During a recent event in Abuja, Bishop Matthew Kukah of Sokoto Diocese discussed what he called an “accidental leadership cycle” that led to the presidencies of Bola Tinubu, Muhammadu Buhari, and other former Nigerian leaders.
Kukah noted that many of them had not been adequately prepared for leadership before taking office.
This occurred during the commissioning of the new Start-Rite School building and the 4th Amaka Ndoma-Egba Memorial Lecture on Sunday.
Kukah said: “If we look at Nigeria’s leadership journey, you will find that almost every leader who came to power did so by accident. 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.”
