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Tag: Matthew Kukah

  • Prioritise food security now – Kukah tells FG

    Prioritise food security now – Kukah tells FG

    The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Kukah, has called on the Federal Government to prioritise food security in all national plans.

    Kukah said given Nigeria’s abundant human and material resources Nigerians should not be hungry or poor.

    Kukah said this at his investiture as Trustee of the Nigerian Institute of Food Science and Technology (NIFST) on Thursday in Abuja.

    “Poverty is a loss of dignity and there is bound to be crisis when a man cannot provide for his family,’’ he said.

    He said though building infrastructure was important, but ensuring a food+ secured Nigeria should take prominence.

    Commenting on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), Kukah stated that it was better for the food to be available before the debating on its safety.

    He said there was no basis to debate about hunger in Nigeria, as the lack of food meant lack of life.

    The Catholic Bishop advised that regulatory agencies and other agencies of government should cooperate and salvage the situation.

    Dr Bola Osinowo, President of NIFST, said that that the current global food crisis significantly impacted developing countries.

    “Our country is at crossroads and the role of NIFST to ameliorate this challenge should not be underestimated.

    “Food science plays a crucial role in addressing this crisis by offering solutions for increased food production, sustainable farming practices and food preservation.

    “While we need to support the government at all levels for the eradication of poverty through food security,’ he said.

    According to him, it is pertinent that the Federal Government should accelerate collaborations with NIFST.

    Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Mr Uche Nnaji,  said that Kukah’s investiture embodied synergy among science, faith and national assignment.

    Nnaji, represented by Dr Yemisi Asagbra, Director-General, Federal Institute of Industrial Research,Oshodi, said that the voice of conscience was needed now more than ever on topical issues.

    He expressed optimism that Kukah, as a Trustee of the NIFST, would ensure affordable and nutritious food for Nigerians and reposition NIFST.

    Nnaji said: ” Food security is not a privilege, but a right for every citizen”.

    In his keynote, Mr Ronald Olawale, former president of NIFST said that celebrating the vitality that food brings also involved confronting the pressing challenges of the time.

    He said such challenges included hunger, malnutrition, food waste, and the impact of climate change on agriculture.

    He said there was growing need for investing in local farmers, supporting innovative agricultural practices, and protecting the natural resources.

  • What drives citizens toward violence in Nigeria – Bishop Kukah

    What drives citizens toward violence in Nigeria – Bishop Kukah

    The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Bishop Matthew Kukah has said the feeling of exclusion is what drives Nigerians toward violence and frustration.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports Bishop Kukah made this assertion in his message to felicitate with Christians as they celebrate Christmas.

    The Cleric identified ethnicity, nepotism and greed as some of the major challenges working against the growth of Nigeria.

    “It has been a known fact that ethnicity and religion outweigh common citizenship in terms of access to opportunities.

    “Feelings of exclusion drive citizens toward violence and frustration. We must embrace the ideals of our national anthem: ‘Though tribe and tongue may differ, in brotherhood we stand,” he said.

    Kuka encouraged Nigerians to view diversity as a gift from God, using it to strengthen national cohesion and mobilisation.

    “Christians must not allow the structural weaknesses and failures of the Nigerian state to excuse wrongdoing.

    “We cannot keep blaming the constitution, judiciary, police, or public servants for corruption in our society,” he advised.

    The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese also urged Christians to use the festive season to reflect on their faith and uphold the teachings of Christ.

    “The message of Jesus to the world is peace, joy, love, justice, and reconciliation. Christmas offers us a chance to pause and ask what we have done with the light of Christ received at baptism,” Kukah said.

    Taking his text from Matthew 5:14, Kukah emphasised the importance of keeping the light of faith shining by following in Christ’s footsteps.

    “When we fail to act in the footsteps of Christ, we are keeping our light under the table,” he said.

    Kukah prayed for blessings and peace in the New Year and called on Christians to renew their commitment to the ideals for which Jesus came into the world.

    Similarly, Sokoto State Governor Ahmed Aliyu in his Christmas messa, called on Christians in the State to use the festive season to promote peaceful coexistence.

    “Sokoto is known for its peace and harmony for a long time, and it is important that we maintain this hard-earned reputation.

    “The best way to achieve that is by contributing individually and collectively to peace building. It is a responsibility we all share,” Aliyu said.

    The governor encouraged Christians to continue living peacefully with their host communities, contributing to the overall development of the state.

    Aliyu described Sokoto as a home to all, regardless of tribal or religious differences, citing free education as an example “as it is being provided to all residents, including those in Christian-dominated areas.”

    He highlighted several developmental projects carried out in those areas and urged all citizens to sustain the prevailing harmonious coexistence.

    The governor further called on Christians to support his administration’s efforts to make Sokoto state better, while wishing them a Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year.

  • Kukah on accidental leadership – By Dakuku Peterside

    Kukah on accidental leadership – By Dakuku Peterside

    In reflecting on Nigeria’s leadership journey, Bishop Matthew Kukah, a Catholic priest, activist, and philosopher, delivers a searing observation: “Almost every leader who came to power did so by accident.” With these words, he stirred an hornets’ nest, igniting a spirited discourse on the nation’s perennial struggle with leadership.

    Kukah’s critique strikes a resonant chord with voices like former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who has long lamented the opportunistic nature of Nigeria’s leadership selection. It also echoes the trenchant wisdom of Chinua Achebe, who famously diagnosed the nation’s ailment in The Trouble with Nigeria: “The trouble with Nigeria is simply and squarely a failure of leadership.” Achebe’s words, though decades old, still carry the weight of an unheeded warning, underscoring the cyclical nature of Nigeria’s governance woes.

