Femi Adesina to Kukah: When corruption creeps under priests’ robes, they’d never see it being fought

Femi Adesina, the presidential spokesperson, says the inherent corruption in the country is the fault of every citizen.

Adesina said this in response to comments credited to Matthew Kukah, bishop of Sokoto Catholic diocese.

Kukah had said the “broken promises” of President Muhammadu Buhari are leaving Nigerians more vulnerable, adding the corruption he promised to fight has “become a leviathan and sadly, a consequence of a government marked by nepotism”.

A Leviathan, in Biblical terms, is a sea monster thought of as a reptile or a whale.

In an article on Friday entitled ‘Kukah Don’t Cook Me Nonsense’, the president’s media adviser said if the bishop is succeeding in his duty as a priest, many citizens would not be prone to corruption.

Speaking on alleged nepotism, Adesina said not all appointments are subject to constitutional provision which “must be filled according to the principles of balance and equity, and those that are subject to presidential prerogatives”.

“Where was the Bishop in 2015, when the polity had been completely shot to ribbons, and you couldn’t exactly say this was where Nigeria stood? Was there even a Nigeria, with insurgents running riot across the length and breadth of the country, bombing the land to kingdom come? The Bishop forgets, or is too filled with amnesia to remember,” he said.

“Again, he alleged that corruption was not fought, and had become a leviathan. Yes, when corruption creeps under the robes and cassocks of even priests, they would never see it being fought.

“And by the way, if corruption is rife in a country, is it necessarily just the fault of a president? No. It is the fault of everyone, including the people, the institutions, the family, religious leaders, political leaders, everyone.

“If the Bishop was succeeding in his duty as a priest, then his adherents should be less prone to corruption, and the leviathan should have been slain, or badly wounded.

“So, if corruption is still the monster the Bishop claims it is, then he, too, is failing as a moral authority and guide.

“President Buhari is a scrupulous one when it comes to obeying the Constitution, and the allegation of nepotism is always a rife one in the country. It has trailed every President, and it will most likely always be there.

“But we expect our priests to be more informed, particularly the highly educated ones.”