THE Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Hassan Kukah, has said Nigeria failed to seize the opportunity to chart a path of unity and progress after independence in 1960.
Speaking in an interview with journalists, the cleric reflected on the nation’s journey since independence, lamenting that Nigeria has never built a collective national dream capable of inspiring its citizens.
He attributed this to a combination of missed leadership opportunities, the trauma of political assassinations, and the destructive legacy of military rule.
“No Inspiring Speech Since Independence”
Kukah argued that no Nigerian leader since independence has delivered a speech powerful enough to galvanize the nation in the way the 1960 independence address did.
He drew a comparison with the enduring mythology of the “American Dream,” noting that nation-building often rests on inspiring narratives.
“The America we know today is built on a myth – the American Dream. But Nigeria has never been able to create its own dream,” he said.
He added that successive military regimes worsened the situation by silencing intellectual debate.
“Once the soldiers saw they couldn’t win intellectual arguments, they suppressed intellect in governance,” he noted.
The bishop also highlighted the lingering trauma in Northern Nigeria over the killings of Sir Ahmadu Bello, the Sardauna of Sokoto, and Prime Minister Tafawa Balewa during the January 1966 coup.
“Many Northerners in their 70s and 80s are still scarred by the brutal killings of these leaders,” Kukah said, stressing that the nation has avoided honestly confronting such painful chapters of its history.
“We Could Have Surpassed Singapore”
Kukah reflected on Nigeria’s early potential, recalling a childhood filled with promise. He argued that the military’s incursion into politics derailed this momentum, destroying institutions, weakening bureaucracy, and fueling ethnic division.
“We could have been better than Singapore or Malaysia. No one would have seen our back if the military had not struck,” he said.
According to him, the real strength of successful nations like Singapore lay in the continuity of their bureaucratic institutions—something Nigeria failed to preserve.
For Kukah, Nigeria’s greatest challenge remains its inability to forge a unifying vision that transcends ethnic and political divisions.
He maintained that without intellectual depth in governance, honest engagement with history, and the creation of shared national mythology, progress will remain elusive.
“We have not had the honesty or sincerity to sit together and ask what went wrong,” he concluded.