Bishop Matthew Kukah, the Catholic Archbishop of Sokoto Diocese, on Sunday, described Nigeria’s leaders, including President Bola Tinubu and former President Muhammadu Buhari, as individuals who unexpectedly found themselves in positions of power. During a keynote speech at the Start-Rite School’s new building launch and the 4th Amaka Ndoma-Egba Memorial Lecture in Abuja, Kukah pointed out that these leaders were often unprepared for the complexities of leadership in a fast-evolving world.
The bishop emphasized that a lack of crucial knowledge has been a persistent problem in Nigerian leadership. While acknowledging the nation’s commitment to the democratic principle of “one man, one vote,” he expressed concern that democracy is struggling under successive administrations.
Kukah remarked, “Looking at Nigeria’s history, we see that many leaders came to power by accident. President Tinubu, who claimed he was prepared for leadership, is now facing significant challenges, inheriting a nation in turmoil from Buhari, who had already lost his drive to lead.”
He continued by tracing the lineage of Nigerian leadership, stating that former President Buhari succeeded Goodluck Jonathan, who never anticipated rising to power after serving as deputy governor. Jonathan followed Umaru Yar’Adua, who had planned to return to his teaching career after serving as governor. Yar’Adua succeeded Olusegun Obasanjo, who was unexpectedly released from prison to become president. Obasanjo followed Sani Abacha, who was being groomed to rule indefinitely until his sudden death. Abacha succeeded Ernest Shonekan, a businessman called to serve as Head of State, marking a continuing pattern of unprepared leaders.
Kukah’s main point was that leadership in Nigeria suffers from a critical lack of understanding. He stressed the importance of leaders developing deep knowledge of their country’s environment in order to navigate its challenges.
Meanwhile, Marwa, the Chairman of the NDLEA, linked Nigeria’s social challenges to failures in leadership and accountability. He revealed that a new drug trafficking syndicate involving visually impaired individuals had been uncovered. A blind man had been caught transporting cannabis, and investigations revealed a network of blind individuals orchestrating the operation, though Marwa withheld details of the syndicate’s leader.
In closing, Marwa praised Senator Ndoma-Egba, Chairman of Start-Rite School’s Board of Advisory, for organizing the memorial lecture in honor of his late wife, Amaka Ndoma-Egba. Marwa highlighted Amaka’s vision for Start-Rite School, which has grown from a modest beginning with seven students in 2008 to a leading institution in Abuja with over 800 students across various educational levels.
