Just In: Bishop Kukah Breaks Silence Over Trump's Invasion Threats, "Nigeria Must Wake Up"
- Bishop Kukah said Trump’s invasion threats only mirror Nigeria’s deeper internal failures
- He urged leaders to confront governance and identity crises weakening the nation’s foundation
- Kukah called for a national reset, saying Nigeria must rebuild its moral and institutional strength
The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Most Rev. Matthew Hassan Kukah, has spoken out on US President Donald Trump’s recent invasion threats.
Specifically, Kukah said the threats are not Nigeria’s real problem but rather a mirror reflecting the nation’s deeper internal failures.
Source: UGC
Speaking in Lagos on Friday, October 8, during the 60th birthday celebration of journalist and former presidential aide, Dr Reuben Abati, where three of Abati’s new books were unveiled, Bishop Kukah said Trump’s comments should not be met with outrage but with self-reflection.
“Trump is not our problem; he is simply highlighting what we have refused to fix. We are mistaking the messenger for the illness. The real disease is within Nigeria,” Kukah said.
Bishop urges Nigeria to confront governance and identity crisis
Kukah further said the controversy should compel Nigerian leaders to face the country’s deep-seated governance and identity crisis.
He described Nigeria as a nation “struggling with institutional weakness, poor values, and a lack of cohesive national vision.”
“If we appear chaotic, quarrelsome and angry, it is because we have not built the moral or institutional framework required to stabilise a nation,” the bishop noted.
Trump’s warning should be seen as a wake-up call
Bishop Kukah urged Nigerians to treat Trump’s statement not as an insult but as a challenge to do better.
“Whether it comes from Trump or anyone else, the message is clear: Nigeria must wake up and confront its realities,” he said.
He added that the former president’s remarks only underscore what many Nigerians already know, that the nation is in urgent need of moral and structural renewal.
Nigeria lacks shared symbols and national heroes, says cleric
The bishop further lamented Nigeria’s absence of unifying national symbols and functional monuments, noting that this reflects the country’s identity crisis.
“If a visitor arrives in this country today, where do you take them? In many countries, national monuments and presidential residences are sources of pride. Here, we hardly have anything to present,” he said.
Kukah also questioned the nation’s lack of universally admired statesmen, saying that Nigeria’s fractured identity is evident in its inability to celebrate shared heroes.
“Who are the Nigerians whose names inspire admiration across the nation without controversy?” he asked.
Time to rebuild, says Kukah
Concluding his remarks, Bishop Kukah called for what he described as a fundamental national reset.
“We need to reload, because either we never fired properly or the target has moved. But one thing is certain: the time to rebuild is now,” he said.
The event, which attracted dignitaries including former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan, as well as leading journalists and scholars, was marked by reflections on Nigeria’s democracy, identity, and moral direction in the face of global scrutiny.
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