All Nigerian presidents were unprepared, except Tinubu, says Kukah

• Hardship: PDP govs decry economic policies, demand review
• Opposition lawmakers allege plot to weaken PDP ahead of 2027

Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto Matthew Kukah has said that Nigeria’s presidents since independence, except President Bola Tinubu, assumed office by accident. Nevertheless, he lamented that the country still suffers despite Tinubu’s preparedness to govern.

Given the bishop’s history of sharp critiques of Nigerian governments, his nuanced stance on the Tinubu administration—acknowledging its preparedness while lamenting the nation’s struggles—may perplex many Nigerians who view past administrations more favourably amid current economic challenges.

Kukah spoke while delivering his keynote address at the 4th Amaka Ndoma-Egba Memorial Lecture, which was held in Abuja yesterday on the theme “Leaders of Tomorrow: Creating Lasting Change In A Complex World.”

The deceased, who was wife to the former Senate Leader Ndoma Egba, died in an auto crash in Ondo State in 2020. The event, held at Start-Rite Schools, Abuja, saw Cross River Governor Bassey Otu commission a legacy building in honour of the deceased.

Kukah lamented that Nigeria’s leadership crisis was caused by its leaders’ lack of knowledge, capacity, and preparedness.Tracing the history of Nigeria’s leadership, the cleric observed that none of the country’s past leaders, including former Presidents Muhammadu Buhari, Goodluck Jonathan, Umaru Yar’adua, Olusegun Obasanjo, Ernest Shonekan, and Sani Abacha, among others, came to power prepared.

He said, “I don’t want to bore you, but run through, from the beginning, you’ll find that almost everybody who came to power in Nigeria was the result of one accident or the other. President Tinubu, well, he prepared for it. However, we’re still trying to get off the ground. But he took over from Buhari, who had already given up.

“Buhari took over from Jonathan, who was thinking that after finishing being deputy governor, he would go somewhere else, and then something happened. Jonathan took over from Yar’adua, who had actually said he was going to teach at Ahmadu Bello University as he was finishing his term as governor.

“Yar’adua took over from Obasanjo, who was in prison and was not expecting to come out. But he somehow found himself out of prison. Obasanjo took over from Abacha, who, sadly, even though the five political parties had said he would rule forever, nature took him. Abacha took over from Ernest Shonekan, who was busy at the United African Company of Nigeria, and then they told him to come and be head of state. We can go all the way down but fundamental to governance is knowledge.”

The bishop also argued that democracy’s benefits go beyond physical infrastructure, roads, railways, and other projects. If democracy were solely about infrastructure, people would still be praising authoritarian regimes like Adolf Hitler and apartheid South Africa, which, he said, built impressive infrastructure during their times.

“Democracy’s benefits are often not necessarily measurable. They are largely intangible. It is understanding how to expand the frontiers of human imagination,” he explained.

The bishop also decried the country’s culture of nepotism, saying ministerial appointments were often based on personal relationships rather than merit.

He observed that Nigerians are impatient with the country’s current state of democracy, which he noted is hardly working. Kukah said despite the country’s little progress, Nigerians are never satisfied, adding that the nation will never be a perfect place because such places do not exist.

He said, “We have made a choice to live with democracy as it is, we know that our democracy is hardly working, hardly functioning, although I’d make quick to say that we are very impatient with ourselves, very, very impatient.

“Nigerians are surprised when I say we have done pretty well. We are absolutely not happy, and we will probably never be happy because that’s not how the world is. You’ve got this, you want this, you want that. We are insatiable.

“Now, we are not in a perfect place because perfect places don’t exist, and we shouldn’t be looking for leaders who will take us to a place of perfection because nobody has found that kind of place. However, there are minimum conditions that we require in a leader, and I think we need to use them to measure the whole concept of leadership.

The bishop stressed the need for leaders to set goals and be bold, courageous, and patriotic, adding that true leadership is about influencing citizens, not just holding office.

Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Buba Marwa, charged the students to shun drug abuse. Describing drug abuse as the number one challenge facing the country today, he called on stakeholders to invest in the advancement of youth to ensure that their potential is properly harnessed.

He described the late Amaka Ndoma-Egba as a visionary agent who established Start-Rite Schools to ensure that students learn and imbibe the necessary life skills to navigate an ever-challenging world.

MEANWHILE, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors’ Forum has called on President Tinubu to urgently review Nigeria’s macroeconomic and fiscal policies, citing the severe economic hardship imposed on citizens by the policies of the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led Federal Government.

During a meeting held in Jos, Plateau State, the forum expressed concerns about the impact of recent reforms, including the removal of fuel subsidies and the floating of the naira, which they said have escalated the cost of living.

Chairman of the forum and Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed said, “The forum empathises with Nigerians who are groaning under the oppressive economic hardship hoisted on the nation by the policies and decisions of the APC-led Federal Government. The forum calls on the president to urgently review macroeconomic and fiscal policies to address the welfare and well-being of Nigerians.”

The governors pledged to implement policies in their states to reduce hardship and promote progress. “All PDP governors will continue to aggressively pursue policies and programmes that will reduce hardship and ensure progress and development,” Mohammed added.

The forum also condemned the conduct of the recently concluded governorship elections in Edo and Ondo states. “The forum notes with concern the rape of democracy in the Edo governorship elections. It is clear to everyone with a conscience that INEC manipulated results in favour of the APC candidate when, in fact, the majority of the lawful votes were won by PDP candidate Asue Ighodalo,” Mohammed said.

On the Ondo elections, the forum alleged vote-buying and manipulation of results by the APC. It called on the judiciary to uphold democratic principles in election petition matters and urged the National Assembly to strengthen electoral laws to prevent the subversion of the people’s will.

The governors urged the PDP National Working Committee (NWC) to convene a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting by February 2025. They stressed the need for consultations with key stakeholders to address the party’s ongoing leadership crisis.

Six governors from Bauchi, Zamfara, Taraba, Adamawa, Oyo, and Plateau states attended the meeting. Delta and Enugu states were represented by deputy governors, while governors from Rivers, Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom, and Osun were absent.

RELATEDLY, the Coalition of Opposition Lawmakers accused some PDP governors and members of the party’s NWC of plotting to weaken the party by keeping Acting National Chairman Umar Damagum in office until 2027.

Speaking at a press conference in Akokwa, Imo State, the group’s spokesperson, Ikenga Ugochinyere, alleged that the plot involved planting 24 PDP state chairmen who would endorse President Bola Tinubu before the next elections. He described this as an attempt to compromise the PDP’s opposition role and undermine internal democracy.

Ugochinyere said, “Our nation faces numerous challenges, yet the PDP, which should lead the opposition, is being hijacked by political charlatans turning it into a tool for the ruling party. These impostors, including Umar Damagum and Samuel Anyanwu, are sabotaging the sacred expectation of Nigerians for a vibrant opposition.”

He further accused some party leaders of conspiring to delay a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting intended to choose a chairman from the North Central region, as originally designated.

According to him, Damagum’s prolonged tenure is part of a broader plan to weaken the party and impose a compromised presidential candidate. Ugochinyere also criticised the alleged influence of Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, accusing him of undermining the Rivers State governor, Siminalayi Fubara. He claimed Wike was plotting to seize the state’s allocation and orchestrate Fubara’s impeachment.

“If Wike wants to join the APC, let him do so openly instead of destroying our party,” Ugochinyere said. He warned President Bola Tinubu to tread cautiously in dealings with Wike, alleging the minister has a track record of turning against allies. The group vowed to resist any moves to weaken the PDP and undermine democracy within the party.