Kukah berates national confab •Says it will create more problems for Nigeria

The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, The Right Reverend Matthew Hassan Kukah, has berated the Federal Government’s national confab which is expected to commence soon, arguing that the conference will only create more problems for the nation. Kuka, who earlier expressed optimism in the oneness of the country, related his fears, saying that the confab had been fraught with many irregularities before its commencement. He stated this while making his keynote address as the guest speaker during the 6th Cardinal Anthony Okogie’s annual lecture, which was held on Thursday at the McGovern Hall at the St. Agnes Catholic Church, Maryland, Lagos. Kukah, while dwelling much on the topic “Calming The Storm, Witnessing In A Time Of Insecurity”, said that “many people have been clamouring for a Sovereign National Conference. Now it is here. I don’t believe that Nigeria’s problems can be solved through a National Conference. This is because the delegates are not going there as one Nigeria but as different ethnic groups. This will even create more problems to the country.” He stressed that Nigerians have politicised every issue on the altar of religion and tribal sentiment, adding that “Nigeria is not the only country with many tribes, cultures and religions. If a person commits an offence in USA, the offender is tried as a criminal but in Nigeria people will try such a person on the grounds of his religion, tribe, thereby bringing sentiment into the case. This is Nigeria’s biggest problem and until Nigerians see one another as Nigerians and not from religious perspective, the nation will not know peace.” From Tribune Newspaper