The Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, Matthew Hassan Kukah, says that Nigerians witnessed the worst phase of corruption under the last administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.
Kukah made the comment on Monday in Ado Ekiti while delivering a lecture at the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the call to bar of the founder of Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti, Aare Afe Babalola, SAN.
The lecture was titled, ‘The future of constitutional democracy in Nigeria: Imperative of a new constitutional order’.
Kukah clarified that the trend didn’t start under Buhari, but maintained that corruption festered under the ex-President’s watch.
“We have seen the worst phase of corruption in Nigeria. Femi Falana, my friend here, will speak about that because he has published a series of articles talking about what happened under the Buhari administration.
“They were not the ones who caused corruption but I think in the last administration, we saw the ugliest phase of corruption whether in moral terms, financial terms, and other terms,” he said.
Kukah, also in his lecture, made a case for men of integrity in the judiciary, particularly at the Supreme Court.
We won’t join issues with him—BUHARI’S AIDES
But aides to the former President, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Buhari will not join issues with “a drowning man.”
One of the aides said: “We will not join issues with him. What are the facts and figures he provided?”
The Bishop, while calling on the Federal Government to avoid sentiments in the process of the country’s democratic journey, insisted that upholding the provisions of democracy required selfless service and should not be sentimentally driven to foster development.
The cleric also frowned at leaders who limited development to their hometowns, saying that it does not project or speak well of the nation’s democracy.
