Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has described the comments of the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Kukah, comparing the Federal Government to Boko Haram, as unfortunate and insensitive.
In a statement on Friday, Mohammed advised Kukah to use his high ecclesiastical office to work for religious harmony in Nigeria, rather than indulge in actions that are capable of dividing the country along religious lines.
The minister said the cleric’s statement was “not only disingenuous but also a great disservice to the men and women in uniform who are daily battling the Boko Haram and ISWAP terrorists to keep all Nigerians safe.”
Mohammed emphasised the Federal Government’s position that the Boko Haram and ISWAP terrorists do not subscribe to any religion, irrespective of their pretence to such, but are driven by their primitive propensity to kill mindlessly and destroy without restrain, irrespective of their victims’ creed, gender or tribe.
“To now attribute the actions of these mad bunch to an orchestrated and systematic plan to elevate one religion over the other or decimate adherents of a particular religion is not only unfortunate but divisive, incendiary and insensitive,” he said.
The minister appealed to religious leaders to be more circumspect in their comments, especially on religious issues, because of the deeply emotive nature of religion and the tendency for it to be exploited for political gains by naysayers.
