‘Northerners haven’t benefited from their monopoly on power’

Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, Matthew Hassan Kukah recently shared his thoughts on faith and secularism in Nigeria on the latest episode of The Future of Faith, an interview series hosted by Chude Jideonwo, founder of Joy, Inc.

Themed ‘Faith, Nation and the Place of Secularism’, the episode saw Bishop Kukah speaking extensively on the intricacies and politics of churches, urging Christians to keep their focus on what truly matters. “On the final day, Jesus will not care about your denomination or what cathedral you belong to. We must not move away from the central message of Jesus,” he said.

While speaking on the perceived concentration of power in northern Nigeria, Bishop Kukah said: “Anybody will speculate and say the north has monopolized power and it has benefited, but the truth of the matter is (that) the north may have monopolized power, but northerners haven’t benefited from that power.”

He further stressed the importance of separation of powers and the need to dismantle the culture of making electoral decisions from a tribalistic standpoint.

Targeted at fostering relevant and timely conversations on what the future holds for faith post-coronavirus, previous episodes of the series have featured guests like Farida Adamu, Elnathan John, Kiki Mordi, and more.

The Future of Faith is a 21-day IG Live special with faith leaders that cut across denominations and faith, and covers even the rarely engaged demography of the non-religious. It is hosted exclusively on Chude Jideonwo’s Instagram handle @Chudeity from Monday to Friday at 6pm GMT+1.