The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Hassan Kukah, has
lamented that quacks have taken over every institution in the country,
including the country’s political space.
Kukah said that the quest to achieve a united Nigeria, devoid of rationalization and fictionalization, will only be an illusion.
The cleric spoke at the National Conference and Annual General
Meeting of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, NIPR, Kukah.
He further said Nigeria is one of the most dangerous country in the world to live in.
Kukah said, “The quest for national cohesion remains an
illusion and the result, therefore, is that marketing Nigeria becomes an
act of frustration. In part because too many issues have still not been
resolved.
“Tragically as the population has increased we have not been able to craft a narrative.
“Is there any institution in Nigeria that has not been taken over by quacks, including our politics?
“There is no institution you can blame in this country,
everywhere. That is why it is even so dangerous and so important to
think about how to advertise Nigeria. I mean, where do you start?
“I think that the problems in Nigeria have very little to do
with the things that we ascribe, but is everything to do with our
inability, sheer incapacity to manage diversity. Managing diversity is a
science.
“If we do not have a sense of direction and purpose; a nation
that does not have a clarity of vision as to where it is going, and what
the tools that are required.
“When you live in a country like Nigeria, where people are
safer with their nephews, cousins, brothers, sisters, as special
assistants, personal assistants, then we are in trouble.
“How we manage diversity in Nigeria then becomes an issue.”
Continuing, he said, “The question then is if you want to market Nigeria, where do you start from. We are practising politics of a very poor quality.
“Our politics have become so regionalised, fractionalised.
Whenever I look at the map of the last elections, I do not feel proud as
a Nigerian. That you will have an election where very clearly, the
country is divided into two and the lines are precise.
“If this is the kind of country that we have, how do we develop
the capacity to manage diversity. When a president is travelling, the
governors are struggling to go with him.
“And yet in reality, for those journeys, like when the
president is going to China, there must be an academic expert who
understands China, who should be able to brief the President.
“This is the only country where the only experts are those
manufactured by those in power. Does it not surprise you? The country
has become averse to expertise, to intellectual contribution.
“The incredible capacity of our people is in suspended
animation. It is really frightening what is happening in Nigeria. With
the kidnapping in Katsina yesterday, there are no more sacred spaces in
the country.”
“it is a mortal sin and a massive scared on Nigeria’s face the
millions of young people who are moving around and have turned to crime.
It is totally unacceptable that we would live with so much and so many
of our people are objects of humiliation around the world.”
0 comments:
Post a Comment