The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Hassan Kukah has asked the government to consider merit and Integrity in the selection of those to distribute palliatives and other social amenities to ensure that fairness and equity remain the guiding principle. Bishop Matthew Kukah said this had become necessary in view of the various complaints across the country that the palliatives were not getting to the very people they are meant for.
Speaking in a homily he delivered recently, the Bishop, taking his reflections from the day’s readings and gospel, said the Apostles acted quickly to nip in the bud the crisis that would have attended what he described as the sharing of palliatives within the first Christian community, by appointing men of good repute, full of the Spirit and wisdom to supervise the distribution. “The challenge for us here is to appreciate the complex nature of the qualities that must guide team selection in the cause of work of God.”
He decried the trend in our society whereby appointments are hardly made by merits but owing to party affiliation, friendship, nepotism and clannishness. He urged government functionaries and the civil society to first see themselves as servants of the people, just as Jesus Himself reminded us “Behold, He said, I come among you as Server (Lk 22:27. According to the prelate, it is by the power of the Holy Spirit we can proudly claim the promise of Jesus that beyond the pale of ethnic, class differences or social status.
“We are Christians, a chosen people, a royal priesthood, who have been rescued from darkness into His own marvelous light (1st Peter 2:9).” He also expressed his deep sympathy to all families who, he said, have been bereaved in the past few months. “I have celebrated masses and encouraged all families to please ensure that you keep your priests informed of the health situation in your families and also inform us of any deaths in the families.
