The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, has accused Nigerian leaders of turning poverty alleviation programmes into enrichment schemes for the privileged, saying interventions meant for ordinary citizens rarely reach them.
Bishop Kukah spoke on Friday during a tree-planting exercise organised by the Bakhita Initiative–JDPC Sokoto to mark World Environment Day at St. Kelvin Catholic Church, Gidan Dare, Sokoto.
“In Nigeria, anything that is put on the ground to help ordinary people becomes food for the big people,” the cleric said.
On failed interventions and the Great Green Wall
The Bishop faulted the implementation of government programmes aimed at tackling poverty and climate change, citing the lack of visible results despite huge budgetary allocations.
Addressing desertification in northern Nigeria, he singled out the Great Green Wall initiative as an example.
“Then we were told that effort was being made to stop desertification. They talked about the Great Green Wall. But up till today, we have never seen the green neither do we see the wall. We didn’t even see a blue or black wall. All we know is that we don’t have the wall, but the money has gone to where most monies in Nigeria normally will go to,” Bishop Kukah lamented.
—Blame on lack of continuity—
Bishop Kukah also blamed Nigeria’s development setbacks on poor policy continuity.
He said successive administrations often abandon projects started by their predecessors
“Rather than continuing and ensure completion, successive leaders in Nigeria see projects, policies and programmes from past leaders as not their own and should therefore be discarded. And sometimes, leaders discontinue certain projects, when they realized that huge monies paid for them have gone into the thin air with nothing to show for it,” he said.
—Church’s commitment to environment—
The tree-planting exercise was held under the theme “A Tree Today, Shade For Tomorrow: The Bakhita Initiative—JDPC Sokoto Takes Action for a Greener Future.”
A similar exercise was also held at St. Patrick Catholic Church, Raymond Village.
Bishop Kukah said the programme aligns with the directive of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria, which mandates all dioceses to observe World Environment Day annually as part of the Church’s commitment to protecting God’s creation.
Photos from the event showed Bishop Kukah planting a tree at St. Kelvin Catholic Church, Gidan Dare, as part of the Bakhita Initiative—JDPC Sokoto’s environmental campaign.
Organisers urged Nigerians to go beyond symbolic tree-planting and embrace broader environmental responsibility, collective action and the protection of green spaces to combat climate change and deforestation.
