The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Rev. Matthew Kukah has accused President Muhammadu Buhari of deliberately sacrificing the dreams of Nigerians to institutionalise northern hegemony.

The cleric said under Buhari’s government, Nigeria appeared to be heading for darkness with the citizens travelling in a rudderless ship without any destination in sight. 

Kukah said these on Friday, December 25, 2020, in his Christmas message titled, ‘A Nation in Search of Vindication.’

He said, “This government owes the nation an explanation as to where it is headed as we seem to journey into darkness. The spilling of blood must be related to a more sinister plot that is beyond our comprehension. Are we going to remain hogtied by these evil men or are they gradually becoming part of a larger plot to seal the fate of our country?

“President Buhari deliberately sacrificed the dreams of those who voted for him for what seemed like a programme to stratify and institutionalise northern hegemony by reducing others in public life to second-class status. He has pursued this self-defeating and alienating policy at the expense of greater national cohesion.

“Every honest Nigerian knows that there is no way any non-northern Muslim President could have done a fraction of what President Buhari has done by his nepotism and got away with it. There would have been a military coup a long time ago or we would have been at war. The President may have concluded that Christians will do nothing and will live with these actions.”

According to Punch, Kukah further said that Buhari’s alleged nepotism and commitment to reinforce northern hegemony had dire implications.

The cleric added that prominent northerners had started pointing out the consequences of the president’s nepotism on national cohesion and trust.

On the recent abduction of schoolboys in Katsina state and similar incidents in recent past, Kukah said the incidents have exposed the danger children are exposed to in the northern part of the country. 

He said, “The Almajiri is the poster child of the horrible and inhuman conditions of the northern child. It is a best-kept secret that the region refuses to confront but it has now exposed its underbelly. Now, what (is the) next for the children of the North?

“We thank God that the children (Kankara schoolboys) have been returned safely. This is the easy part. The challenge now is how to deal with the scars inflicted by a derelict nation which is still unable or unwilling to protect its citizens. Yes, we commend the federal and state governments for the rescue operation.

“The larger issues now are whether the federal government understands the evil web of intrigues into which Boko Haram has tied it. Will the Federal Government continue to reward and fund Boko Haram by playing its game? How long can this circle of deceit last for, given that every kidnap merely strengthens their arsenal?”

Bishop Kukah is usually critical of President Buhari and his administration. 

In January 2020, the cleric accused the Federal Government of giving ‘tacit approval’ to insurgents, saying the use of explosives is the only difference between the government and Boko Haram insurgents.

In February, he slammed the president for allegedly running a nepotistic government, adding that Nigeria is not worth dying for.