*By Reuben Abati*
Matthew Hassan Kukah,
the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese who turns 70 tomorrow, August 31,
deserves celebration for his service to church, community, nation, and
humanity, for his achievements as a true citizen who has used his priestly
circumstances, boundless energy and prodigious intellect to promote the causes
of justice and the common good. He stands shoulders above many of his
contemporaries in his many engagements in the last four decades. He has been a
priest for close to 50 years, but his range of influence goes beyond the pulpit
to include scholarship, public intellectualism, civil society advocacy and the
courage to provide leadership even in the most difficult situations. He is
easily one of the best-known faces of the Catholic faith and priesthood in
Nigeria. He remains an admirable advertisement of the virtues of Catholicism
and the Church.
I am not a Catholic
but I admire the Catholic Church, owing largely to my interaction over the
years with Catholic priests like Bishop Kukah. I like the fact that the
Catholic Church in Nigeria invests heavily in the training and education of its
priests. It is mostly in the Catholic Church that you would find such exemplary
priests that are usually educated to the highest levels possible. Many Catholic
priests parade Ph.Ds as if it is a minimum qualification, in most cases
Catholic priests display other skills, with language, research, public
engagements and an unusual hunger for knowledge. The Anglican Church over time
has also shown a similar commitment to the education of its priests, but the
Catholic Church remains far ahead. In a country where many pastors and priests
are at best spellbinders, hypnotists and clownish motivational speakers, and
petty merchants with very little knowledge of the Holy Book, it is ever so
refreshing to attend a Church or listen to a priest who speaks from an
abundance of insight and talent. Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah belongs in this
category. In the late 80s, the 90s and till date, he has been a shining star of
the Catholic Church of Nigeria, who through his example inspires the younger
generation, within the priesthood and the general Nigerian community.
I first met him on the
pages of newspapers through his writings. In those days, the opinion pages of
newspapers were dominated by persons of high intellect, most of whom dissected
issues of the day, in beautiful prose, and with great erudition. Fr. Matthew
Kukah, as he then was, was one of the most prolific, churning out essays, week
after week. Those were the days of intimidating columnists sand contributors on
the op-ed pages: to have your essay published on the same page with a Matthew
Kukah, Pat Utomi, Herbert Ekwe-Ekwe, Chinweizu, Sonala Olumhense, Odia Ofeimun,
Olatunji Dare, Edwin Madunagu, Biodun Jeyifo, Wole Soyinka, Femi Osofisan, Pini
Jason, Andy Akporugo, Stanley Macebuh, Fred Onyeoziri, Emevwo Biakolo, Amma
Ogan, Sully Abu, Effiong Essien, Ashikiwe Adione-Egom…was like winning a
jackpot. Many of us framed the pages, and looked up to the big names. The
times are different today. Our newspapers have stopped serving culture and
society and the reader as spaces for great intellection, the tradition of old
has been replaced by “opinionitis”, a very dangerous disease which pushes just
about anyone to think they can inflict bad prose and thoughts on a vanishing
breed of readers anyway. Matthew Kukah’s contributions to public discourse was
frequent, and often well-received. He was not afraid of debates or intellectual
pugilism. In those days, one subject on the pages of a newspaper could
result in months of rigorous debate, from a multi-disciplinary perspective, by
persons who respected each other’s intellect but nevertheless had the capacity
to weave words into prose and good sense. This was the tradition that we grew into,
from university to the field. Kukah was a major source of inspiration and a
good sport. Many of his opinion pieces and extended essays remain timeless.
Bishop Kukah’s stature
began to flower, even more so in his position at the Catholic Secretariat of
Nigeria: he was first a Deputy Secretary General, then he became the
Secretary-General of the Catholic Secretariat, located in Lagos, directly
opposite Tafawa Balewa Square or Race Course as it was originally known.
