Osamagbe Imadiyi
Bishop Matthew Kukah, the Catholic Archbishop of the Diocese of Sokoto, has characterized President Bola Tinubu, Muhammadu Buhari, and the majority of previous Nigerian leaders as the result of a “accidental leadership cycle.”
The Bishop was rebutted by the Presidency last night, which argued that President Tinubu was ready for the position and that he should not be categorized as an accidental leader. Many of these leaders, Kukah claims, came into office unprepared, especially in a world where the demands of governance are ever-changing.
During the 4th Amaka Ndoma-Egba Memorial Lecture and the commissioning of the new Start-Rite School building in Abuja yesterday, Kukah gave the keynote address.
In his analysis of Nigeria’s leadership history, Bishop Kukah pointed out a recurrent trend of leaders in the nation being ill-prepared. He said: “If we look at Nigeria’s leadership journey, you will find that almost every leader who came to power did so by accident. Even though he says he is ready for the position, President Bola Tinubu is obviously having difficulties. We are still attempting to establish ourselves. Buhari, who had already withdrawn from politics, was replaced by him.
He maintained that although Nigeria has adopted democratic ideals such as “one man, one vote,” its democratic process has consistently fallen short of producing capable leaders. He emphasized that a thorough awareness of the changing landscape and obstacles is essential for contemporary leadership.
