During a recent event in Ado Ekiti, Bishop Matthew Kukah, the religious leader of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, expressed his belief that Nigeria experienced its most severe period of corruption during the previous administration led by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Kukah emphasized that corruption was not initiated by Buhari’s government, but rather, it was heightened both ethically and financially under his leadership. The Bishop made these remarks while delivering a keynote speech at the 60th-anniversary celebration of legal icon Aare Afe Babalola’s call to bar.
He said, “We have seen the worst phase of corruption in Nigeria. Femi Falana, my friend here, will speak about that because he has published a series of articles talking about what happened under the Buhari administration.
“They were not the ones who caused corruption, but I think in the last administration, we saw the ugliest phase of corruption whether in moral terms, financial terms, and other terms,” he said.
Kukah expressed his dismay over the situation in Nigeria, where the country’s sovereignty, as protected by the constitution, is being compromised by bandits and other terrorists.
The religious leader voiced his concerns regarding Nigeria being practically held captive by individuals who pose a direct threat to the nation’s democracy and overall existence.
Related News
Kukah also highlighted the widespread loss of confidence among Nigerians in the judiciary, considering it as one of the many institutions in the country that has fallen victim to the prevailing crisis.
According to him, Nigeria should not yet assume that it is a democracy but instead assume that it is matching towards democracy, which means rebuilding Nigeria “after the kind of mess the last administration has left the country.”
The Bishop, however, said it is time to rebuild the country, adding that Nigerians have put the “ugly past” behind them following the outcome of the 2023 general elections.
