Presidency Mum As Kukah Tells US Congress Buhari Is Helpless, Biased

President Muhammadu Buhari was on Thursday morning on his way to his native Katsina State as the presidency appeared to ignore the latest attack on its capacity and allegations of ethnic and religious bias made by Bishop Matthew Kukah, Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, before the United States Congress.

Addressing the US Congress on Wednesday in a virtual presentation, Kukah, said the Buhari administration has been unable and sometimes unwilling to tackle the security challenges like it promised to do before taking power in 2015.

 GreenWhiteGreen GWG reports that Buhari came to power in 2015 with the promise to rout out the Boko Haram insurgency. But rather the insurgency has blossomed into other forms of violence with banditry, kidnapping among others confronting the populace.

In the address to the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission in Washington, DC, Kukah also accused the Buhari administration of stoking the division in the country through biased appointment of his ethnic group and religion against the principle of federal character.

“The North, even the whole country, is invaded by armed bandits, kidnappers etc, who attack communities at will. The fact that the government seems to be either helpless or uninterested in dealing decisively with these people has added more confusion,” Kukah said in chiding the Buhari administration.

“The contradiction here is that the President (Buhari) has blatantly pursued nepotistic agenda and policies that show very clearly his preference for men and women of his faith,” Kukah said.

“For the first time in Nigeria, the people heading the three arms of government – President, Senate President, Speaker and Chief Justice – are all Muslims. These are all fine gentlemen, but that is not the point. The level of rivalry between Christians and Muslims has worsened. This kind of situation has never happened before,” Kukah said of the lopsidedness in appointments and political positions in the Buhari era.

“The story of Leah Sharibu suggests very clearly that there is, in many instances, a relationship between the conditions in which people find themselves and their faith,” Kukah said of the schoolgirl left behind with Boko Haram on account of her Christian faith after agents of the Buhari administration negotiated the release of other Muslim school girls.

“In 2020, some of our priests in the North were killed. The extremists kidnapped our children and forcefully converted them to Muslims. What is significant here is that we are in a democracy; with weak structures and institutions. These are existential issues. So, we require practical assistance that can help us and our children,” he said.

Buhari was on Thursday morning scheduled to depart Abuja for Katsina to commission some projects during which period he is also expected to spend the Sallah holidays and the Presidency was yet to respond to the Kukah comments.

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