    This column seeks to interrogate Kukah’s provocative theory, dissect its implications for governance, and chart pathways to reform the nation’s leadership recruitment process. At the core of this analysis lies an urgent imperative: to confront the systemic failures that perpetuate unprepared leaders and to cultivate mechanisms that nurture visionary and capable stewards. For Nigeria to transcend the quagmire of accidental leadership, the nation must embrace deliberate, transformative change—one that prioritises competency, character, and a clear sense of purpose over happenstance.

    A shared understanding of an accidental leader would be helpful in the interrogation of what the bishop said. An accidental leader, from base understanding, is one who came to the office without requisite training or necessary preparation. It refers to a scenario where individuals ascend to power without adequate preparation, experience, or strategic vision. This phenomenon is not unique to Nigeria but is particularly pervasive in its political landscape, where political actors often emerge through circumstantial opportunities rather than deliberate grooming or merit-based processes.

    These leaders frequently lack the fundamental skills necessary for effective governance, resulting in poor decision-making, reliance on narrow circles of influence, and an inability to address critical national challenges. For instance, between 1999 and 2023 under the present democratic era, Nigeria experienced significant challenges under leaders like Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, who, despite his integrity, struggled with health issues that hindered governance, and Goodluck Jonathan, who admitted he was unprepared when he unexpectedly became President following Yar’Adua’s death. Same goes for President Buhari.

    Accidental leaders differ significantly from prepared leaders in several ways. They often lack a clear vision, operate without a coherent strategy or strategic plan, and struggle with effective execution. Their knowledge is limited, they are indecisive, and they rarely take responsibility for their actions. These leaders typically have a narrow circle of influence, and dishonesty can further undermine their leadership. In the specific context of Nigeria, unprepared leaders tend to exhibit unpatriotic and nepotistic tendencies. Their shallow understanding of the nation’s challenges often leads to misguided solutions to critical developmental issues.

    Governance under such circumstances often results in short-term thinking, nepotism, and an indifference to the broader national interest. These outcomes are reflected in Nigeria’s inability to meet key development indicators. For example, as of 2024, over 40% of the population lives below the poverty line, and unemployment hovers at 33.3%, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. These figures are further compounded by insecurity, with over 10,000 people reported killed in banditry and insurgency-related violence annually in recent years. Such statistics reveal the broader implications of accidental leadership: leaders unprepared for the demands of office often fail to tackle systemic issues or establish the conditions necessary for sustained national growth. This not only hampers economic development but also undermines social cohesion and national unity, perpetuating a cycle of underdevelopment and instability.

    By contrast, prepared leaders with prior exposure to governance, leadership roles, or structured mentorship are equipped with clear goals, strategic vision, and the capacity for effective policy execution. These leaders inspire confidence and focus on long-term national development, offering a beacon of hope for the country’s future. Examining global leadership recruitment systems highlights the importance of grooming leaders systematically. For example, the United Kingdom’s parliamentary system emphasizes years of experience in lower offices, enabling figures like Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair to rise with proven credentials and a record of policy achievements.

    Similarly, Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew transformed his country from a struggling island to a global hub through decades of planning and visionary leadership. In China, the Communist Party systematically grooms leaders over decades, requiring them to serve in various regional and national roles before ascending to top positions. Xi Jinping, for instance, served in provincial leadership for years, gaining experience in administration, policy formulation, and implementation before becoming president. These systems contrast starkly with Nigeria’s, where party loyalty and opportunism often outweigh competence.

    In Nigeria, the historical trajectory of leadership since 1999 reveals a pattern of accidental leaders propelled to power by chance, opportunism, or external influence. The result has been inconsistent policies, failure to diversify the economy, and an inability to tackle pressing issues such as unemployment and insecurity. President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration (2015–2023) is a case in point: while his initial election was greeted with optimism, delays in forming a cabinet and a lack of clear economic direction in the early years of his presidency hindered his administration’s ability to tackle pressing issues.

    At the state level, governance mirrors this trend. Many governors have been criticised for prioritizing political survival over developmental goals, exacerbating local challenges. These failures manifest in poor policy formulation, resource mismanagement, misplaced priorities and a lack of continuity in governance.

    Prepared leaders globally, such as Mahatma Gandhi, Lee Kuan Yew, and Nelson Mandela, exemplify how strategic preparation, mentorship, and clear vision can transform nations. Gandhi’s nonviolent resistance and vision for a unified India, Yew’s emphasis on meritocracy and strategic governance that turned Singapore into an economic powerhouse, and Mandela’s post-apartheid leadership that emphasized reconciliation and institution-building, creating a framework for South Africa’s fragile democracy, are all powerful examples.

    Joe Biden’s decades of experience in U.S. politics prepared him to handle complex governance challenges, including navigating the post-COVID-19 pandemic economic recovery. Conversely, accidental leaders often produce short-lived policies, foster corruption, and exacerbate socio-economic instability. Haiti, for instance, has suffered from a cycle of accidental leadership, perpetuating political instability and underdevelopment. These global examples underscore the need for Nigeria to systematically groom leaders who can navigate complex governance challenges and build long-term resilience.

    The leadership crisis in Nigeria is rooted in systemic and structural issues. Party structures prioritize loyalty over competence, and electoral processes often reward popularity rather than merit. In the 2023 elections, many elected officials were chosen based on party endorsements rather than competence, independent credibility or a track record of public service.

    Weak institutions further fail to hold leaders accountable, and divisive ethnic and religious politics prioritize sectional interests over national unity. These factors are compounded by public apathy: a 2023 survey by Afrobarometer revealed that only 34% of Nigerians believe their votes influence governance outcomes, highlighting a lack of faith in the political system. This disconnection fosters a cycle where citizens disengage from political processes, reducing accountability and enabling the emergence of incompetent leaders.

    It is established that there exists a strong correlation between leadership preparation and performance. Going by this measure, it is not in dispute that most of our elected and appointed leaders have not performed in office. How can we improve the quality and preparedness of those who attain public office? This should be our preoccupation for now. Does Nigeria have trained or prepared leaders? Where and when do leaders train for their role?  Are they motivated? These questions merit serious consideration.

