By John Ikani
The Bishop of Nigeria’s Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, Matthew Kukah, has called on young Nigerians to “break the walls of ethnicity” by electing leaders who will create a better country in 2023.
Kukah, who made the call yesterday as a guest on Channels TV political and current affairs programme, Politics Today, said the outcome of the 2023 general elections would be determined by the youths who make up 60 percent of the Nigerian population.
The respected cleric went on to note that the 2023 election is the moment of truth for Nigerian youths, whom he said are better informed and more patriotic than those who govern them.
What Kukah is saying
“This election, whether we like it or not, is going to be determined by the young people of Nigeria, who are better informed and far more patriotic than those who governed them,” he said.
“They love this country more than those who governed them and understand where the rest of the world is going far better than those who governed them.
“So guess what? If you are young, there is a job for you — change this country. The wonderful part of this story is that we say that young people make up about 60 percent of the population of Nigeria. This is their moment, they have the ability and capacity.
“It would be a tragedy if they don’t see the opportunity that is available for them. The challenge for young people is to move beyond the silo that has held us back — break down the walls of dubious ethnicity and regionalism.
“Break down those walls erected by criminals who have no interest in your future; who have interest only in their future and the future of their children. Let’s create a wonderful country from Sokoto to Akwa Ibom.
“Right across the board, young people in the world want literally and basically the same thing — a limitless opportunity for people.”
APC’s Muslim-Muslim Ticket ‘Totally Reprehensible’
Speaking further, Kukah described the decision of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to field a Muslim-Muslim ticket for the 2023 presidential elections as “totally reprehensible.”
Both the APC presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, and Mr Shettima are Muslims
Despite the criticisms trailing its Muslim-Muslim ticket, the ruling APC has not shown a sign of dropping Kashim Shettima, a Muslim, from the North-east as its vice presidential candidate.
Bishop Kukah, against the backdrop of the much-criticised performance of the current administration, said the ruling party was insensitive to arrive at such a decision despite squandering power and misallocating opportunities given to them in 2015.
“The 2015 election had laid a solid foundation for a lot of hope about national integration,” Kukah said.
“But very clearly I don’t think anyone who lives in this country can deny the fact that we’ve had the most horrible mismanagement of our identities.
“So people would naturally respond. If you walk into the room and say all women should walk out of the room, you are making a statement.
“As a Christian, this is totally reprehensible; it is not acceptable to me. But that’s the decision of the APC as a party.”