Under his watch as leader of that Secretariat, it became an important
intellectual rendezvous for civil society groups and public intellectuals in
the entire Southern Nigeria. Kukah built a very strong relationship with the
media, promoting, most actively, both the Catholic Church, and the activities
of the Catholic Bishops Conference, focusing on issues of justice, peace and
development. When Nigeria descended into chaos in 1993, with the annulment of
the June 12 1993 Presidential election, church and society rose against the
impunity of the military establishment, and called for an end to military rule
and respect for the people’s sovereignty. The majority spoke with one voice
that military absolutism had defeated the purpose of good governance and that
it was time for the Nigerian military to go. The Catholic Church spoke truth to
power on the pulpit and on the streets. Leaders of other churches – the
Anglican, the Methodist and Pentecostal Churches also joined the protest.
The. Catholic Secretariat in Lagos served the Catholics as an intellectual
power house. Kukah had able lieutenants: Fr. George Ehusani, his then Deputy
who would later succeed him as Secretary-General. There were others too: Rev.
John Uba Ofei and Rev. Fr. Iheanyi Enwerem.
On a regular basis,
the Secretariat issued press releases and also organized seminars and
conferences on various topics of interest with stakeholders brought together to
chart the way forward for Nigeria. I was a familiar participant at those Sunday
evening sessions. Many of us became so close to the Catholic priests, we began
to also talk about liberation theology. Nigerians had been so badly treated
many priests felt it was their obligation and ecclesiastical duty to help free
the people from the shackles of of oppression. Even when there was no seminar,
the doors of the Catholic Secretariat were always open. I later developed the
habit of stopping by whenever I was in that part of the city. On a good
evening, there was always sumptuous dinner. And the fridge was always full.
Beer, wine…And there was Fr. George often twanging away on his guitar, trying
out a new song, or reading a poem. He would later succeed Kukah as Secretary
General and indeed that period – the Kukah-Ehusani – could be remembered as the
golden years of the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria. Kukah left behind a legacy
that raised the profile of the Secretariat and the Church.
Beyond his public
intellectualism and duties as a priest, Bishop Kukah has also been very active
within the general community as an agent of peace and promoter of good
governance and the common good. He is a compulsive bridge-builder, with friends
in virtually every corner, and so well established is he among the political
and private sector elite of Nigeria that many of his critics try to take
pot-shots at him that he would still need to make up his mind whether he wants
to be a priest or a politician. In recent years, through his major project, the
Kukah Centre, he has been working in Nigeria’s post-military dispensation to
promote the cause of peace, good governance, and stability. The Centre in
collaboration with General Abdusalami Abubakar, Nigeria’s last military ruler
up until 1999 to date, has jointly promoted a National Peace Committee, which
gets politicians before elections to sign peace accords and give undertakings
that they would embrace peace, as well as promoting peace in Nigerian
communities. Kukah was a member of the National Human Rights Investigation
Commission, Nigeria’s equivalent of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission, also
known as the Oputa Panel 1999 – 2001, Secretary of the National Political
Reform Conference under the Obasanjo administration in 2005, Chairman of the
Ogoni-Shell Reconciliation Committee since 2005, and member of the committee
for electoral reform, 2007 – 2009.
In addition to this,
Bishop Kukah is a strong advocate for inter-religious harmony, using every
opportunity to promote tolerance and peace. For his efforts, he has been
appointed to the Pontifical Council for Inter-Religious Dialogue at the Vatican
and as Chairman of the Commission on Inter-Religious Dialogue of the Catholic
Bishops Conference of Nigeria. He has also enjoyed a level of visibility and
influence that many priests can only dream about. He has probably given as many
homilies at events organized by other churches as he has done on Catholic
occasions. Political leaders seek his counsel. The intellectual class and the
commentariat respect him as one of their own. The establishment at state and
national levels seek his attention and counsel because they know that he can be
trusted to say the truth without fear or favour. He is not a prosperity or
attention-seeking priest. He and others like him including those that I
mentioned earlier are cut from a different cloth. Priests of his type present a
different model from that other Catholic priest: Fr. Ejike Mbaka of the
Adoration Ministries in Enugu. It is a measure of the diversity of the Catholic
Church that it is even possible to mention an Ejike in a tribute to Bishop
Matthew Kukah. As it were, virtually every Nigerian government has learnt to
respect Bishop Matthew Kukah. The only exception has been the Buhari
administration whose agents and spokespersons recently developed a passion for
harassing the priest. He has challenged them to an open debate. They have not
been able to take on that challenge. Meanwhile, Kukah has remained unrelenting
in his chosen task of speaking truth to power and exposing chicanery, hypocrisy
and the stupidity of hegemons no matter how dandified.