    To address these challenges and create a system that produces prepared leaders, leadership training and development must become institutional priorities. Establishing leadership academies, such as the proposed National Institute for Leadership Development, could help build competence.

    Incorporating leadership education into school curricula and creating mentorship programs can also build a pipeline of skilled leaders. Institutional reforms are critical, including strengthening electoral integrity to prioritise merit-based selection and enhancing transparency mechanisms to evaluate leaders’ preparedness and performance. For instance, adopting a primary debate system like those in the U.S. could help assess candidates’ policy depth. Citizen engagement is equally vital; educating the public on the importance of leadership quality and encouraging active participation in political processes can drive demand for visionary leadership.

    The debate on whether leadership is an innate or a skill that can be learned underscores the importance of structured training. While some argue that leadership is a natural trait, examples from global systems such as Singapore and China’s meritocratic model, and Britain’s parliamentary system suggest that systematic preparation enhances governance effectiveness. In Nigeria, most leaders lack innate qualities and formal training, perpetuating systemic failures. Developing platforms for systematic leadership grooming, such as state-level training programs for young politicians, is essential.

    Bishop Kukah’s assertion about accidental leadership underscores a fundamental issue in Nigeria’s governance: the prevalence of leaders emerging from flawed recruitment processes that favour expediency over competence. This phenomenon has entrenched systemic challenges, as unprepared leadership often leads to poor governance. By contrast, global examples illustrate the transformative impact of well-prepared leaders. For Nigeria to progress, it must prioritise leadership development, reform political structures to value competence, and actively involve citizens in cultivating visionary leaders. Addressing this leadership vacuum is essential for the country to realise its full potential.

  • Stop blaming government – Ooni tells Nigerians

    Stop blaming government – Ooni tells Nigerians

    Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, Ooni of Ile-Ife, has called on Nigerians to stop blaming the government always, but to rather do something for the betterment of the country.

    Ogunwusi, made the call during an official showcase of Ojaja City in Akure on Friday.

    The Ooni, who said that his passion for the country made him delve into the project, said his aim was to reduce the housing deficit in the country.

    According to him, the official showing of the project is to actually let everybody that matters in this country to know that whenever there is will, there is a way.

    “A lot of good things can happen in this country and if we believe in ourselves, believe in Nigeria that Nigerians can do it, then our deficit of housing will continue to reduce gradually.

    “We cannot continue to cry over it. We know that we have housing deficit in the country, but we need to make do with what we have to get results.

    “We need to buy in Nigeria, we need to produce in Nigeria including our housing needs. And our project here is a city on its own. It is over 100 thousand square meter and we are trying to showcase what is possible in Nigeria.

    “We don’t need to leave government to do everything for us and i believe, Nigeria will be in a better place if we rise up to support the government at all levels,” he said.

    “We are always blaming government including the media but what are we all doing individually for our dear country,” he said.

    Ogunwusi, who took the former president, General Abdulsalam Abubakar, and Rev. Matthew Kukah, Bishop, Diocese of Sokoto, round the project, appealed to Nigerians and philanthropists to engage and empower more youths in the country.

    According to him, 90 per cent of the materials used in the project was produced in Nigeria and many youths were allowed to showcase their talents.

    “For me, I just want to see a lot of youths lives being turned around and I am happy that I fulfilled it because I have thousands of youths that, from nothing they are something today.

    “Majority of people and public are being skeptical of our product, but we are not skeptical, because everything you see here, we know there manufactures and where it came from in Nigeria.

    “Basically, let us be proud  of our own. this is the only way we can boost the economy,” he said.

    The highlight of the event included Rev Matthew Kukah praying for the traditional ruler and Nigerian as a whole.

  • Hold public office holders accountable – Bishop Kukah charges Nigerians

    Hold public office holders accountable – Bishop Kukah charges Nigerians

    The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Most. Rev. Matthew  Kukah, on Saturday  urged Nigerians to compel political office holders to fulfill their campaign promises. Kukah gave the advice in a keynote address at a centenary public lecture and awards ceremony by the Catholic Herald.

    Catholic Herald is  Nigeria’s oldest surviving newspaper and weekly publication of the Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos. The event held at the Mother of Perpetual Help Church, Victoria Island, Lagos State with the theme:  “The Nigerian State: Transcending Challenges, Attending True Nationhood”. The event was to celebrate the centenary anniversary of Herald, the oldest newspaper in Nigeria.

    Kukah speaking on nation building, said that the quality the civil society, to a large extent, determined the extent of change in a society. The cleric and social crusader  appealed to the leadership  to be people-oriented in their policies and administration. Kukah said that there was need for governments to carry the citizens along in  projects and programmes  implementation to meet the needs of the masses.

    “Nigeria journey to nationhood should be of concern to the people and with eye on the desired destination. Pray that God renews our strength to champion just causes. Nation building is a long distance race that needs patriotic zeal to sustain to stardom,” he said. He called on Nigerians  to be committed to nation building.

    Recall Catholic Herald  was one of the platforms used by  nationalists to push for Nigeria’s independence.

    The Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, Most Rev. Adewale Martins, said at the event  that the newspaper played a major role in the pre independence era. He said that the newspaper would, aside its evangelism function, continue to stir public discourse to advance the society. He called on the newspaper’s editorial board to do more to expand its scope of enlightenment.

  • Japa: Young people who want to leave Nigeria should leave – Bishop Kukah

    Japa: Young people who want to leave Nigeria should leave – Bishop Kukah

    Most Rev. Matthew Kukah, the Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sokoto has said young people who want to leave Nigeria are free to do so.

    Bishop Kukah, who is the Pro-chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of Veritas University, said this on Saturday in Abuja.

