Kukah opposes secessionist agitations

Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Kukah, has registered his opposition to the agitations for secession, stating that the cost of staying together as a nation is cheaper than the cost of dividing Nigeria.

Kukah made this call during his speech at the 2021 virtual edition of the Platform, an annual conference organised by Pastor Poju Oyemade of the Covenant Christian Centre, Lagos.

According to the cleric, the Federal Government is responsible for the appalling state of the economy, alienating the citizens in the process.

The fiery cleric said, “Yes, it may be right for everybody to want to go. Yes, it may be right for people to want to feel so dissatisfied that they want an end to what we have today. But the cost of staying together is far cheaper than the cost of everybody going his way.

The most important thing here is that the government must give us a reason – the body language – we need to be inspired as a country to inspire ourselves that this country is worth the psychological, the spiritual, and the cultural engagements.”

The agitations for secession by various groups across the country continue to resonate against the backdrop of the raging insecurity and poor state of the economy.

Pope Francis appoints Kukah into Council on promotion of human dignity and development

The Bishop of the Sokoto Catholic Diocese, Matthew Hassan Kukah, has been appointed as a member of the Dicastery for the Promotion of Human Integral Development by Pope Francis.

The Director of Social Communications at the Sokoto Catholic Diocese, Rev. Fr. Christopher Omotosho, who announced this in a statement on Monday evening, said the appointment was confirmed in a letter addressed to Bishop Kukah on December 11, 2020, and signed by the Prefect of the Dicastery, Peter Cardinal Turkson.

The statement read:

“By this appointment, Bishop Kukah will join other members of the Dicastery drawn from different regions of the world to advise and promote the Pope’s concerns on issues of justice and peace, human rights, torture, human trafficking, care of creation and other issues related to the promotion of human dignity and development.

The appointment, which is renewable, is for an initial period of five years. The Council will be formally inaugurated on a later date.

The Dicastery for the Promotion of Integral Human Development and was created on January 1, 2017, when four Dicasteries, namely, the Pontifical Councils for Justice and Peace, Cor Unum, Pastoral Care of Immigrants and Itinerant People and Health Care of Workers, were all merged by the Holy Father.

“This appointment adds to Bishop Kukah’s string of national and international engagements within the universal Church.

“He was first appointed a Consultor and later a Member of the Pontifical Council for Inter-Religious Dialogue, Vatican City and served under three Popes.

“He is currently, Chairman, Dialogue Committees of both the Regional Episcopal Conference of West Africa (RECOWA) and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN).

“He was a member of the official Delegation of the Holy See that met with the Emir of Qatar when that country opened diplomatic relations with the Holy See in 2002.”

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