The Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria (CSN), on Monday, said it stood by Bishop Matthew Kukah’s Christmas Day message wherein he claimed that Nigeria was on the verge of becoming a failed state.
It described critics of the Bishop as agents of evil, who he said had gathered to attack his person and to discredit what the church called the simple obvious truth of his message.
In a press release made available to journalists in Abuja, the National Director of CSN’s Social Communication, Fr. Mike Umoh, raised the alarm over the incessant attacks on the Bishop by those alleging he sought to instigate violence and hinder national integration with his message.
Kukah’s comment, which insinuated there would have been coup or war had it been non-Northern Muslim that emerged President, incurred the wraths of Nigerians cross-tribes and religions.
He was accused of inciting the military and Nigerians to coup and ethno-religious war, respectively.
Umoh, however, maintained that with the prolonged security and economic challenges facing the country, the Catholic Church in Nigeria stood by Kukah’s position on the state of the nation.
He said, “We are quite aware of the 2020 Christmas Message by our revered Bishop Hassan Kukah and the enormous space it has enjoyed on social media and in the public sphere.
“As expected, the agents of evil have gathered to attack the person of the Bishop and to discredit the simple obvious truth of the message. This is the stock in trade of evil people.
“However, they often succeed when good people Christians, choose to do nothing. We are therefore calling attention to this new development so that we can all rise in unison and stand for truth.
“The situation in Nigeria no longer allows anyone to sit on the fence, indifference is now a greater form of sin. Everyone must choose and stand up for what he/she believes in.
“The truth about our nation is also that there are only two parties now existing: the good and the evil, the oppressed and the oppressor, the suffering people and the benefiting government officers and their families.”
While calling on Nigerians to stand in support of the truth, he cautioned against falling for the antics of those he described as players of the religious and tribal card even at the expense of the general good of the nation.
It would be recalled that Bishop Kukah of Sokoto Diocese had in the controversial Christmas message titled: ‘A Nation in Search of Vindication’, said: “This government owes the nation an explanation as to where it is headed as we seem to journey into darkness.
“The spilling of this blood must be related to a more sinister plot that is beyond our comprehension. Are we going to remain hogtied by these evil men or are they gradually becoming part of a larger plot to seal the fate of our country?” he had asked.
