Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, has called for a sense of urgency in trying to salvage the country.
He said the frustration in the country is rising by the day, adding that this could be seen in the rise in domestic violence and inter-communal conflicts.
In his sermon at the wake mass for Archbishop Peter Yariyock Jatau at St. Joseph’s Catholic Cathedral, Kaduna on Tuesday, Kukah rebuked corrupt politicians, accusing them of adopting contractocracy as a governance mechanism.
He said: “Today, our dear nation is like the proverbial farmer searching for his black goat. He has to do it with a sense of urgency because darkness is setting in as the sun quickly recedes.
“Our nation has become one huge waste land, huge debris of the deceit, lies, treachery, double dealing and duplicity. Nigerian politicians have turned our politics into a huge trojan horse, a hoax, a hall of guile and dissimulation.
“The levels of frustration are rising by the day and we can see all this in the rise in domestic violence and inter-communal conflicts. A combination of all these has turned us unto a nation at war with itself,” he said.
Kukah, in the sermon, also spoke about shortcomings in governance and how the failings have imparted negatively on the citizens.
In the sermon titled, “A Nation in Search of Its Soul”, Kukah mocked corrupted government officials who pretend to be religious while wallowing in sinful lifestyle.
“Nigerians complain that the country is full of churches and mosques and they cannot find the values of these religions in everyday life. We sin at home by stealing the nation’s resources but we seek repentance and forgiveness in Saudi Arabia and Jerusalem in the guise of lesser or higher pilgrimages,” he stated.
Kukah said remembering Jatau is an opportunity to recall the contributions of Christian missionaries and Christian education to laying the foundation for the production of the quality and calibre of men and women of yesterday whose legendary moral fiber still resonates in Nigeria today.