Seventy-three candles do not burn quietly when they belong to Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah. The Head of the tiny Diocese of Sokoto commands influence far beyond his flock, shaping conversations that stretch from Aso Rock to Rome, from think tanks in Abuja to policy tables abroad.
Kukah’s secret is hardly a secret at all. He blends the priestly robes of a scholar with the tenacity of an activist. Trained in Jos, Rome, Bradford, and London, with stints at Oxford and Harvard, he amassed a toolkit few Nigerian clerics could claim. The result is intellectual firepower wrapped in pastoral calm.
Presidents have noticed. So have Popes. President Bola Tinubu marked his 73rd birthday with praise for his tireless work in promoting democracy and fostering interfaith dialogue. Five years ago, the late Pope Francis tapped him for the Dicastery on Integral Human Development. Kukah has moved easily between pulpit, commission, and conference, carrying ideas like lanterns into Nigeria’s dimmest corners.
It is a curious paradox: Kukah’s diocese remains one of the country’s smallest, yet his initiatives multiply like seedlings after rain. He founded a think tank, steered reconciliation efforts between Ogoni and Shell, and helped craft electoral reforms. Always, his compass has tilted toward justice, inclusion, and peace.
Those close to him recall a man unafraid to prod politicians, but never forgetting the poor who gather quietly at his door. His words can sting, yet they arrive softened with wit, making him both a critic and a confidant to Nigeria’s powerful. Can a single priest really bend the nation’s course?
At 73, Kukah seems to think so. He shows no signs of retreat, no hunger for a quieter life. Perhaps that is the paradox of faith and politics in Nigeria: sometimes the smallest pulpits resound the loudest. And sometimes one candle is enough to make a cathedral glow.
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