Kukah tags Nigeria’s political system ‘glorified feudalism’, calls for genuine leadership

Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, Matthew Hassan Kukah, has blamed Nigeria’s stagnancy on its unarguably obsolete political system.

Kukah, who was a guest on Arise TV programme, Morning Show, on Friday, described Nigerian politics as completely unscientific and poor.

He bemoaned the cycle of poor leaders paraded in the country since its purported return to democrary, adding that the criteria for leadership selection could not pass tests regarding governance.

“Nigeria is playing politics without political science; what we are running is a glorified form of feudalism. The quality of the debate vindicated my stance”, Kukah said

“I had a discussion with GEJ before the event and we talked about the process of selecting leaders which cannot pass tests regarding governance. We cannot keep doing the same thing and not expect the same results and we have a new generation who understands the complexities of nation-building.”

Read also: Kukah blames citizens for impunity among politicians

Kuku further highlighted the need for Nigeria to redefine its political system which would give room for thorough investigation of policies churned out by leaders.

“The concept of leadership is being redefined due to globalisation; the world is now focused in your brain, not your origin. But in Nigeria, most of our traditions are in conflict with democracy. This is why we conflate office holders with leaders. There is too much emphasis on the centre in Nigeria unlike the Western climes and there is a need to expand the frontiers of knowledge. Our leaders need to be subjected to a minimal litmus test regarding their various policies.”

On the 2023 general elections, Kukah lauded the participation of the youth in the process, saying more needed to be done in the area of security as well as restoring confidence in Nigerians.

“The energy in this election is incredible and many young people want to change the country. This Government has tried in many respects but the only drawback is in the area of human security. We need to instil an institutionalize sense of confidence in the process; the frustration of the youth is to channel this to ensure the change is done for the benefit of the country”, he concluded.

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