After his Christmas Day Message to the nation last December, which generated controversies among a section of the country, the fearless Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Archdiocese, Mathew Hassan Kukah, yesterday drew attention to the 1967 Nigeria-Biafra civil war, saying the nation was still nursing the wounds of war.

Kukah, who was keynote speaker at a zoom meeting organized by Nzuko Umunna, an Igbo think-tank in partnership with publisher of Ovation International Magazine, Dele Momodu and Njenje Media, said “the wounds of the civil war have not been healed”.

Speaking on the theme: “The Second never again conference: 51 years after Nigerian-Biafran Civil War”, he said there was the need for  Nigerians to compile the history of the country, saying that this would  calm the taste for violence in the nation.

Kukah, who had advocated solutions to Nigeria political and economic problems in hia recent statement, noted that Nigerians were not happy with the current situation in the country.

Kukah pointed out that poor economic policies, insecurity and poor education and health systems as major issues bedevilling the country and advised the current administration to fix them.

“We are failing in almost all the sectors. We must stand up and fix them”. There is enough blame to go round. Everyone should be blamed for the current situation of the country.

“If we are saying Never Again, we must identify some fundamental issues. We must have our history written down or acted as a movie. We must understand the role of religion in Nigeria.

“The issue of consequentiality should also be of great essence. There should be consequences for good and bad behaviour”, he said.

Our Leaders are Incompetent – Peter Obi

Also speaking at the zoom meeting, former governor of Anambra state, Peter Obi, said the Nigerian leaders lack the capacity and character to lead the country.

Obi also said incompetent, insecurity, unemployment and corruption were factors affecting the growth of Nigeria.

Obi asked Nigerians to be prayerful, noting that Nigeria was still “going on the same road that will lead it to that same destination of 1967”.

“When we say Never Again, we need to be prayerful. We are still going on the same road that will lead us to that same destination. We have incompetent leadership with total lack of capacity and character”.

“Corruption is worst today than it has ever been.” Obi however, called on the “elites to sit down and pull the country out of the mess or it will consume all of us”, he said.

We Need to Start All Over Again –Amechi

Foremost nationalist and first minister of Aviation, Chief Mbazulike Amaechi, Thursday decried the poor state of the country, saying that Nigeria has to start all over again.

Speaking at a zoom meeting organized by Dele Momodu of the Ovation Magazine and Mazi Ezeoke, Amechi said that the country has deviated from the original constitution of the country, noting that there is need for a new constitution where every Nigerian will be involved to speak what he/she wants.

Speaking further, Amechi said: “I am sad. This is no longer the country we founded. This country has to start all over again. You can’t beat someone and ask him not to cry. If you don’t like us, let us go. I don’t want to go, I belief in one Nigeria”.

 Change Constitution before any Election –Adebanjo

An Elder Statesman and Afenifere chieftain, Chief Ayodele Adebanjo, asked Nigerian leaders to change the constitution, noting that the constitution is the problem of the country that needs to be changed before any election.

Adebanjo said at the conference: “Our problem is our constitution; we need to go back to where we started in 1960. We have a fraudulent constitution and there are some who are benefiting from it”.

Reacting to Nnamdi Kanu’s comment, he said: “Fulani’s are the one killing people in the country. We need to amend the constitution. No restructuring, no Nigeria. Change the constitution now”.

 Ensure Bishop Kukah Safety, Can Tells FG

In a follow-up development, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) yesterday cautioned those threatening Bishop Kukah to stop their “unlawful actions” and charged security agencies to ensure the safety and security of the bishop,

A statement issued in Abuja by CAN General Secretary, Barrister Joseph Daramola said: “We have been watching the unfolding scenario since Bishop Kukah spoke his mind on the State of the Nation in his Christmas homily and how some groups of people have been threatening him with fire and brimstone while all relevant security agencies are pretending as if nothing unusual is happening.

“We wonder if those threatening the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto are above the law or if they are sacred cows in the country. We have studied the whole Christmas message of Dr Kukah and we are yet to see any incitement against Islam or non- Christians. We see nothing wrong in his message to the nation that has been under the siege of terrorists, herdsmen killers, bandits and kidnappers as if there was no government in place.

“We see nothing wrong in telling a government whose lopsided appointments are against Christians the whole truth. If criticism against a Muslim President today, is an incitement to violence against Islam, it then means those who were criticising the duo of former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan when they were in power were actually attacking Christianity.

 “When has it become an offence to speak the truth to power? When has it become a crime to criticise a government in the country? When did the lawful fundamental of human rights suspend in the country? When did some sections of the Constitution suspended without the awareness of the public? When did the Police and the Directorate of the State Security Services lose their power to miscreants and lawless people who are making boast of their lawlessness without a challenge?

CAN said the Islamic forum wants to set the country on fire, adding that: “We wonder if those Muslim groups who are threatening to deal with Kukah got equal response from their Christian counterparts, are we not setting up the country on fire?

“Bishop Kukah was posted to serve in Sokoto by the Papacy and threatening him to leave is a global threat to Christianity. In this same country, we have a Catholic Priest whose name is synonymous with President Muhammadu Buhari yet the Catholic Church has not deemed it fit to sanction him because Freedom of Speech and Association is not only a constitutional matter but godly.”

Threat to Bishop Unconstitutional – Presidency

Meanwhile, the Presidency had on Wenesday issued a strong warning to the Catholic Bishop and the Muslim Solidarity Forum (MSF) to refrain from provocative and inciting statements, saying the threat of “apologies or quite”  was unconstitutional.

The statement, signed by Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity Mallam Garba Shehu, said: “The reported ultimatum by a group based in Sokoto, ‘Muslim Solidarity Forum’, calling on Bishop Kukah to tender an unreserved apology to the entire Muslim Ummah over his recent ‘malicious comments’ against Islam, or quietly and quickly leave the state, is wrong because it is not in line with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“Under our Constitution, every citizen has the right to, among others, freedom of speech and expression, the right to own property and reside in any part of the country, and the right to move freely without any inhibitions.

“Nigeria’s strength lies in its diversity. The right for all religions to co-exist is enshrined in this country’s Constitution.

“The duty of the government, more so, this democratic government, is to ensure that the Constitution is respected. But all must respect the rights and sensitivities of their fellow Nigerians.

 “On matters such as these, responsible leadership in any society must exercise restraint”.