Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Kukah, has said that the worst thing that can happen to Nigeria is to pretend that all is well.
Kukah stated this on Saturday at the 2023 Presidential Inauguration Lecture in Abuja.
“I want to say that first of all Nigeria must heal but we also must have the courage to identify the scar, wounds, and injuries. The worst thing that can happen to us is to pretend that everything is okay because everything is not okay,” he said.
“We have so many of our citizens who have lost their lives and a lot who are in captivity. Managing diversity and differences is not about religious leaders coming together, it is about whether the state can create the kind of infrastructure that can help Nigeria move as citizens of their country.
“But right now, there is a way people feel because they are Christians or Muslims, there is a way people feel because they are women, the levels and categories of exclusion are so tremendous.”
The bishop stressed the speech of the guest speaker, the former President of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta, for the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, to manage victory and transit from a politician contesting an election to one who has won an election.
Kukah urged the incoming administration of Tinubu to create an atmosphere where everyone in Nigeria can compete and succeed according to their energies.