The presidency has corrected the impression held by the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Bishop Matthew Kukah, about President Bola Tinubu being an accidental leader.
Kukah had made the remark, on Sunday, while delivering a keynote address during the commissioning of the new Start-Rite School building and the 4th Amaka Ndoma-Egba Memorial Lecture in Abuja.
He described President Bola Tinubu, his predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari, and most past Nigerian leaders as products of an “accidental leadership cycle.”
According to Kukah, many of these leaders assumed power without adequate preparation for effective governance.
Reflecting on Nigeria’s leadership history, Bishop Kukah highlighted a recurring pattern of unpreparedness among the country’s leaders.
He said: “If we look at Nigeria’s leadership journey, you will find that almost every leader who came to power did so by accident”.
“President Bola Tinubu, despite claiming to be prepared for the role, is clearly struggling. We are still trying to find our footing. He took over from Buhari, who had already disengaged from governance.
“Buhari succeeded Jonathan, a man who never envisioned himself as president but was thrust into leadership due to circumstances. Jonathan took over from Yar’Adua, who planned to return to teaching after his governorship.
“Yar’Adua succeeded Obasanjo, who was unexpectedly released from prison to become president. Before that, Obasanjo replaced Abacha, who was poised to rule indefinitely until nature intervened. Abacha followed Shonekan, a business executive abruptly drafted to lead the country. The cycle is evident, and the missing link in all of this is knowledge and preparation.”
He argued that while Nigeria has embraced democratic principles like “one man, one vote,” its democratic process has repeatedly failed to deliver competent leadership.
He stressed that modern leadership requires a deep understanding of the evolving environment and challenges.
However, in a reaction by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, he corrected the impression that President is an accidental leader stressing that he came prepared for the coveted position.
His words: “He (Tinubu) is not an accidental leader, he is doing his best to ensure that we have a turn around in this country.
“Does he look like one at all? What I am saying is that, the man is not an accidental leader, he was prepared for this office. He even said it himself that he prepared for it and that he is doing his best to ensure that this country is lifted higher than he met it, he is doing his best.
“Because he prepared himself for the office, he is doing a lot of reform, he is touching every area and he is trying to make sure that this country is being turn-around.”
For those who said that the President is an accidental leader, that is the reason he is struggling, Onanuga said: “Tinubu has shown that he is a reformer and reforms are not done in quick fixes, it takes time for you to turn things around and he is doing it.
“He is doing reforms and he is the first to acknowledge that people will be affected and he is doing everything possible to ensure that those who are affected are also helped so that they will not be left behind.
“He is reforming a lot of things in Nigeria, you are talking about taxation, you are talking about the oil sector, so many reforms the man is carrying out,” he added.
