The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Kukah, on Tuesday, said fighting corruption and fixing Nigeria required more than a God-fearing leader.
Mr Kukah said this at the public presentation of a book titled “The Shadow List’’ written by Todd Moss and organised by the African Centre for Media and Information Literacy in Abuja.
‘’To fight corruption and build a just society is not just about goodwill. This is to say that fixing this country requires much more than goodwill.
‘’I once said that Nigeria doesn’t not need a God-fearing leader, because God-fearing has become an excuse. If you want to be God-fearing, you can either go and become an Imam or a priest,’’ he said.
Mr Kukah therefore decried how governance in Nigerian has become a criminalised enterprise, saying that a criminalised state cannot progress.
According to him, the earlier we come to terms with this reality, the better for us.
The clergy wondered why every time Nigerians get excited about new administration, the excitement get short-lived.
‘’Nobody could have imagined that three years down the line we would be feeling the way we are feeling.
‘’And if you know Nigerians well, rather than thinking about the solution to the problem, we are waiting for a few Generals or a few men to tell us when or where they have found a ‘silver bullet’,’’ he said.
Mr Kukah however said that fighting corruption and building a just society is not just about having goodwill in the masses.
In his remark, pioneer Chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Nuhu Ribadu, commended the author of the book for taking time to write about Nigeria and its fight against corruption.
Mr Ribadu emphasised that such publication will remain as a validation for the outstanding role he played at the anti- graft agency in the country.
‘’Mr Todd’s account is actually a validation for the outstanding role we played in the anti- graft agency in the country. It may be seen as a little effort here in the country, but with a global impact,’’ Mr Ribadu said.
On his part, the author of the book, Mr Moss, said his inspiration was sparked by his contact with the former EFCC boss, especially his outstanding commitment towards fighting corruption in the country.
‘’Nuhu Ribadu is iconic and instrumental in the crusade against corruption in Nigeria. He helped secure Nigeria’s democracy.
‘’While Ribadu was fighting corruption in Nigeria, little did I know that he is also helping America fight corruption too. We all remember the Jefferson case, he really did a wonderful job there,’’ he said.
Earlier in his welcome address, Chido Onumah, the coordinator of the Centre, said that the novel went beyond fiction to being a testament of the courage and determination of the men and women at the EFCC who fought corruption.
Mr Onumah said that the author had added his voice to the narrative of the anti-corruption fight in Nigeria as a first-hand person that experienced the fight.
DAILY NIGERIAN reports that the book, which is partly set in Nigeria, portrays the fight against corruption and email scams spearheaded by the EFCC in the mid-2000s.
