The Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, Matthew Hassan-Kukah, has expressed his belief that no Nigerian president has ever been adequately prepared for the role of leading the country, including the current president, Muhammadu Buhari, and former presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan. Speaking in a recent interview with Channels Television, Kukah argued that the country’s political leaders have largely taken on the role unprepared, and compared Nigeria’s relationship with its leaders to a “bad marriage.”
Kukah noted that Nigeria had yet to produce an executive head who was genuinely prepared for office. He pointed to the example of Buhari, who he said had been “literally pulled out screaming” to be President in 2015, and Goodluck Jonathan, who was propelled to power by unexpected circumstances. He also cited the examples of Umar Yar’Adua, who wanted to return to teaching, and former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who was in prison and hoping to be released one day.
Kukah went on to say that the unpreparedness of Nigerian presidents was also evident during the military era, where military coups that lasted for over two decades were simply “glorified banditry and armed robbery.” He argued that the solution to Nigeria’s political problems was not simply to change leaders, but to look at what had gone wrong and make changes accordingly.
Kukah’s comments come amid growing concerns about Nigeria’s political stability and the ability of its leaders to provide effective governance. However, the bishop’s statements suggest that these problems are not unique to the current crop of leaders, but have existed throughout Nigeria’s history.
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