TheCable

Matthew Kukah, Catholic Bishop of Sokoto diocese, has told President Bola Tinubu that Nigerians are experiencing pain and hardship due to certain government policies.

Kukah spoke in Abuja on Wednesday after a visit to Tinubu at the State House.

The clergyman said while one year may not be enough to make a judgment about the administration of Tinubu, he noted that it is evident that Nigerians are facing a difficult situation.

He added that some government policies may need to be amended to ease the burden on citizens.

Kukah emphasised that the essence of government is to guarantee the welfare of the people, noting that the current situation in the country is a time for renewal.

“So many people will tell you that one year is not enough to make a judgment. However, from where we all stand, we know that we are all in a very difficult situation,” Kukah said.

“Nigerians are in various levels of pain—pain that is unintended. There are also certain policy decisions that, hopefully, can be amended in order to serve the welfare of ordinary people.

“I believe that the essence of government is to guarantee the welfare of ordinary citizens. I believe that the times that we are in now are difficult times, and nobody should be under any illusion.

“But this is also time for renewal; we just need to commit ourselves to using a good society.

“It takes a lot of time and cannot be done in one lifetime. For me, the most important thing is to continue on the building blocks of things that are being done well.

“My argument has always been that the government needs to, very quickly, improve the quality of communication so that Nigerians can get a sense of how long it will take before food is ready.”