part of government.
He said, “How is it that we are living in a society that has shown no commitment to deal with issues of accountability, transparency and honesty? These are the things that democracy has to do for us.
“Any system of government that denies ordinary citizens the opportunity to express their fears, to express their anxiety, is courting trouble because these emotions would find expression elsewhere.”
He demanded that government officials involve Nigerians in the search for answers to the country’s woes and challenged them to be more transparent and accountable to the people.
The cleric further lamented that the country had not made much progress of late despite its widely acclaimed access to wealth.
Kukah said, “We must raise the yellow flag because where we are in this journey, and we ought to have covered far more mileage than we have covered. We refuse to believe that with the bulk of resources in this country, there is not enough for all of us.”