Nigeria: Confab - There Is Nothing to Talk About - - Kukah

BISHOP Matthew Hassan Kukah is a sad man. His sadness is not related to the enormity of his episcopal responsibilities or being weighed down by the challenges that come with being an intellectually robust cleric and socio-political activist. Kukah is angry that every new Nigerian leader disregards past agreements on how to build a nation. This is why he is embarrassed that President Goodluck Jonathan is embarking on another talk on the future of Nigeria. In this exclusive interview , the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto marshals his arguments in a no holds barred fashion. Excerpts:
Given that you were the secretary of the National Political Reform Conference in 2005, what is your take on the forthcoming National Conference ?
I am quite sad because it is an evidence of a country that lacks the discipline to appreciate that building a nation is not a single man's job or a job of a generation. To design something requires energy and time. When I participated in 2005, I was quite enthusiastic even though I protested to General Obasanjo that I was not a lawyer and didn't see the capacity in which I could contribute to the conference. It was for me a wonderful learning opportunity.
The fact is that this country lacks a collective sense of memory and it is part of the tragedy we are facing as a country.
Oputa panel
When I participated at the Oputa Panel, I was anxious to do it because I wanted to make sure that I brought in my personal prejudices in my own little way. And I have been prejudiced in favour of history. And let me immodestly say that Justice Oputa gave me the latitude to achieve that. To that extent, I consider Oputa Panel as an opportunity to assemble all the stories of Nigeria for the sake of the generations to come.
That is why I have said severally that there has never been a process that was as documented as Oputa panel was.
And I don't want to hit my chest and claim credit but because I was so interested in that process, I found the resources to do that even when the Federal Government of Nigeria was not interested . Ford Foundation came to our assistance.
The result then was that in that panel we had transcripts, video, audio of everything that happened. In fact we had a problem when we wanted to handover the report because we needed a lorry to carry the materials.