Says trio of world’s worst presidential spokesmen
Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Hassan Kukah, yesterday, challenged the trio of Minister of Information and Culture Lai Mohammed, Senior Special Assistant (Media and Publicity) Garba Shehu and Special Adviser (Media and Publicity) Femi Adesina to a debate on national issues.
The cleric had earlier in an Easter homily, declared: “The challenge of fixing this broken nation is enormous and, as I have said, requires joint efforts. With everything literally broken down, our country has become one big emergency national hospital with full occupancy.
“Our individual hearts are broken. Our family dreams are broken. Homes are broken. Churches, mosques, and infrastructure are broken. Our educational system is broken. Our children’s lives and futures are broken. Our politics is broken. Our economy is broken. Our energy system is broken. Our security system is broken. Our roads and rails are broken. Only corruption is alive and well.”
Kukah also took a swipe at the trio, concluding: “There is nowhere in the world where the job of this nature is being done as has been done so poorly.”
He said: “These are the only spokesmen that have spent a lot of time buying photocopying paper and simply typing away texts. They have been involved in all kinds of writings of the poorest quality, never talking about the issues.
Asked to react to the allegation of hatred levelled against him by Shehu, Kukah replied: “I don’t know whether any of them has the ability or the capacity to speak about guilt or no guilt.
“But let me, first, set that record straight. I delivered my sermon to my congregation in the cathedral. So, the bearer of the message is primarily the good people of the Diocese of Sokoto. Of course, I am not unaware of the state of mind of my two friends, Femi Adesina and Garba Shehu, when it comes to talking about Bishop Kukah. They seem to suspend reason and go into overdrive.
“And I’m surprised that Femi Adesina, who I believe is a reverend of sorts in the Foursquare Gospel Church…I’m surprised that he’s unable to help his friend with whom they sat together.”
Noting he had served under different governments, and at the Oputa Panel, even getting former President Goodluck Jonathan and President Buhari to sign a peace accord over the 2015 elections, Kukah maintained: “I’m no stranger to the process we are in.”
“And I can say that the reason I am emotional and passionate about the things of this country and about where we are today, I have paid my dues. Let each and every of my critic tell me where they were at the most critical moment in Nigeria’s history.
“It’s not now that people’s bank accounts are swollen that they can probably try to preach the gospel to us that they themselves don’t believe.”
