The Bishop of Archdiocese of Sokoto Hassan Matthew Kukah has attributed the current issues facing Nigeria to unpreparedness of its present and past leaders.
Kukah stated this in a conversation with the Toyin Falola interviews via zoom also said managing Nigeria’s diversity is critical for national development.
He said after the Biafran war, Nigerians have not made deliberate efforts to its manage diversity.
Answering questions on issues hindering development in Nigeria, he stressed the need for renewed energy by ensuring that the further leaders desist from the ways of the past leaders.
He said, “There is a lot of work that we have not done, the quality of women and men who govern Nigeria also suggest in our history that we really never have president who prepare in prospect for power and if you run from Tafawa Balewa to right to where we are today, every president you will find they came to power purely by accident.
“Buhari has already said you know after he tried in 2011 ‘I am done, I am no longer intereste. Yar Adua had said I am done I am no longer interested I want to go back to classroom but there is that saying we haven’t had a political system that is sufficiently channelled to allow people to plan, to think about how they will resolve the problems of Nigeria.
“Thorough corrupt political environment produce all kinds of characters and this is what account for corruption and as a result people are constantly digging a hole to fill a hole.
He added that what is happening in the country is frustrating hence the urgent need to diagnose how we got to where we are because we need a renewed energy to overcome this. “Mine has been words of encouragement that there is always light at the end of the tunnel, my responsibility is to ensure that light come to fruition.”
Kukah who also lamented the effect of religion and culture on the progress of the nation said there is need to enlighten more people on how to handle it. “The more educated people become the more they will kick out religion and culture. It really depends on the question of consciousness which is about education,” he added.
Speaking further on building a great Nigeria, kukah also stressed the need for universities which are key to development of any nation, also condemned the system of appointing Vice chancellors across Nigeria universities, in which emphasis is placed on ethnicity rather than merit.
“Nigerian universities has been ethicized, the issue of who become the vice chancellor has become tribal and no longer academic,” while stating that the university authorities are working assiduously to address the issue of having Churches and Mosque on campuses.
– The Leadership