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The Catholic Archbishop of Sokoto Diocese, Bishop Matthew Kukah, has spoken about an “accidental leadership cycle” which he claims produced President Bola Tinubu, his predecessor Muhammadu Buhari, and other former Nigerian leaders.
According to Kukah, many of them came into power without adequate preparation.
The cleric stated this while speaking at the commissioning of the new Start-Rite School building and the 4th Amaka Ndoma-Egba Memorial Lecture in Abuja 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.”
In other news, President Bola Tinubu submitted a request to the National Assembly for an approval to procure a fresh external loan of $2.2 billion and it has been since met with mixed reactions from political oppositions and allies.
The loan request followed a nod by the Federal Executive Council for the borrowing plan on November 10 and according to the president, the loan would be used to finance the deficit of N9.7 trillion in the 2024 budget.
The letter to the National Assembly read in parts: “Request for the resolution of the National Assembly for the implementation of the new external borrowing of N1,767,102,179 that is about $2.209bn already enshrined in the 2024 Appropriation Act.
“In accordance with the provisions of Sections 21 and 27 Subsection 1, the Debt Management Office established Act 2003 and the approval of the Federal Executive Council, I write the request for a resolution of the National Assembly to raise the sum of $2.2 09bn.
“The new external borrowing enshrined in the 2024 Appropriations Act, partly financed the budget to about $9.17 trillion.
“Please receive the 2025-2027 MTF and FSP approved during the Federal Executive Council meeting on November 10, 2024.
“The Senate is invited to note that as the 2025 budget of the Federal Government of Nigeria will be prepared based on the parameters and fiscal assumptions of the approved 2025-2027 MTF and FSP, it is imperative to seek the National Assembly’s expeditious legislative action in this submission.”