Kehinde Fajobi
The Catholic Archbishop of Sokoto Diocese, Bishop Matthew Kukah, has described Nigerian leaders, including President Bola Tinubu and his predecessors, as individuals who assumed power by accident without adequate preparation for governance in a rapidly evolving world.
Speaking at the commissioning of Start-Rite School’s new building and the 4th Amaka Ndoma-Egba Memorial Lecture in Abuja on Sunday, Kukah highlighted the lack of knowledge as a recurring issue among Nigerian leaders.
He said, “If we are to start from the beginning, you will find that 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. We are still trying to get off the ground. He took over from Buhari, who had already given up.
“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 also observed that while Nigeria has embraced democracy, its functionality remains flawed under successive administrations.
The Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa, who also spoke at the event, emphasised the need to cultivate leadership skills from an early age.
He attributed societal challenges, including accountability issues, to failures in leadership.
Marwa shared a startling revelation about a cartel involving visually impaired individuals in the drug trade.
He recounted, “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.”
Marwa refrained from sharing further details about the cartel’s leader, saying, “I won’t tell you the rest of the story.”
He also praised Senator Ndoma-Egba for organising the memorial lecture in honour of his late wife, Amaka Ndoma-Egba, and commended her vision in establishing Start-Rite School, which has grown from a modest beginning with seven pupils in 2008 to an institution with over 800 students across Abuja.