    While addressing graduands of Veritas University at the school’s convocation ceremony, Kukah said:

    “I encourage young people who want to leave Nigeria to please, feel free to leave. The country is big enough.

    “We can assure you that by the time you settle down in the United States of America or wherever you have gone, you will discover that Nigeria needs you.

    “And for those you left behind, our hope and prayer is that they will be competing at the same level with you. We have everything that it takes to turn the corner.

    “We at Veritas University will continue to inspire and shape the new generation so that the change we expect in our country is not the change we expect from politicians.

    “It is the change that will come with a big intellectual understanding of the complex nature of this country.

    “So every graduate who walks out of the portals of Veritas will be truly equipped mentally and intellectually to conquer Nigeria.”

    Kukah tasked the graduates to remain focused and remember the school they were leaving behind. He also appealed to teachers to strive to be role models for the students.

    According to him, “The quality of help and support you will get from the alumni will be determined by how they left this university.

    “As you prepare to spend a new chapter in your life, I encourage you to remain focused on your dream. Do not forget your alma mater because you are standing on the shoulders of those who have gone before you. Do not forget the sacrifices you have made.

    “This is why we also appeal to teachers to become sources of inspiration because the quality of help and support you will get from the alumni will be determined by how they left this university. If they leave this university feeling sorrowful, they are not likely to look back.

    “So we want to encourage you parents to please endeavour to serve as models and mentors to these young people. Remember it could have been done anywhere. It’s not by accident that they are in Nigeria,” he added.

    He noted that some teachers were sacrificing to give their best to the country.

    Kukah said contrary to the claim that teachers’ rewards were in heaven, they are here on earth, appealing to them not to rest on their oars.

    In a bid to give back to the institution, the Bishop announced a donation of N3 million to three students who demonstrated their ideas to the gathering.

  • Bishop Kukah reveals real problem of Nigeria as Sultan sets agenda for Tinubu

    Bishop Kukah reveals real problem of Nigeria as Sultan sets agenda for Tinubu

    The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammed Sa’ad Abubakar III, has urged the incoming administration of Sen. Bola Tinubu to ensure good governance and developmental politics.

    Abubakar gave the task on Saturday in Abuja at the 2023 Presidential Inauguration Lecture.

    The lecture, titled “Deepening Democracy for Development and Integration”, was delivered by the former President of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta.

    According to the Sultan, Kenyatta’s words in calling for unity and inclusiveness in governance in Nigeria were those of a very patriotic Nigerian.

    “The democracy we are supposed to practice is the type that allows for the development, peace and stability of our people.

    “Without development, without stability, there is no democracy. You do not have democracy when you do not have good leaders to practice that democracy.

    “Leadership is of utmost importance if we want to practice democracy and move the country forward,” he said.

    The Sultan said that it was a worthy achievement that Nigeria was celebrating its seventh consecutive democratic transition.

    He described the milestone as a significant achievement for both the winners and those who did not win in the election, adding that they both share in the credit.

    “We are here to see how we can enrich the conversation and advise the incoming administration on ways to improve on governance and development in an atmosphere of peace and security,” he said.

    The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Kukah, said that religion, just like any other form of identity like ethnicity and gender, was not a problem in Nigeria.

    According to Kukah, the real problem is when these categories are left unattended.

    “It is then that they provoke problems. I do not like to talk about religion because I do not believe that we have a religion problem,” he said.

    He called on African leaders to wake up to the threat of “illiberal democracy”.

    “There is a resurgence of democracy that looks like democracy but does not work like democracy,” he said.

    He called on the incoming administration to take advantage of Kenyatta’s lecture as a basis to build a good society.

    Mr Akinwumi Adesina, the President of African Development Bank, said the election of a new president always elicited hope.

    Adesina said that Nigerians would be looking to the incoming government with the hope that it will assure security, peace and stability.

    “Hope that you will heal and unite the fractured nations; hope that you will rise above patronage and forge a compelling force to move the nation forward with inclusiveness, fairness and equity.

    “Also, hope that you will dramatically improve the economy,” he said.

    He said the starting point in fixing the economy must be micro economy and fiscal stability.

    “Unless the micro economy is revived the fiscal challenges addressed boldly, resources for development will not be there,” he said.

    On his part, Mr Dayo Israel urged the incoming government to encourage greater youth participation in governance.

    Israel also commended President Muhammadu Buhari for enabling the “Not too young to run” Bill that became a law.

  • Easter: Bishop Kukah sends strong message to Tinubu, Obidients, Buhari, Nigerian youths

    Easter: Bishop Kukah sends strong message to Tinubu, Obidients, Buhari, Nigerian youths

    As Easter 2023 is marked across the globe today, Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sokoto has sent a strong message to Nigeria’s President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

    Bishop Kukah advised Tinubu that the most urgent task facing Nigeria is not infrastructure or the usual cheap talk about the dividends of Democracy.

    “These are important but first, keep us alive because only the living can enjoy infrastructure.

    “For now, the most urgent mission is to start a psychological journey of making Nigerians feel whole again, of creating a large tent of opportunity and hope for us all, of expanding the frontiers of our collective freedom, of cutting off the chains of ethnicity and religious bigotry, of helping us recover from the feeling of collective rape by those who imported the men of darkness that destroyed our country, of recovering our country and placing us on the path to our greatness, of exorcising the ghost of nepotism and religious bigotry,” Kukah said.

    In the Easter message, the Sokoto Catholic Bishop also sent a strong message to outgoing President Muhammadu Buhari and supporters of Mr Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the just concluded 2023 elections known as Obidients.

    Kukah’s 2023 Easter message was also passed to Nigerian youths and the Supreme Court of Nigeria, which Nigerians and indeed the world is watching with keen interest to decide issues arising from the 2023 general election.

    Read Bishop Kukah’s 2023 Easter message below:

    NIGERIA: RECONCILIATION POSTPONED?

