TheCable

Matthew Kukah, bishop of the Catholic diocese of Sokoto, says Nigeria witnessed the ugliest phase of corruption during former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

Kukah spoke on Monday, while delivering a lecture at the 60th anniversary celebration of Afe Babalola’s call to the bar.

The event held in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti state capital.

The lecture was titled: ‘The future of constitutional democracy in Nigeria: Imperative of a new constitutional order’.

The bishop said while there was so much corruption during the last administration, the trend did not start under Buhari but only festered on his 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,” he said.

“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.”

The bishop expressed concern that Nigeria is sharing its sovereignty, which is guaranteed in the constitution, with bandits and other terrorists.

He said Nigeria should not assume that it is a democracy just yet, adding that the country is only marching towards democracy.

He also called on the federal government to avoid sentiments in the process of the country’s democratic journey, as upholding the provisions of democracy requires selfless service.

“Nigeria needs to grow democratically and develop politically. Every federal institution must reflect what Nigeria should reflect all over the country,” he said.

“The country should stop reinforcing inequality. There must be sanctions and consequences for those who go against our democracy and the constitution of the land, for us to have a better society.”