The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Bishop Matthew Kukah, has said the greed among some Nigerians over the nation’s enormous resources has been hindering the country’s progress.
The cleric blamed poor management of diversity for the persistent poverty and disunity in the country.
He noted that the country has enough resources to meet the citizens’ needs but not enough to satisfy the greed of some people.
Kukah spoke yesterday in Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital, as the guest speaker at a colloquium on the 30th anniversary of the creation of the state, with the theme: Unity in Diversity: Three Decades of Building a Cohesive Nasarawa State – Issues, Challenges and Prospects.
The cleric noted that managing diversity determines whether a society grows in peace or stagnates in conflict.
‘Nasarawa State is a miniature Nigeria with over 30 diverse ethnic groups scattered across 13 local government areas.
‘The challenge is how to ensure that in the distribution of opportunities, your eyes are all-encompassing enough to sense the cry of those who cannot access the capital,’ he said.
Kukah stressed that despite 66 years of independence and challenges, Nigerians remain committed to one country and demand justice for all.
‘There is enough in the world for everyone’s need, but not enough for everyone’s greed. In Nasarawa, in Nigeria, there is enough to feed all of us, but not enough to feed our greed. Only law can restrain greed,’ he said.
The cleric described Nasarawa as strategically located, saying if Nigeria were a human being, Nasarawa would be its heart, with Akwanga roundabout linking Kano, Maiduguri, Abuja, and Calabar.
Kukah listed tourism potentials, like Farin Ruwa Waterfalls in Wamba, Peperuwa Lake in Doma, solid minerals and the presence of Dangote, as some of the resources that could take the state to greater heights.
The bishop said the state’s future is bright if deliberately harnessed.
He urged the government not to wait for people to kneel and beg for roads, warning that siting institutions only in a governor’s village breeds agitation for new states.
‘The demand for new states continues because people don’t feel a sense of belonging. When we create belonging, the demand becomes redundant,’ Kukah said.
The cleric paid tribute to the late Head of State, General Sani Abacha, who created Nasarawa State in 1996, and urged Nigerians to build on the works of successive governments instead of starting afresh.
Also, Governor Abdullahi Sule thanked the guest speakers for their frank presentations on transformation and unity.
The governor noted that diversity remains Nasarawa State’s strength, stressing that a period of 30 years is a chapter to reflect with humility and gratitude.
He recalled the difficulty of building identity among diverse groups from scratch.
The first military governor of the state, Lt.-Col. Bala Mande (retired), said he met Lafia as a rural capital in 1998 and was overwhelmed by street lights and development in its current form.
He cited discipline and respect for traditional institutions for containing insecurity.
The state’s first civilian governor, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, said Nasarawa started with only the Keffi-Akwanga road and N500,000 to N1 million monthly internally generated revenue (IGR).
The former governor urged citizens to contribute their quota to the state’s development, stressing that government alone cannot provide everything.