{"id":74611,"date":"2025-08-31T09:12:52","date_gmt":"2025-08-31T09:12:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/?p=74611"},"modified":"2025-08-31T09:12:52","modified_gmt":"2025-08-31T09:12:52","slug":"at-73-kukahs-voice-in-nigerias-democracy-draws-presidential-praise-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/2025\/08\/31\/at-73-kukahs-voice-in-nigerias-democracy-draws-presidential-praise-2\/","title":{"rendered":"At 73, Kukah\u2019s Voice in Nigeria\u2019s Democracy Draws Presidential Praise"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Oso Abidemi<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has joined millions of Nigerians in celebrating Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, on his 73rd birthday, describing him as a rare cleric whose moral authority continues to shape Nigeria\u2019s democracy, peace, and governance.<\/p>\n

In a statement released by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the President hailed Bishop Kukah as a \u201cnational treasure,\u201d noting that his blend of spiritual leadership and intellectual rigor has provided Nigeria with a steady compass in moments of turbulence.<\/p>\n

Kukah, who has become one of the most recognizable moral voices in Nigeria\u2019s democracy, was lauded for his compassion for the poor and marginalized.<\/p>\n

Tinubu said such compassion has inspired successive governments to design policies centered on the people rather than politics.<\/p>\n

\u201cBishop Kukah\u2019s role in the struggle for the return of democracy in Nigeria and his unyielding support for peace and harmony are remarkable,\u201d the President said.<\/p>\n

Beyond the pulpit, Kukah has played pivotal roles in Nigeria\u2019s political reforms.<\/p>\n

His membership of the Truth Commission, the Electoral Reform Committee, and his service as Secretary of the Political Reform Conference highlighted his commitment to building lasting democratic institutions.<\/p>\n

He also chaired the Inter-religious Dialogue initiative, fostering delicate but vital harmony between Christians and Muslims.<\/p>\n

Analysts say these contributions underscore why successive governments, regardless of party or ideology, often turn to him for counsel.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe represents a bridge between faith and governance, between Nigeria\u2019s diverse communities, and between the past struggles and the aspirations of the future,\u201d one senior political commentator noted yesterday.<\/p>\n

As the Bishop marks his 73rd year, President Tinubu expressed confidence that his tireless advocacy for justice, equity, and human development would continue to resonate.<\/p>\n

He prayed for Kukah\u2019s long life, good health, and enduring wisdom to further guide the nation\u2019s progress.<\/p>\n

For many Nigerians, Kukah remains more than a cleric; he is a conscience of the nation.<\/p>\n

His birthday celebration, amplified by the President\u2019s message, is a reminder of the enduring relevance of moral voices in shaping governance and democracy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Oso Abidemi   President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has joined millions of Nigerians in celebrating Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, on his 73rd birthday, describing him as a rare cleric whose moral authority continues to shape Nigeria\u2019s democracy, peace, and governance. In a statement released by his Special Adviser on Information […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":74612,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[172,1681],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-74611","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-religion"],"aioseo_notices":[],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74611","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/33"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=74611"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74611\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":74613,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74611\/revisions\/74613"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/74612"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=74611"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=74611"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=74611"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}