    Matthew Hassan Kukah, Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Catholic Diocese, Easter 2023

    1: Easter and our Inconclusive Dreams:

    The resurrection of Jesus Christ is everything for the Christian faith. Without it, every pillar and the foundation of the Christian faith collapses. It is the single most shocking and dramatic event in human history. Over two thousand years later, the thought of it still seems irrational, absurd, fraudulent, nonsensical, unreasonable, grotesque and even scandalous. St. Paul eloquently said that the idea of the resurrection was foolishness to the Greeks and a stumbling block to the Jews (1 Cor. 1:23). Accepting the resurrection has consequences because we have to then accept that true, there is no other name by which there is salvation (Acts 4: 12). St. Paul repeats: If there is no resurrection, then Christ has not been raised, if Christ has not been raised, then our faith is in vain and you are still in your sins (1 Cor. 15:14).
    Preceding the resurrection are the three days, from Good Friday to Sunday (known as the Easter Triduum), marked by fear, anxiety, uncertainty, disquiet and wariness. The passion of Jesus Christ is the story of our lives with its ebbs and flows. It is a story of sin and redemption. His triumph assures us that even when it seems that God is asleep and does not care, God wakes and subdues the turbulent seas (Mk. 4:38). For this reason, there is sure hope of victory for all people who strive to follow Christ and His Way. I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me, though he die, shall live (Jn. 11:35). This is the power of the resurrection that mocks the powers of this world. Resurrection, not death, has the final word of History!

    2: Our 2023 elections and our Future:

    The much-awaited elections, so full of promise have come and gone, well, not yet, some might say. They generated so much enthusiasm and excitement among our citizens who believed they would be a defining moment for our country. The buildup was marked by so much expectation about a transition to a new order in Nigeria. The outgoing President had given his word that his legacy would hang ensuring that we have successful elections. The Electoral Umpire, basking in self- confidence, assured Nigerians that these would be the most transparent and seamless elections in our history. We took the assurances in good faith.

    Literally half of the population had registered for the elections and were armed with their voters’ cards. On election day, the national mood had a sense of an Easter metaphor to it. First, like the journey to Jerusalem, joyous citizens filed out to their designated polling units. Our citizens, fired by patriotism, braved the harsh weather (rain or heat), hunger, thirst, depending on their locations across the country. As the day wore on, we had news of the usual glitches about election materials arriving late, a song that sounded familiar.

    Much later in the day, there were reports that the scenes were getting ugly with evidence of a return to our old ways now known as voter suppression: ballot box snatching, intimidation, physical violence against ordinary citizens, with reported incidents of injuries and outright killings. Amidst all of this was the utter chaos around the uploading and transfer of the results. INEC’s garment of legitimacy and credibility was now caught up in a barbed wire of conspiracy theories. As the day drew to a close, a cloud of doubt spread across the country as the excitement and high expectations vaporized.

    3: The Hate that hate produced:

    Nigerians now look back with utter shock as they survey the debris and litter of mangled bodies, destroyed ballot boxes, stolen or torn ballot papers. Yesterday’s dreams turned into a nightmare. With dawn came ethnic and religious profiling, new productions of hate speeches, threats, and gaslighting. The social media gradually became the conveyor belt for the diffusion and distribution of hate. The questions are more than the answers: What happened? Where did this hate come from? Has it been living within us? How did we not see it coming? Were we just blind or did we get carried away by the promises of INEC? Were we convinced that we had crossed the threshold of ethnic and religious bigotry? Did we think that the political class had changed its ways? Were we really in a Democracy? Where and why did all go wrong? Can we learn from this? Can we gather the debris and like a game of puzzle start put things back? How can we climb out of this valley of dry bones? Are there lessons that the cross and resurrection of Jesus can teach us? I say Yes.

    I recall the 1959 Documentary, The Hate that Hate Produced, which was made at the height of the gospel of hatred that the Nation of Islam deployed as a means of mobilising for the redemption of the black man in America. The Nation grew out of a selected narrative and juxtaposition narratives of the black experience deliberately calculated to generate and re-enforce a sense of victimhood and anger at oppression by whites. The idea then was to justify violence against the white person who was presented as the devil. The proponents of this message were later consumed by the same hatred which gradually infiltrated their own ranks. The question that followed was, who is to blame for the hate that hate produced? Hatred has no redeeming values. The current state of hate does not define us and we need to slow it down. We must listen to one another and seek reconciliation. In the end, only true Christian love can redeem us.

    4: Is Hatred our Political Inheritance?

    Every election brings more frustration and anger and the victims all turn on themselves. The circles have gone on and on. Little wonder, fewer and fewer citizens want to risk their lives for what promises them only blood, tears, injury and death. While citizens seek outlets to express their grievances, they often find that the doors of opportunity to express their dreams are blocked. Misuse of power by the political class creates the conditions for violence. Citizens struggle to use their votes to choose those they can trust but the violent insist on taking power by the means they know best. It is therefore a mistake to think that violence occurs because Nigerians do not love themselves due to differences of ethnicity or religion. No, violence occurs because the politicians do not love and respect us. We need more respect. Our politics is therefore a clash between right and wrong, justice and injustice, love and pain. Violence is often the last gasp of victims who can’t breathe.

