Bishop Mathew Kukah, Archbishop of Sokoto Diocese, stated the leadership traits Nigeria’s next president, to be elected in 2023, must have in order to right the ship and move it forward on Friday.
Kukah also cautioned Nigerians against voting based on ethnic, religious, or political sentiments, emphasising that people must vote for a candidate who is capable of addressing the myriad difficult challenges that the country has faced for years.
The Catholic Bishop mentioned this during an interview on Arise TV on Friday, September 02, 2022 saying that while each of the major contenders has the qualities to lead the country, it is critical for the people to vet each of them before making a sensible choice.
He stated that the time has come to reject, and that the electorate should scrutinise and question presidential candidates on their ideology, programmes, and administration style before making a decision.
“The public must interrogate their (presidential candidates’) abilities and potential to rule by mere brain and not bribe,” Kukah, who recently celebrated his 70th birthday, remarked. The point is that we frequently inflate the concept of leadership because we confuse political officeholders with leaders.
“Only in Nigeria is there such a concentration on the centre.” Society can only grow if we push the boundaries of knowledge and opportunity.
“Critical to all of these, we are looking for a president that has the understanding of the complexity of what is wrong with Nigeria. It is not just about people just aspiring without an understanding of the issues.
“My argument is that anybody who aspires to rule Nigeria and we have the opportunity to, we (Nigerians) must redesign the template of confrontation and you (presidential candidate) must be able to confront Nigerians and answer their questions.
“I am not and won’t be surprised if the candidates are moving up and down and convincing us by taking minimalist positions and telling us these and that are what they are going to do.
“I won’t also be surprised if the next president of Nigeria tells us he would tackle insecurity, increase power generation, and what have you.
“The critical question is that aspiring leaders must be subjected to a litmus test by the people. The people must ask questions like since you (presidential candidate) said you want to deal with insecurity, can we get a sense of how you want to do it and achieve success? Can you show us from your background how you will be able to do this?
“Fortunately for us, the frontline candidates have a track record and those track records must be what we must use to project the nature of the choice we have to make.”
The Catholic Bishop urged political actors, notably presidential contenders, to listen to young people, understand their complaints, and tailor their agenda to address their concerns.
“The fire that motivated individuals in 2015 has evaporated,” he remarked. The people realised they had been duped, and we have all witnessed the results of religious propaganda.
“Young people have become aware of this and are asking the appropriate questions.” I want politicians to go into Nigerians’ nooks and crannies and sell their convictions.
“The energy in this coming election is tremendous and I am excited about the energy of the young people and their attention to the country’s election.
“I believe that Nigerians are energised and they have a choice to make. But we must ensure we see through the candidates and choose right to get the desired outcome.”
