11th October, 2022
By Nehru Odeh
The Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, Matthew Kukah has told Nigerians not to expect too much from politicians in 2023.
Kukah spoke at the 14th edition of Fela Debates which was held on Monday, 10 October, 2022 at NECA House in Ikeja, Lagos.
The theme of the interactive session was: Election 2023: Action Time. The event was moderated by ace broadcaster Edmund Obilo.
Though Kukah was not present at the event, he spoke through Zoom.
However, the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto began his speech on a note of humour, stating that his being at the event was an act of solidarity than anything else.
“I don’t know how Fela would have felt at the thought that the Bishop would be speaking at an event in his honour, “ he said and the hall roared with laughter.
“I know that Fela was a great man and that is one of the reasons why I said I would do whatever I can to show my solidarity. I share his passion, his protests,” Kukah maintained.
However, on a more serious note, speaking about the 2023 elections, Kukah said Nigerians should not expect too much from politicians as things did not usually turn out as expected.
He said Nigerians would always be disappointed, but that no matter how things turned out, Nigeria would always survive.
“I think the first point to make is that we would always be disappointed. There would always be periods of anxiety, and periods of uncertainty because democracy, for me, is like an ordination. it’s like a wedding ceremony.
“Ordination doesn’t make the priesthood. A wedding ceremony is not a marriage. These are mere ceremonies. Marriage starts after the wedding. The priesthood starts after the ordination.
“The first thing is that the intentions of a politician even after winning elections are contingent on a lot of other factors we don’t pay attention to. So I make the point therefore that right now we would be disappointed no matter what happens,” Kukah averred.