The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Kukah, on Sunday described President Bola Tinubu and his predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari, as accidental leaders.

Mr Kukah said at the commissioning of Start-Rite schools and the fourth Amaka Ndoma-Egba Memorial Lecture in Abuja that almost all Nigerian presidents, including Goodluck Jonathan, Umar Yar’adua and Olusegun Obasanjo, were unprepared to become leaders.

He said, “If we are to start from the beginning, you will find that almost every leader who came to power in Nigeria did so as a result of one accident or another.”

“President Tinubu, who said he was prepared for the role, is struggling,” said Mr Kukah. “We are still trying to get off the ground. He took over from Buhari, who had already given up.”

Mr Kukah said the emergence of the past presidents was unexpected, stating that knowledge is one key quality missing in their leadership.

“Buhari succeeded Jonathan, who thought he would retire after being deputy governor, but circumstances thrust him into power. Jonathan succeeded Yar’adua, who had planned to return to teaching at Ahmadu Bello University after his governorship.

“Yar’adua, in turn, succeeded Obasanjo, who was unexpectedly released from prison to become president. Obasanjo took over after Abacha, who was being positioned by five political parties to rule indefinitely until nature intervened.

“Abacha succeeded Shonekan, who was a business executive at UAC before being called to serve as Head of State. We can go on and on, but the fundamental issue in governance is knowledge. Leaders need a deep understanding of their environment.

“We can go on and on, but the fundamental issue in governance is knowledge. Leaders need a deep understanding of their environment,” Mr Kukah stated.

The bishop stressed that while the world has changed, leadership expectations have not.

Also present at the event was the National Drug and Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) chairman, Buba Marwa, who stressed the importance of instilling discipline and leadership qualities in children at an early age.

Mr Marwa said Nigeria’s struggle with social vices directly results from failed leadership and lack of accountability from leaders.