In a strongly worded Easter message, Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Hassan Kukah, called on President Bola Tinubu to urgently rescue Nigeria from worsening insecurity, hardship, and national despair. His message, titled ‘Bring Nigeria Down From Cross Of Suffering,’ paints a vivid picture of a nation in crisis and pleads for decisive leadership to reverse the situation.
Bishop Kukah did not mince words. He called on the President “to step up. Break the silence. Lead from the front. Bring us down from these crosses of shame, hunger, and hopelessness.” Citing the rising tide of kidnappings, killings, and widespread violence, Kukah said Nigeria has become “a theatre of grief,” and that “we are gradually losing our place among the comity of civilised nations.”
The bishop noted that although Tinubu did not create the nation’s current problems, the duty to fix them now rests on his shoulders. “Mr. President, you did not place this cross upon us, but Nigerians have been hanging from it for too long,” Kukah said. “The blood of the innocent cries out daily, and despair now haunts every corner of this nation.”
In his call to bring Nigeria down from cross of suffering, Kukah stressed the economic pain caused by the removal of fuel subsidy. He acknowledged it was a necessary move but warned that its impact is wearing down the people’s dignity. “It is insulting to reduce our national suffering to temporary palliatives. Mr. President, hunger, sickness, and desolation now stalk the land,” he said.
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Kukah also described farming as one of the most dangerous occupations in Nigeria today and highlighted the consequences of politicians enabling armed groups for political gain. “What started as a selfish strategy has become a raging inferno threatening to consume us all,” he warned.
He challenged Nigeria’s security agencies, questioning whether their failure was due to incompetence or if certain individuals were benefitting from the chaos. “Have we become sacrificial lambs offered to a strange god?” Kukah asked.
Despite the bleak outlook, Bishop Kukah expressed hope that Nigeria could still rise above the darkness. “We believe all is not lost,” he said, referencing the resurrection of Christ as a symbol of renewal. “Now is the time to reclaim our nation from darkness and rebuild a country anchored in justice, peace, and dignity.”
In this stirring appeal to bring Nigeria down from cross of suffering, Kukah urged the President to take real, transformative action and restore the soul of the nation. His words echoed a deep yearning across the country for leadership that listens, acts, and delivers. As the message spreads, so too does the hope that Nigeria can once again find its footing—and rise.
