With the general election barely three weeks away, the
Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Rev. Mathew Hassan Kukah, has asked
Nigerians not to put all their hopes in politicians, warning that “democracy
dies when people hand over their fate to politicians.”
Kukah in a lecture he delivered on Tuesday at the 70th anniversary
of the Nigerian Tribune Symposium at the Sheraton Hotels and Towers in Lagos
titled: ‘Democracy, Political Parties, Electoral Integrity and Good Governance’,
insisted that “this is dangerous because politics is the only game for which
you require no qualification or prior training, experience or exposure to
participate in.
“With the billionaires and the private sector actors in
our midst, the intellectuals, the scientists, the retired and serving military
generals, the bishops and all caliber of people we have, surely, it will be a
mortal sin to entrust our hope to our politicians and simply stand by and watch
as our lives and future are threatened. We would be most guilty of negligence.”
Kukah stressed that “these demagogues often hide their
real ambitions under a veneer of populism; they whip supporters into frenzy,
making different promises to different constituencies and speaking from both
ends of their mouths.
“Thus, they will promise their kin, their tribesmen
and women, co-religionists, regionalists, one thing and the rest of the country
another thing. They will ride on a contrived narrative of popular fanatical
nationalism or ideology and present themselves as heroes, liberators and messiahs.”
The clergyman said it is at this point that the people
should be more vigilant and ready to protest in the face of tyranny if the need
arises.
“This is when prophecy becomes urgent. This is where
the honest voice has to stand up and say No! This is when No to tyranny becomes
Yes to freedom.
“Often, we all feel insignificant as individuals. We
wonder, can I make a difference? But history says yes we can make a difference.
We have had heroes and heroines who have made a difference like Gandhi, Martin
Luther King, John Kennedy, Mother Theresa, Nelson Mandela, Steve Biko, Edward
Snowden, Julian Assange, Malala, Leah Sharibu, Rosa Parks, Jim Acosta, De
Klerk, Gorbachev, John Paul II, Mother Theresa, Colin Kerppernich, Bouzouzi
among others.
“Protest is honourable. We must embrace the culture of
protest. In 2011, TIME magazine made the Protester Man of the Year! So,
creeping totalitarianism and tyranny, whether seen as assault on individual
liberties, muzzling of the media or attack on the opposition, must be resisted,”
Kukah said.
He accused the government of being tyrannical in handling
some political situations in the country, saying the first signed of these is the
continued disobedience of government to lawful orders of the court.
According to the cleric, “The face of tyranny is often
hidden in innocence. There have been attacks on the media and disobedience of
the courts as we can see in the cases of Sambo Dasuki and El Zakzaky whose
detentions several courts have declared illegal.
“The government has continued to act in disobedience.
Now, they have broken into and desecrated the Supreme Court to install their
own Chief Justice. Who will be the next? That is the central question we must
face before darkness envelopes us. The Rev. Martin Luther King had said a man
cannot climb your back unless you bend it.
“So, as the elections approach, do yourself one
favour. You have listened to all the promises that have been made, the ones
kept, hurriedly or strategically. Do not get carried away. On election day,
before heading for the polls, take a look at yourself in the mirror and ask
yourself.
“Am I looking better than I was last year? Do I look
healthier? Do I feel more secure? What do I want for my family? Which candidate
or Party offers the best opportunity for me to improve my conditions and become
a better person, a better and proud citizen? These are the questions.”
Earlier, the Chairman of the African Newspapers of
Nigeria, publishers of Tribune, Dr. Tokunboh Awolowo-Dosunmu, in her speech
titled ‘The Nigerian Tribune: Mission to Renew and Transform’ said: “In the
private sector, there is always innovation... There's always improving
productivity, and if you're not leading that, you'll be passed and ultimately
go out of business. So there's an urgency to constantly update and renew and to
rethink your enterprise.”
Awolowo-Dosunmu insisted that the Tribune has a
history of parading journalistic and literary ‘greats’ among our line-up of
columnists. “Who can forget Chief Bisi Ọnabanjọ’s ‘Aiyekooto’, Justice Adewale
Thompson’s ‘Megaforce’, Chief Bọla Ige’s ‘Uncle Bọla’s Column’, Dr Tai
Șolarin’s ‘State of the Nation’, Chief Wunmi Adegbọnmire’s ‘Ọmọ Ẹkun’, Akọgun Tọla
Adeniyi’s ‘Aba Saheed’, and Chief Ebenezer Babatọpẹ’s ‘Periscope’?
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