The Federal Government has berated Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Kukah for comparing the present administration to Boko Haram.
Reacting to the beheading of some Christians by the dreaded group, Kukah had accused the Federal Government of creating conditions making Boko Haram thrive.
He said, “The only difference between the government and Boko Haram is (that) Boko Haram is holding a bomb.
“They are using the levers of power to secure the supremacy of Islam, which then gives more weight to the idea that it can be achieved by violence.
“With the situation in Nigeria, it is hard to see the moral basis they have to defeat Boko Haram.
“They have created the conditions to make it possible for Boko Haram to behave the way they are behaving.
“If the people in power don’t do enough to integrate Christians then they give oxygen to Islamism.
“If they have countries where everybody is Muslim in power then you give vent to the idea that Islam should be supreme.”
But reacting in a Friday statement, Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, faulted the cleric’s reasoning.
He advised Kukah to use his high ecclesiastical office to promote religious harmony in the country, instead of indulging in actions that are capable of dividing the country along religious lines
Mohammed said that comparing the Federal Government to terrorists was disingenious and 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.
According to him, the terrorists do not practise any religion despite pretending otherwise, but are driven by a primitive propensity to kill mindlessly and destroy without restraint, irrespective of their victims’ creed, gender or tribe.
The minister added, “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.”
Mohammed said it was important for religious leaders to exercise caution in their reaction to issues, especially religious ones, so as not to be exploited for political gains that could spell doom for the country.
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