The Catholic Archbishop of Sokoto Diocese, Bishop Matthew Kukah, has said that many of Nigeria’s past leaders, including President Bola Tinubu, Muhammadu Buhari, Goodluck Jonathan, and Olusegun Obasanjo, rose to power by accident.
According to Kukah, these leaders were not adequately prepared for the demands of governance, which are constantly evolving.
He made these remarks on Sunday while delivering a keynote address at the commissioning of the new Start-Rite School building and the 4th Amaka Ndoma-Egba Memorial Lecture in Abuja.
“If we look at Nigeria’s leadership journey, you will find that almost every leader who came to power did so by accident,” he said.
This phenomenon, according to Kukah, is evident in the transition from one leader to another.
He said for instance, President Tinubu, who claimed to be prepared for the role, is still finding his footing.
His words, “President Tinubu, despite claiming to be prepared for the role, is clearly struggling. We are still trying to find our footing. He took over from Buhari, who had already disengaged from governance.
“Buhari succeeded Jonathan, a man who never envisioned himself as president but was thrust into leadership due to circumstances. Jonathan took over from Yar’Adua, who planned to return to teaching after his governorship.
“Yar’Adua succeeded Obasanjo, who was unexpectedly released from prison to become president. Before that, Obasanjo replaced Abacha, who was poised to rule indefinitely until nature intervened. Abacha followed Shonekan, a business executive abruptly drafted to lead the country. The cycle is evident, and the missing link in all of this is knowledge and preparation.”
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Kukah argued that Nigeria’s democratic process has repeatedly failed to deliver competent leadership, despite embracing democratic principles like “one man, one vote.” He emphasized that modern leadership requires a deep understanding of the evolving environment and challenges.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa, who also spoke at the event, called for the need to cultivate leadership qualities early in life. He attributed many of Nigeria’s challenges to failures in leadership and accountability.
