The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Kukah, has said Christians should not continue to blame Nigeria’s problems on the Constitution, the judiciary, the police, or other public servants.
Kukah stated this on Wednesday in his Christmas message, urging Christians in Nigeria not to forget that they are the light of the world.
“I appeal to Christians not to forget that we are the light of the world, the city on the hill that cannot be hidden. Christians must not allow the structural weaknesses, the foibles and failures of the Nigerian state, to become an excuse for doing wrong.
“We cannot continue to blame the Constitution, the Judiciary, the Police, or other public servants for the corruption in our society,” Bishop Kukah said.
The cleric noted that corruption is another word for not keeping the words and promises made by Christians at baptism.
“We swore to be faithful to Christ at baptism before we encountered the Constitution. The Constitution is a human instrument with limitations and flaws. However, the Word of God is a divine command and inerrant. Good Christians have the laws of God written in their hearts (2 Cor. 3:3) They need no other law,” he added.
The Bishop reminded Christians that the message of Jesus to the world is, peace, joy, love, justice and reconciliation.
The man of God lamented that the forces of secularism are determined to empty Christmas of its core essence which is the good news of joy and light to the world.
He explained that Christmas offers Christians a time for deep personal reflections on the values and virtues of the Christian witness.
While noting that note that some progress has been made in the area of security in Nigeria in his message, Bishop Kukah, however, noted that Nigeria is not out of the woods yet.
The Bishop also reflected on the tragedies of stampede that happened in Oyo State, Anambra and Abuja recently, stating that the failures of government to respond concretely toward ending the horrible crisis of hunger and desperation has created the conditions for these avoidable tragedies.
While noting that it is the duty of government to ensure minimum dignity for our people, Bishop Kukah urged the government to work more closely with institutions that help to promote the common good of our society.
He prayed that God grants eternal rest to the dead and console their families.