    5: Waiting Outside the Tomb:

    Nigerians are so collectively frustrated that it is almost impossible to convince them that they can find justice. Everywhere you turn today, Nigerians look forlorn, disconsolate, lugubrious, and despondent. Our swagger is gone. We look like men and women returning from a funeral, murmuring discontentment in hushed tones. It is therefore not surprising that even the victors are blowing a muted trumpet.
    Unpleasant as this may sound, this blood that they have shed could be seen as blood of the birth of a new Nigeria. It can become the blood of our new birth, our redemption. However, we cannot accept that violence and bloodshed are the normal route to power. Because like the blood of Abel, the blood of those who have been murdered continues to cry out to heaven seeking for justice ( Gen. 4:10). Though we are tempted with the drudgery of fatigue and despondency, unlike the apostles in the garden of Gethsemane, we should be ready to wait in patience for one hour or more (Mt. 26:40). Our dream is merely in suspense, a punctuation mark in the book of our unfinished greatness. Let us see this as a detour, a diversion. We still have our roadmap in our hands. It is time to return to the highway so as to choose a road less travelled, a road of hard work, sacrifice, dedication, and hope. The ugliness of yesterday must not define us. We must finish this journey together. We shall neither relent, slow down nor give up. The resurrection is a promise that despite the seeming hopelessness, God’s plans cannot be frustrated. Those who position themselves at night with stones to guard the entrance of the tomb will find themselves confounded at dawn by an empty tomb. A new Nigeria will emerge from the tombs of our seeming helplessness.

    6: The crucifixion: A scapegoat or a lamb of sacrifice?

    In resolving our problems, the easy part is to seek out the scapegoats. We have done so by exploiting our differences and turning them into weapons of war. Stereotypes are cheap commodities for blackmail especially in states weakened by a corrupt political class. Those beating the empty drums of hate are leading their followers to places where the streets have no names. They have lynched and murdered their imaginary enemies. The evil men on the streets are not the disease afflicting our nation. They are merely symptoms. The real diseases are those of us, men and women, sitting on the thrones of influence and power, those who adopt silence as a tactical weapon of choice, those who look the other way and who use silence as an excuse to sit on the fence of deceit. Like Pilate, they rise on the throne, wash their hands and return to the shadows, afraid to speak justice, and turn a blind eye to the truth (Mt. 27: 24). Those of us who take this position have the blood of the victims on our hands and are complicit.
    Sadly, our current crisis should be only a paragraph in the book of our nation’s trials, trauma and search for healing. Each of us should be courageous to take a stand. During the trial of Jesus, Peter exhibited two contrasting personalities in one. First, facing the army of those who had come to arrest Jesus, armed with dangerous weapons, he fearlessly pulled out his sword and cut off the ear of a very influential member of the crowd, Malcus, High Priest’s slave (Jn. 18:10). In doing this, Peter showed that he was ready to die to stop injustice. However, down the line, as Jesus is brought to trial, the same Peter, weighed down by fear, decided to follow Jesus from a distance (Mt. 26: 58). Following Jesus from a distance exposed Peter’s cowardice and leads him to deny Jesus three times. When we are distant from God, we are exposed to danger and fear. Injustice feeds on the wine of fear and suspends truth. If we are close to God, we have no fear because, perfect love drives out fear (Jn. 4:18).

    7: We are angry: We want justice:

    Yes, we are all angry and we all want Justice. Yes, we have the right to be angry and we should be angry. But, angry about what, angry with whom and justice for whom? St. Thomas Aquinas, known as the angelic doctor of the Church, said: “He who is not angry when there is a just cause for anger is immoral because anger looks to the good of justice. If you can live with injustice without anger, you are immoral as well as unjust.” You cannot develop empathy for a victim unless faith enables you to love him/her as a child of God. If we allow injustice in our society while claiming to be believers, then as St. Paul said, we are empty gongs (1 Cor. 13:1).

    Anger is a legitimate emotion and it possesses some curative and even redemptive uses. When motivated by a higher ideal, a higher sense of honour, it transforms into righteous indignation and we are compelled to hold up a sign that says, No, Enough is enough. Anger against injustice and misuse of power is a just cause. That is why Jesus whipped the traders out of the temple (Mt.21:12). The challenge is how we process it, how we focus on its roots. We have to ensure that anger does not hold us prisoners. In all, our journey is long and winding, exhausting but promising, sorrowful but expectant.
    Whatever may be the nature of the imagined human solution to the problems of violence in our society, the human heart must undergo spiritual circumcision (Rom. 2:28, Gal.5:6, Phil. 3:3). Rather than focus on the scapegoat or the lamb of sacrifice, all of us need to pause and ask if we were participants or guilty bystanders in the violence among us. Pope Francis has asked us in his Easter message to “go into our own wounds, to look at the tree of our humiliation, the cross of Jesus, to ensure that our hopes are not sealed in a drawer. In this way, our long-awaited peace can come”. Peace making is not a specialised subject. It is a gift of God that is within each of us. It is about how we treat one another. This is why the urgent task before us is to restore the dignity of the Nigerian nation and her citizens. Nigerians have for too long been beaten by the rain and the sun of injustice. There can be no peace when those who live in glass houses, have mastered the art of throwing stones to those they have kept in the rain and under the scorching sun. Until Lazarus and the rich man, Dives, can sit around the same table, there can be no just peace or justice (Lk. 16:19-31). Peace is not the absence of war. It is the fruit of justice.

    8: An Appeal to Nigerians:

    8: 1: To our President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR

    As you prepare to return to Daura or Kaduna, I do not know if you feel fulfilled or that you met the tall dreams and goals you set for yourself such as: ending banditry, defeating corruption, bringing back our girls, belonging to everybody and belonging to nobody, selling off our presidential fleet and travelling with us etc.

    You may have followed my engagement with you through these Messages over the years. You publicly referred to me during one of our visits as your number one public critic with a huge smile. I commend you for the fact that you have known that none of this was done out of malice but that we want the best for our country. May God guide you in retirement while we all embark on the challenge of reclaiming the country we knew before you came.

    8:2: To the incoming President:

    I am hopeful that you will appreciate that the most urgent task facing our nation is not infrastructure or the usual cheap talk about dividends of Democracy. These are important but first, keep us alive because only the living can enjoy infrastructure. For now, the most urgent mission is to start a psychological journey of making Nigerians feel whole again, of creating a large tent of opportunity and hope for us all, of expanding the frontiers of our collective freedom, of cutting off the chains of ethnicity and religious bigotry, of helping us recover from the feeling of collective rape by those who imported the men of darkness that destroyed our country, of recovering our country and placing us on the path to our greatness, of exorcising the ghost of nepotism and religious bigotry.

