Nigeria’s Leadership Struggles Stem From Lack Of Preparation, Knowledge – Bishop Kukah

The Catholic Archbishop of Sokoto Diocese, Bishop Matthew Kukah, has described Nigeria’s past and present leaders, including President Bola Tinubu and former President Muhammadu Buhari, as individuals who assumed power by accident and without adequate preparation.

Speaking on Sunday at the commissioning of Start-Rite School’s new building and the 4th Amaka Ndoma-Egba Memorial Lecture in Abuja, Kukah lamented the absence of knowledge as a critical flaw in Nigerian leadership.

He noted that in a rapidly evolving world, leadership demands have outpaced the readiness of those who have assumed office.

The cleric stated, “Almost every leader who came to power in Nigeria did so as a result of one accident or another. President Tinubu, who said he was prepared for the role, is struggling. Buhari, before him, had already given up.”

He traced the unplanned trajectories of several Nigerian leaders: “Buhari succeeded Jonathan, who thought he would retire after being deputy governor, but circumstances thrust him into power. Jonathan succeeded Yar’Adua, who had planned to return to teaching at Ahmadu Bello University after his governorship.

“Yar’Adua, in turn, succeeded Obasanjo, who was unexpectedly released from prison to become president. Obasanjo took over after Abacha, who was being positioned by five political parties to rule indefinitely until nature intervened.

“Abacha succeeded Shonekan, who was a business executive at UAC before being called to serve as Head of State. We can go on and on, but the fundamental issue in governance is knowledge. Leaders need a deep understanding of their environment.”

Kukah stressed that while the world has changed, the expectations of leadership have not.

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Earlier in his remarks, the Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa stressed the importance of instilling leadership qualities at an early age.

Marwa attributed the country’s struggles with various societal vices to failures in leadership and accountability.

He also raised concerns about a growing syndicate of visually impaired individuals involved in the illicit drug trade in Nigeria.

“As Chairman of the NDLEA, we have encountered many challenges from drug traffickers. Recently, we uncovered an intriguing cartel involving visually impaired individuals.

“We arrested a blind man transporting a large consignment of cannabis from Lagos to Kano. Upon interrogation, he claimed ignorance of the contents, saying he was simply delivering a package.

“When asked who gave him the consignment, he provided a name, which led us to another blind individual in Lagos. That individual revealed a partner, who was also blind. Eventually, we traced the ultimate handler, who turned out to be blind as well,” he explained.

Marwa declined to provide further details about the cartel’s leader, stating, “I won’t tell you the rest of the story.”