Born in the backwaters of a remote village called Anchuna in Zangon Kataf local government area of Kaduna state on August 31, 1952, there were no stars to announce his birth. His early years in primary school and later at the seminary would provide a solid foundation for what he would become in life.
Paddling his canoe from Anchuna Village to the podium of national flood light, Matthew Hassan Kukah, Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, is an epitome of excellence who has left sterling footprints of courage and indomitable spirit of walking the staircase of success.
As a scholar and preacher of the gospel, he advocates honesty among elected and other public officers. After three scores and 10 years, Kukah still holds forth the flame of righteousness.
Enrolled at the St. Fidelis Primary School, Zagom, for his primary education, the young Matthew would later attend the then St. Joseph Minor Seminary, Zaria, Kaduna state. After completing his course on philosophy and theology at St. Augustine’s Major Seminary Jos, Plateau state, he was ordained a Catholic priest on December 19, 1976.
With his ordination over, his quest for further academic laurels would lead him to the University of Ibadan where he acquired a diploma in religious studies. Thereafter, he obtained a Bachelor of Divinity degree at the Urban University Rome. That was not the end of the road for the reverend father who loves education. A Master’s degree in Peace Studies, at the University of Bradford, United Kingdom, would soon follow in 1980. He would hit the peak and acquire his PhD degree at the renowned London School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in 1990.
It is to the credit of the bishop that many reputable academic institutions in the world have affinity with Kukah. Beginning from Harvard University to Oxford University, other highly regarded organisations like the Ford Foundation have had one form of partnership or the other with him. He is also a regular feature on some of the best foreign media, including the New York Times, CNN, BBC, Reuters, AFP, Aljazeera, The London Mirror, Telegraph, among several others.
Bishop Kukah is reputed for his intellectual engagements than his ecclesiastical calling. Those who are close to him know that he has become a moral rod for strict discipline in public and private affairs. Starting with his outstanding book that discusses the religious politics of Northern Nigeria – Religion, Politics and Power in Northern Nigeria (1993) – which received an Honorary Noma commendation in 1994, the bishop has so far written many books on many spheres of life relating to politics, democracy and the dark past of Nigeria as captured in his book: ‘A Witness To Justice’, that deals with the insider’s accounts into cases of human rights violations as reported during the Oputa Panel where the bishop served as secretary.
Some of the books bearing the primatur of Bishop Kukah include, among others, ‘The Shattered Microcosm,’ ‘The Collapse of the Moral Order in Africa’, ‘Towards a Just Democratic Nigeria’, ‘The Catholic Church and Politics in Nigeria’, and ‘Whistling in the Dark’.
He was one of the guest speakers at a US Congressional Hearing on Religious Freedom last year where he spoke on the persecution of Christians. Apart from calling on the government to play their roles by protecting citizens from the raging banditry, he tasked the current administration led by President Muhammadu Buhari to do all within its power to protect the sovereignty of the country and protect defenceless citizens from kidnappers and other criminal gangs.
There is hardly a time when Kukah speaks without igniting discordant tunes from the public. The storms of raging debates that normally accompany Bishop Kukah’s appearance on any issue are always hinged on the fact that the cleric speaks with facts. It is expected that those who are fearful of being exposed will naturally come out smoking. Kukah’s many appearances, both in and outside the country, have always ignited discourses that have contributed in no small way in lightening the burden of Nigeria’s troubling present and apprehensive future.
In deploying his divine calling to assist push for the advancement of mankind, the scholar and cleric has always seen the pulpit as a strong and inspiring platform. Just as he seeks a change of behavioural attitudes from the faithful, he is quick to remind his fellow citizens that developed countries have developed from building enduring institutions and not the presence of strong men and women.
Kukah’s love for his nation and citizens has made him unable to be silent over matters that relate to Nigeria. He is ever willing to stick out his neck and tell the truth, no matter whose ox is gored. As he turns 70 today August 31, there are no greater words that reflect the essence of Bishop Kukah than the memorable prayers penned by St Francis of Assisi:
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
And where there is sadness, joy.
Grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
To be understood, as to understand,
To be loved as to love;
For it is in giving that we receive,
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned
And it is in dying to ourselves that we are born to eternal life.
Reef writes from Abuja via [email protected]
