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Bishop Matthew Kukah of the Catholic Church's Sokoto Diocese has expressed worry for many Nigerians who lack the ability to go outside the nation.
Kukah made the remarks while delivering the keynote talk at the 3rd annual national public lecture on Friday in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, titled "The Nigerian Question: Survival of the Federation in the Face of Increasing Economic Challenges."
He said, “Nigerians talk about other countries; I feel sorry for many Nigerians who, because of many troubles, hardly travel out of their immediate environments, not to talk about traveling to other parts of Africa or other parts of the world.
Though every country has its own problems, the challenge before us in Nigeria is: what do we want? Obviously, can we democratize and develop our nation?
“It is a very difficult question to answer because what we call the civilized world today is the last 200 years of exploitation of Africa that helped build these nations.
“So we are imagining it ourselves; why are we not like other people? We are not like others because every nation has to find its own navigational truth for development.
“It is not as if we cannot use democracy to develop Nigeria, but there are certain fundamental things that must be on the ground before people can appreciate democracy.
“Unless Nigeria settles the issue of ‘bread and butter mentality,’ the democracy can actually look like a lottery,” he said.
Meanwhile, Kukah said the people responsible for Nigeria’s problems are not safe, just like the masses.
“The good thing about Nigeria is that everybody knows what the problems are, and the people who are responsible for the problems are not also safe; they too do not know peace,” he said.
