President Muhammadu Buhari's special adviser on media and publicity, Femi Adesina, said on Friday that Nigeria was close to extinction before his principal came to power in 2015.
Catholic preacher Matthew Kukah alleged in his Christmas message that Buhari is leaving Nigerians "much more vulnerable" than they were before he took office. In response to Kukah's remarks, the presidential advisor spoke.
Buhari "stabilised the land, killed vermin, and is cleansing the politics," according to Adesina.
Before Buhari was elected president, "insurgents ran riot over the length and width of the country," according to Adesina's weekly column.
“Where was the bishop in 2015, when the polity had been entirely 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.
“If Nigeria was vulnerable to death, destruction, destabilisation, it was the situation before Buhari came, more than now. To a great deal, he has stabilised the land, crushed vermin, and is cleaning the polity.
“The job is not fully done but is being done. Daily.
“Bishop Kukah has often been accused of being a political priest, with a propensity for the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and great antipathy for the APC. That was possibly the prism from which he saw things and, therefore, his erroneous conclusion of “more vulnerable,” Adesina stated.
Matthew Hassan Kukah is the bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sokoto. Pope Francis announced his appointment to the Dicastery for Integral Human Development in December 2020.
He is revered as a true citizen who has used his priestly position, enormous energy, and great intellect to advance the interests of justice and the common good in the realms of church, community, nation, and humanity.
He has consistently surpassed most of his peers in the many activities he has participated in over the past four decades. For over half a century, he has served as a priest. Still, his impact has extended well beyond the altar, thanks to his research, public intellectualism, civil society advocacy, and bravery to lead through challenging times. There are few more recognisable representatives of the Catholic Church and the priesthood in Nigeria than he is.