According to the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Kukah, the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari saw the worst phase of corruption in Nigeria.
Kukah delivered a keynote speech at the 60th call to bar anniversary celebration of legal icon, Aare Afe Babalola, in Ado Ekiti. He emphasized that while corruption did not start under the last administration, they exacerbated it in moral, financial, and other terms.
He mentioned, “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.”
Kukah also expressed his concern about the state of Nigeria, stating that the country is sharing its sovereignty, guaranteed in the constitution, with bandits and terrorists. He added that nobody is excited about being a Nigerian, even if they are President or Senators, as the country is being held hostage by those who threaten its democracy and existence.
The cleric also revealed that many Nigerians have lost faith in the judiciary, as every institution in Nigeria is going through a crisis. Kukah urged that Nigeria should not assume it is a democracy, but instead understand that it is striving towards democracy, necessitating the rebuilding of the country after the challenges left by the previous administration.
He also proclaimed that it is time to rebuild the country and regardless of the decision of the Supreme Court concerning the election, he is convinced that Nigerians have moved past the “ugly past.”