It is not surprising
that Kukah is a much sought-after public lecturer. He has given lectures on
virtually every important platform in Nigeria, from convocation ceremonies to
funerals to anniversaries. He stands out as a consistent man of intellect, with
a transparent public spirit. He likes to tell stories: his usual style is to
tell a story, catch the attention of his audience with some humour, of course
except he is discussing such grim subjects as the killing of his kith and kin
in Zango-Kataf in Southern Kaduna or members of his diocese in Sokoto state, or
any form of religious persecution, or the failings of the power elite, having
learnt the art of choosing his topics with purpose. To mark his 70th birthday,
Bishop Kukah is announcing his plans to build a befitting edifice for the Kukah
Centre, one of Africa’s leading policy think-tanks. He and the Centre deserve
every possible support on a sustainable basis. The Centre would be a
major legacy offering from a priest who is on way easily to becoming a legend.
Ahead of tomorrow’s event, he recently released a book titled Broken Truths:
Nigeria’s Elusive Quest for National Cohesion. Author of many articles in
academic journals, Kukah remains conscious of his training and exposure as an
academic: diploma, University of Ibadan, B.A., Pontifical Urban University,
Rome. M.A., Peace Studies, University of Bradford, (1980), Ph.D,
Political Science, University of London (1990), Edward Mason Fellow, Harvard
University’s Kennedy School of Government; Rhodes Fellow, St. Antony’s College,
University of Oxford, Honorary Fellow, Nigeria Academy of Letters. The harvest
from his fecund mind has been rich and impressive including some of the most
authoritative books on aspects of Nigerian history such as: Religion, Politics
and Power in Northern Nigeria (1993) – perhaps his most seminal work, Religious
Militancy and Self-Assertion: Islam and Politics in Nigeria (1997); Democracy
and Civil Society in Nigeria (2001); Witness to Justice: An Insider’s Account
of Nigeria’s Truth Commission (2011), and Broken Truths (2022).
At 70, Bishop Kukah
can reminisce with a strong measure of contentment that he has been able to
impact many lives, using his chosen vocation of priesthood to make a difference
in the lives of those to whose spiritual health he ministers and the larger
community of men and women who have drawn inspiration from his wealth of
knowledge, humility and accomplishments. As a person, Bishop Kukah is friendly,
kind-hearted and always ready with a listening ear. Nobody has given him any
national honour. He probably does not need it. Nigeria’s security agencies have
stalked and questioned him. He has been abused and threatened for his
no-holds-barred homilies. He has been labelled a religious bigot. He is,
however, not afraid of authority figures because of his own commitments to a
higher cause and his understanding of the dynamics of power. Those who use
power and position to oppress the harmless, do so only for a while until they
are reminded of the ephemerality of their advantages. Whatever may have been
his travails, Kukah’s critics lay the blame at the doorstep of the ambivalence
of his insider-outsider relationship with power and politics. But it can be
said of Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah that he has lived a life entirely of
service and that is the best kind of life. He deserves to be celebrated. What
we will be celebrating is not material things and the celebrant is not likely
to be decked out in flowing babariga or agbada, the accent would be on service,
innovation, ideas, goodness, justice, peace and humanism. I join others in
wishing Bishop Kukah many happy returns of the day. He is one of the few
redemptive figures in a community of pastors and priests where sometimes it is
difficult to truly know what has happened to Christian leadership in our
land. To Bishop Kukah: 70 Hearty Cheers!
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