    8:3: To the Honourable Justices of the Bench:

    You face difficult challenges ahead and you are mortals. The future of our country hangs on your deliberations. I will not judge you. I can only pray that God gives you grace. It will be up to you to decide how you use that gift which no amount of influence or power can buy.

    Nigerians are saddened that your sacred temples have been invaded by the political class leaving the toxic fumes that now threaten your reputation as the last hope for all citizens. It is sad that your hard earned reputation is undergoing very severe stress and pressure from those who want justice on their own terms. Nigerians are looking up to you to reclaim their trust in you as the interpreters of the spirit of our laws. The future of our country is in your hands. You have only your consciences and your God to answer to when you listen to the claims and counter claims of Nigerian lawyers you and have to decide the future of our country. We pray that God gives you the wisdom to see what is right and the strength of character and conscience to stand by the truth. You have no obligation to please any one. Our future depends on how you arrive at your much awaited judgement.

    8: 4: To the Youth of Nigeria:

    I salute your energy and courage. You fought a good fight across party lines. Your engagement and involvement substantially changed the contours of our politics. Things will never be the same again. However, the youth do not belong to any single party, no matter the temptation. You must look at the mistakes of the past and avoid them. Note that your actions today will shape tomorrow. Learn the rules of good sportsmanship, know rules, know your roles, know when to fight, what to fight for and know when to walk away so you can embrace other fights. In all, most of you did well, but some of your colleagues lost their lives in the hands of members of your own groups. Keep the dreams, but know the contours of the long road ahead.

    9: And finally, looking ahead: A Prayer for Nigeria:

    Oh God, our creator, we thank you for the gift of our dear country. We have not lived up to the vision that you have for us – a vision of justice, peace, unity, and prosperity for all our children. Yet, we thank you for your mercy upon us. Father, please guide our transition to a new dawn. Banish evil and insecurity from our land. Give us the spirit of forgiveness and heal us from our infirmities, that blindness which makes us forget that we are brothers and sisters, children of One Father. In your mercy grant eternal rest to those who have died and give us the strength to start again. May the power of our Risen Christ be upon us and our dear country. Amen.

    A happy Easter, Nigerians.

  • BREAKING: Bishop Kukah visits Buhari, ‘makes peace’

    BREAKING: Bishop Kukah visits Buhari, ‘makes peace’

    Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese on Wednesday visited President Muhammadu Buhari at State House in Abuja, the federal capital territory (FCT).

    According to Femi Adesina, President Buhari shook hands with Bishop Kukah, who visited among Executive members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN).

    Recall Kukah had in his 2022 Christmas homily lambasted Buhari, saying despite his lofty promises, the President would be leaving office with Nigerians “far more vulnerable”.

    Speaking on the Catholic Bishop’s visit, Adesina, who is a special adviser on media and publicity to President Buhari, disclosed that when Kukah came into the Council Chamber, venue of the visit, he pulled him, and started laughing.

    “We laughed heartily,” Adesina said, adding: “After it all, the Bishop invited me for a personal picture with him. Bishop Kukah was cooking peace this time, and how refreshing it was.

    Read Adesina on Kukah’s visit below:

    WHAT’S BISHOP KUKAH COOKING AGAIN?

    Matthew Hassan Kukah, Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, was among Executive members of Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) who visited President Muhammadu Buhari at State House, Abuja, on Wednesday, January 11, 2023.

    Recall that at Christmas, the Bishop had given a homily that was unduly critical of the President, and which was filled with inexactitudes. I had responded via an article entitled; Kukah, Don’t Cook Me Nonsense.

    When the Bishop came into the Council Chamber, venue of the visit, he pulled me, and started laughing, asking whether we should be fighting or greeting each other. We laughed heartily.

    During group photographs, the President, never holding malice against anyone, shook hands with the Bishop, describing him as “most vigorous fighter.”

    After it all, the Bishop invited me for a personal picture with him. Bishop Kukah was cooking peace this time, and how refreshing it was.

  • Kukah’s Stories and Broken Truths – By Azu Ishiekwene

    Kukah’s Stories and Broken Truths – By Azu Ishiekwene

    If you haven’t had a good laugh, you have not been with him. And anyone who knows him knows I’m not joking. The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto, Matthew Hassan Kukah, has the rare gift of humour.

    Not the run-of-the-mill kind that forces a courteous half-smile. It’s the kind that extracts the prey while putting the cat completely at ease; it just cracks your rib.

    It works in good times and in bad. And just as he has done in the last nearly over two decades of being clergyman and public intellectual, Kukah deployed this gift again in a conversation about his new book also meant to mark his 70th birthday in Abuja.

    What gripped me was not his thoughts on the book that Monday night inside the cold bookstore where the organisers dug out an impressive space for the event. Or the searing questions gently delivered by the moderator, Chido Onumah, to which he responded with clarity and painful irony.

    It was Kukah’s sport, his use of anecdotes and stories to reinforce his answers. He took his examples from everyday life, occasionally deploying self-deprecation in ways that said more than the content of Broken Truths, which in itself is an extraordinary collection of lectures and reflections on the enigma called Nigeria.

    Here’s one story, for example. A certain distressed fellow got his phone number through only God knows how. The fellow had been trying to get a government contract. It turned out, as it always does in the Nigerian story, that he could never hope to get past stage one if he didn’t know any big man.

    Kukah, obviously after a siege of multiple calls from the distressed fellow, yielded and took the call. After hearing him out, the clergyman explained that he was not a big man and therefore couldn’t help. The distressed man persisted that all he wanted was to mention Kukah’s name as his “sponsor.” Nothing more.

