The Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, Matthew Kukah, has urged former US President Barack Obama, King Abdullah of Jordan, former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown, former Ireland President Mary Robinson, and former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo to step in as mediators in negotiations with Israel regarding the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
Kukah made this plea in an interview with Arise Television on Tuesday.
He emphasized that the historical Palestinian struggle has become an unresolved and unrecognized issue, influenced by influential nations. He criticized the five Permanent Members of the United Nations for treating the Palestinians as mere pawns without clear and meaningful goals.
The Bishop stressed the importance of the United States’ involvement due to its current status as the most powerful nation globally.
“There are so many battles that are being fought simultaneously, and there’s a lot of heavy lifting to be done, but primarily, my concern is that we need to deploy a certain level of moral courage and moral authority to say: ‘Listen, people, it can’t go on like this,'” he said.
Kukah further said also that the United Kingdom must be present for highly practical strategic considerations, as they were the ones entrusted with the mandate.
“I found that Gordon Brown, not only has the intellectual capacity, but he is also somebody who is visibly invisible, so I thought he would be a good representation,” the cleric added.
He went on to say that the world is grappling with a generation of young individuals who are making their voices heard, seeking a transformed world and a new way of life, and this conveys to hegemonists that any identity constructed will eventually cease to exist.
According to Kukah, a key takeaway for Nigeria from the Israel-Hamas war is the potential harm in using identity as a weapon.
Noting that it is absurd for anyone to take a human life in the name of religion, he said, “We (Nigeria) are not the only diverse country in the world. It is important that the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria come to terms with the fact that there are processes.
“People must now be punished for crimes they commit.
“The weakness of the Nigerian state is largely responsible for the rising role and place of non-state institutions.
“Why should my complexion or the language I speak be an issue? Right now, it is, and we do not have a process for redress, so this is why all these things about religion continue to come back.”