Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Most Rev. Matthew Hassan Kukah has shaded the governor of Zamfara State, Abdulaziz Yari, accusing him of abandoning his state to stay in Abuja.
The popular cleric described Yari as “diaspora governor” at a colloquium organised by the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA) in Abuja.
While lamenting high insecurity across many states of the nation, Kukah made the comment in reaction to activist, Aisha Yesufu’s comments on Yari’s decision to relinquish his role as Chief Security Officer of the state.
The governor had hinged his decision on his powerlessness to direct any of the Federal Government-controlled security agencies to halt killings in his state.
But speaking, Kukah said, “You talk about the governor relinquishing his position. That is a governor in diaspora. I am opposed to state police… Can a Christian join Hisbah (sharia police). Northern Nigeria has to drastically change.”
The cleric further lamented the dearth of purposeful leadership as the bane of development in the country.
He described leadership without philosophy as the “greatest tragedy” facing the nation, adding that so-called leaders of nowadays are merely office holders.
Kukah said, “One of the greatest tragedy has been, we call it leadership, where it is even more disastrous because all the leaders – I call them office holders hardly qualify in every sense of the word. You can’t be a leader without the text, you can’t be a leader without a philosophy,” the cleric said.
“People followed Saraudana for a reason, they followed Aminu Kano for a reason. This is the only country that from independence till date we have not had anybody with clear evidence that they sat down, thought through, analysed the problems of Nigeria and put themselves forward to solve the problems of Nigeria.
“From Tafawa Balewa right through Shehu Shagari to Buhari. Every officer holder as president have come reluctant.”