Kukah also urged Nigerians to ignore Buhari’s 8-year controversial presidency and see him as a ‘great man‘
By Kehinde Okeowo
The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Most Rev. Dr Matthew Hassan Kukah, has appealed to Nigerians to look beyond the controversial 8-year tenure of late ex-President, Muhammadu Buhari and focus more on his good deeds.
He made the plea recently while mourning the death of the Nigeria’s 15th president.
TheNiche had earlier reported that Buhari, who served as Nigeria’s Head of State between 1983 and 1985 and later as a democratically elected President from 2015 to 2023 died in a London clinic on Sunday.
While several leaders paid tribute to the late Nigerian leader, a cross-section of citizens lashed out at the former president.
According to a popular activist, Omoyele Sowore, “Buhari left behind a terrible legacy”, describing the former president as “a man whose rule both in uniform and civilian garb left deep scars on Nigeria’s democratic fabric.”
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Other Nigerians also took to social media to lament how a former president would die in a foreign land due to poor health facilities in the country.
However, while speaking on the demise of the former president, Bishop Kukah urged citizens of the country to remember him as a fundamentally good and patriotic man.
He also described him as a man who made meaningful contributions to Nigeria in both military and civilian capacities.
The cleric further called for national reflection and compassion, rather than judgment centered solely on Buhari’s eight-year civilian rule.
He said, “I think President Buhari should be remembered as a good man. We shouldn’t focus on his eight years of being President of Nigeria, but as a great man who made his contributions to this country as a military officer, among many other things.”
Kukah went on to offer prayers for the repose of Buhari’s soul and comforted his family and loved ones.
