Lai Mohammed To Kukah: Don’t Stoke Embers Of Hatred

Posted by Nwa Diokpa African News, Featured, Latest Headlines, News, News Across Nigeria, News From The State Saturday, December 26th, 2020

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – Lai Mohammed, minister of information, has asked Father Mathew Kukah, bishop of Sokoto Catholic diocese, to refrain from stoking the embers of hatred in the country.

The minister disclosed this on Saturday in a statement where he highlighted that religious leaders who has never supported President Buhari should not use unproven allegations against him.

Although, the minister did not call the name of Bishop Kukah, it was evident he was talking to the bishop, who had accused President Buhari of Nepotism on Christmas day.

African Examiner had reported that Kukah had said there could have been a coup if a non-northern Muslim president tried a quarter of what Buhari did.

He also called the president out on promoting northern hegemony by “reducing others in public life to second-class status.”

Reacting, Mohammed stated that although religious leaders have a responsibility to speak truth to power, such truth must not come “wrapped in anger, hatred, disunity and religious disharmony”.

“The Federal Government has urged religious leaders in the country to refrain from stoking the embers of hatred and disunity, warning that resorting to scorched-earth rhetoric at this time could trigger unintended consequences,” the statement read.

“It is particularly graceless and impious for any religious leader to use the period of Christmas, which is a season of peace, to stoke the embers of hatred, sectarian strife and national disunity.

“Calling for a violent overthrow of a democratically-elected government, no matter how disguised such a call is, and casting a particular religion as violent is not what any religious leader should engage in, and certainly not in a season of peace.

“Instigating regime change outside the ballot box is not only unconstitutional but also an open call to anarchy.

“While some religious leaders, being human, may not be able to disguise their national leadership preference, they should refrain from stigmatizing the leader they have never supported anyway, using well-worn and disproved allegations of nepotism or whatever.”