Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, Matthew Kukah, has faulted the distribution of palliative to Nigerians in the wake of the biting hardship facing the country.
The government’s floating of the naira and the removal of fuel subsidy have pushed inflation levels to a new high, leading to a hike in the cost of living.
Governments at all levels have rolled out palliative measures, including the distribution of food items to the vulnerable, as part of moves to cushion the hardship in the country.
But Kukah says such moves are undignifying and governments should map out better plans to tackle the nation’s issues.
“We need to see a much more robust programme designed by the government to help us go away from just lining up and collecting palliative when we are not at war,” the cleric said on Channels TV’s Sunday Politics programme.
“I think it is the height of indignity to see Nigerians lining up every day under the sun and waiting to collect bags of rice which probably never come, not because money has not been given but because everybody who gives out money in Nigeria from the Federal Government knows that a good part of this money is always stolen. Nigerians are not looking for handouts.”
On the issue of unrelenting security challenge, the Bishop said, “There is a feeling that at the top, there is no political will. I believe the Nigerian military is pretty well-equipped. The question we should ask ourselves is why fighting insecurity has been so much institutionalised.
“Ordinary farmers just want to go back to their farms. People just want to be able to get back to their lives. Ending insecurity is the beginning of this healing and a decisive programme and plan to end it is the beginning of the healing.”
