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Catholic Bishop Admitted into Honorary Fellowship of Nigerian Academy of Letters

Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto in Nigeria/ Credit: Courtesy Photo

Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto in Nigeria has been admitted into the Honorary Fellowship of the Nigerian Academy of Letters (NAL), the “autonomous, scholarly and non-political” academy that advances scholarship and public interest in the humanities at the highest level in the West African nation.

In a letter addressed to Bishop Kukah, the President of the says the admission of the Nigerian Catholic Bishop to NAL was informed by his leadership qualities including the fostering of inter-religious dialogue, good governance advocacy, patriotism, and the healing of souls, among other traits that demonstrate “sterling exemplary character.”

“The President of the Nigerian Academy of Letters, Professor Francis Egbokhare, FNAL, with much delight, hereby congratulates you on your admission into the Honorary Fellowship of the Nigerian Academy of Letters (NAL),” the head of the academy says in the letter availed to ACI Africa Thursday, July 8. 

Professor Egbokhare reveals that Bishop Kukah’s admission into NAL follows the confirmation of his nomination on June 17 by the Academy’s Executive Committee that recognized his “sterling exemplary character, stage-holding of inter-faith dialogues, unceasing obligation to soul-healing, advancement of knowledge and education, outstanding leadership instinct, crusade for good governance, as well as your laudable outstanding commitment to national development (national patriotism).”

“In the main, your impressive stance as a humanist devoted to the crusade for human freedom, social justice and equity – attributes that run in tandem with the commitment of our Academy to deploy the humanities for social and national reconstruction – have informed your well-deserved appointment as an Honorary Fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Letters,” NAL’s President says in the letter dated Monday, July 5. 

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Bishop Kukah’s 2020 Christmas Message sparked controversies in the West African nation, some quarters accusing the Catholic Bishop of “very serious crimes like treason and incitement for a coup.”

In the five-page Christmas Message circulated under the title, “A Nation in Search of Vindication,” Bishop Kukah’s nine-point statement begins with “another Christmas with Dark Clouds of Death” and highlights the “endless woes” the people of God in Nigeria are experiencing.

“Ours has become a nation wrapped in desolation. The prospects of a failed state stare us in the face: endless bloodletting, a collapsing economy, social anomie, domestic and community violence, kidnappings, armed robberies etc. Ours has become a house of horror with fear stalking our homes, highways, cities, hamlets and entire communities,” Bishop Kukah said.

Bishop Kukah expressed his deep concerns about the West African nation saying it is country where “the roads to the grave yards are busier than those to the farms” with “congregants saying; the world is coming to an end, it has never been so bad.

He went on to highlight the abduction of Chibok girls in April 2014, that of Dapchi school girls in February 2018, and the one of school boys in Kankara town, Katsina State in 2020 as part of the “footprints of the evil men” in the country.

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Following condemnation from a section of the Nigerian government, Bishop Emmanuel Badejo of Nigeria’s Oyo Diocese came to the defense of Bishop Kukah saying he concurs with his brother Bishop’s message “in all its elements.”

“Where else could I stand, given my conviction that the Bishop of Sokoto wrote it sincerely for the purpose of making Nigeria better,” Bishop Badejo posed in a message shared with ACI Africa on New Year eve, 31 December 2020.

Established in 1974 after a recommendation for the creation of national academies by the late Chief Jerome Udoji committee report, NAL comprises four categories of fellows: foundation fellows, regular fellows, usually resident in the country, overseas fellows who stay abroad, and honorary fellows.

Prospective fellows are nominated by living members of the Academy and confirmed by the institution’s executive committee before they are inducted at an investiture ceremony.

Bishop Kukah’s investiture is expected to take place on August 12 at J.F. Ade Ajayi Auditorium of Nigeria’s University of Lagos.

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The Nigerian Bishop who will turn 69 at the end of August was ordained a Priest of Kaduna Diocese in December 1976.

He has been at the helm of Nigeria’s Sokoto Diocese since his episcopal ordination on 8 September 2011

Bishop Kukah who was appointed as a member of the Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development in January is also the founder of The Kukah Centre (TKC).

The Bishop currently chairs the Dialogue Committees of both the Regional Episcopal Conference of West Africa (RECOWA) and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN).

Magdalene Kahiu is a Kenyan journalist with passion in Church communication. She holds a Degree in Social Communications from the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA). Currently, she works as a journalist for ACI Africa.