By MUHAMMAD NASIR

Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Kukah, on Sunday, celebrated 45 years of priesthood and 10 years as bishop of the diocese.

Addressing the congregation at Catholic Church in Sokoto, Kukah used the occasion to thank his parents and the Catholic family for giving him the opportunity to be what he is.

He noted that he would not have been a priest without the support of his parents and the church, while admonishing the congregation to constantly remember that everything in their lives was God’s gift.

“My happiness is not about how far I have been as a priest in the vineyard of the Lord, but how I remain committed to preaching the gospel with fidelity and constancy.

“I pray that those coming behind us do greater things than we are doing, to keep preaching the gospel with fidelity and constancy, not minding whose ox is gored,” he said.

The bishop further urged Nigerians to continue to be proud of the country at all times, saying “God does not make mistake for making us a nation of diverse culture, religion and ethnicity.

“I talk about Nigeria with pride because before our very eyes, God will do a great thing that we will all rejoice with,” he added.

Kukah also expressed happiness that aside preaching the gospel, he had, in the last 20 years, positively impacted numerous lives through his scholarship programme to students across the federation.

“Today I am very happy that sometimes, people stop me and say thank you Bishop Kukah for making a huge impact in our lives. I also schooled courtesy of your scholarship.

“As such, my next plan is how to take 50,000 families out of poverty through an empowerment programme that is coming soon, by the grace of God,” the cleric said. (NAN)

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