Why Boko Haram. Avengers, IPOB are not representing anyone

– Rev Kukah advised President Buhari not to dismiss the confab report

– The catholic bishop said groups terrorising the country are not representing any section

– He urged the National Assembly to live up to expectation

Rev. Matthew Kukah has said that groups terrorising Nigeria on the guise that they are representing a particular section of the country are not representing anyone.

The Punch reports that the catholic bishop of Sokoto diocese said the groups cannot solve the problem of the country with their actions.

“I do not think the problems of the Niger Delta or the South-East or of Nigeria can be resolved by the kind of people who present themselves as Boko Haram or those who claimed to be Avengers; it is a measure of irresponsibility, the extent to which the intellectual class have relinquished their responsibilities.

“I don’t think Avengers are speaking for anybody, other than themselves, I don’t think IPOB is speaking for anybody other than themselves. But we have created them. Somebody left the window opened. Their agitations are legitimate, but not through violence. We are in a democracy, people should be free to express themselves.”

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The cleric advised President Muhammadu Buhari to implement the national conference report.

“President Muhammadu Buhari cannot throw it (report) away; archives are archives. Thank God the President did not say he will throw it to the dustbin. We are not in a military regime. The President cannot wake up and say the National Assembly should be closed. A lot of the powers have been taken (away) from the President,”

Kukah advised Nigerians to pray for President Muhammadu Buhari instead of politicising his trip to London to treat ear infection.

“All I can say as a priest is that I have done what I have to do: to pray. Any health of Nigerian should not be a subject of politics or speculations. It’s something I found troubling. The responsibility we have is to pray for the President.”

The catholic bishop criticised the National Assembly and said it has underperformed in one year.

He said: “It is unfortunate that the only thing we have been concerned with the National Assembly is the fate of the Senate president, Bukola Saraki.”

He also spoke about the “fixinf Nigeria initiative” and said “a major challenge of Nigeria’s democracy is the abject lack of citizens’ engagement in debating, and more importantly, in shaping public policies that often have dramatic impact on their lives.

“The importance of robust debates can never be overemphasised in a democracy. If free and fair elections mark the basic validation of democratic mandates, citizens’ involvement in public policy-making is the oxygen for democratic governance.

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“It is in part to address this problem that the Kukah Centre was established to serve as a platform for mediation between the government and the people. The importance of such a mediating platform is underscored by the great deal of public cynicism towards government and the mutual distrust between public officials and citizens.”

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