    “That’s fine,” an exhausted Kukah replied. “Go ahead if you think that would help your case!” The man did. And it worked. He got the contract just by mentioning that Kukah was his “sponsor”.

    In a sense, the story of the distressed man who needed to drop Kukah’s name to find a way is at the heart of the brokenness of Nigeria eloquently captured in Kukah’s collection, his fifth book in 29 years.

    It’s ironic that even as he marks his 70th birthday he is still writing about the same Nigerian problems he wrote about as head of Communications of the Catholic Secretariat in Lagos decades ago; problems he also repeated in lectures, articles and public speeches as he advanced up the ecclesiastical ladder.

    To use one of his numerous painful metaphors on Monday night, things appear to have improved mostly in “regression”. It’s a conundrum famously called the “Writer’s Misery”. Sonala Olumhense, one of Nigeria’s most famous prose stylists, touched on this dilemma on his 60th birthday when he said one of his biggest frustrations was complaining about the same things that he complained about when he was 18.

    Another story Kukah shared on Monday night was how identity politics has been weaponised. As a faith leader, he has worked to build bridges and promote religious harmony with other outstanding faith leaders including the Sultan of Sokoto. Yet, if this election season proves anything, it’s that there’s still a long road to travel as politicians insist on defining their campaign, not by the issues, but tribe, religion and ethnicity.

    As to how he deals with his own identity crisis, he said he is pleased that his village, Anchuna, is not on the map of Nigeria. “When I’m in my state, Kaduna,” he said, “my state comes first and then my village, Anchuna. Of course, the situation changes when I’m out of the country. Then, I’m first a black man, a Nigerian and so on.”

    Then he told another story of how once when he went to visit a senior clergyman, his host was so engrossed in watching a boxing match that he hardly noticed his presence. “After the boxing match ended”, Kukah said, “I asked him who he was supporting. He looked up, puzzled and asked me, ‘What kind of question is that?’”

    “Isn’t it obvious to you that I’m supporting the black man?”

    Identity politics is not a crime. But its salience, especially in the developing countries, is worsened by superstition and the dangerous monopoly of opportunities by the ruling elite. Two books make this point eloquently: Francis Fukuyama’s Identity: Contemporary identity politics and the struggle for survival, and Yuval Noah Harari’s epic, 21 lessons for the 21st century.

    While the former explains why identity politics is the new nationalism in modern politics, the latter chides secular people who are at a loss for the grip of religion on politics.

    Of the three spheres of influence in human development – technical problems; policy problems; and identity problems – Harari wrote, while religion has receded in the first two, replaced largely by advances in research, science and rational thinking with more beneficial outcomes, it still dominates identity politics. Regrettably, however, this is the area where God serves man, the result has been more harm than good.

    Back to Broken Truths. Why broken truths? Onumah asked the question twice, though I was sure it was not the first time Kukah would be asked. After all, outside theology, there is no single version of the truth, a fact which Kukah also acknowledged.

    To illustrate the point, he cited the work of the National Human Rights Violation Investigation Commission set up by former President Olusegun Obasanjo and headed by Justice Chukwudifu Oputa to bury the ghost of the Abacha era, especially, and bring healing.

    Kukah, the secretary of that commission, said it appeared, on the face of it, that Obasanjo meant well. The world was, of course, excited by the South African model, copied from the earlier model in Chile. Obasanjo thought Nigeria could use these examples, too.

    He wanted truth, and possibly reconciliation and closure for the scores, if not hundreds, whose rights were abused under Abacha and even going back. But Nigeria, being Nigeria, many turned up at the commission with petitions unrelated to the committee’s work and demands beyond its brief.

    And Obasanjo, being Obasanjo, the former president also wanted his own truth, his own way! So, while he was eager to set up the committee and make a show of its work, he was far less enthusiastic to follow through with the committee’s recommendations. In the end, what was supposed to mend, still left behind brokenness from which we struggle to recover even today.

    Yet, Kukah said, the illusion that one acceptable version of truth can come from a commission is overrated. It is so, he said, in South Africa, which we love to hold up as the perfect model of truth and reconciliation, as it is in Nigeria, where the mismanagement of diversity remains a plague.

    “Apartheid did not end because truth happened and Whites suddenly realised it was important to discard the system” he said. “It ended because apartheid became unprofitable.” Whose truth? Story for another day, Kukah said.

    This 11-chapter, 259-page highly endorsed book covers a variety of subjects extensively. It sometimes reads, as Kukah himself admitted, like The Argumentative Indian, the book by the 2005 Nobel Prize winner and Indian, Amartya Sen. Broken Truth shows that given Nigeria’s complexity, its triumphs, travails and endless self-flagellation, however, the argumentative Indian could learn a thing or two from here.

    But where did the rain start to beat us? In essays from his thoughts on national cohesion to the existential crisis in the education sector and from human rights issues to the place of Nigeria, and especially its youths, in the future, Kukah insisted that the foundation of today’s crookedness was laid by the military.

    “If the military did not strike when it did and the politicians had been left to find their footing”, he said, “we would not be where we are today.”

    Is there hope of cohesion, any sign that the broken truths would mend someday? “Categorically, my conclusion is that a great future awaits our nation,” Kukah said. “But for that to happen, we need to create new myths, move away from the distorted pictures that have emerged from the writing (and works) of our respected artists who present only the worst of our nation.”

    Those who look at Kukah solely from the lens of his theological dialectics or his intellectual rigour as a thought leader might find his book a bit of a heavy lifting.

    But not to worry, after watching a viral video of him dancing to Kizz Daniel’s Buga challenge, his sequel might yet be from the repertoire of anecdotes and humour which he started writing during his work as secretary of the human rights violation commission.

    Surely, even broken truths presented as humour have their healing virtue.

    Long and well may you live, Your Lordship!

     

    Ishiekwene is Editor-In-Chief of LEADERSHIP