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Matthew Kukah, the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, has expressed that nearly all Nigerian presidents assumed office without adequate preparation for leadership.

Speaking in Abuja on Sunday during the fourth Amaka Ndoma-Egba memorial lecture titled “Leaders of Tomorrow: Creating Lasting Change in a Complex World,” Kukah highlighted the challenges of governance in Nigeria and the recurring lack of readiness among its leaders.

The Bishop specifically referenced President Bola Tinubu, noting that despite claiming to have prepared for leadership, he appears to be struggling to steer the country.

“If we look at Nigeria’s leadership journey, you will find that almost every leader who came to power did so by accident,” Kukah said.

He outlined a sequence of Nigerian presidents to illustrate his point:

President Tinubu succeeded Muhammadu Buhari, who he described as “disengaged from governance.”

Buhari followed Goodluck Jonathan, a leader who, according to Kukah, never envisioned becoming president but was propelled into office by circumstances.

Jonathan took over from Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, who reportedly planned to return to teaching after serving as governor.

Yar’Adua succeeded Olusegun Obasanjo, who was released from prison unexpectedly to lead the country.

Before Obasanjo, Sani Abacha, who aimed to rule indefinitely, was stopped only by “nature’s intervention.”

Abacha followed Ernest Shonekan, a business executive unexpectedly drafted into leadership.

Kukah emphasized that the recurring issue among these leaders is a lack of preparation and adequate knowledge to govern effectively. “The cycle is evident, and the missing link in all of this is knowledge and preparation,” he concluded.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has dismissed allegations made by governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) concerning the conduct of the 2024 Edo State governorship election.

The PDP governors, during a two-day meeting held in Jos, Plateau State, alleged that electoral irregularities hindered their candidate, Asue Ighodalo, from securing victory. They also accused INEC of manipulating results in the recent Ondo State election to favor the All Progressives Congress (APC).

In a statement, the governors described the alleged actions as “institutional sabotage of the will of the people” and urged the judiciary and lawmakers to strengthen electoral laws to prevent such occurrences.

Responding, Rotimi Oyekanmi, Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, called the allegations “unfortunate and inappropriate,” asserting that the Commission, as a law-abiding institution, does not comment on matters before the courts.

Oyekanmi criticized the governors for engaging in what he termed a “media trial” and advised them to substantiate their claims through legal proceedings. He noted that the PDP has already filed a petition at the tribunal to challenge the Edo election results, where they are expected to present their evidence.

On the Ondo State election, Oyekanmi defended INEC’s conduct, describing it as one of the Commission’s best-organized polls. He called on political parties to embrace sportsmanship, stating, “It is not healthy to accept the outcome of an election only when you win.”

A Nigerian woman has accused Access Bank of withholding over ₦500 million allegedly belonging to her late brother, Awal Edet. The case, which began since 2019 has shed light on the corruption in access bank and the Nigerian banking sector in general.

Awal Edet, who passed away on April 17, 2019, did not leave a will before his death. Before his passing, he reportedly disclosed details of his properties and bank accounts to his sister. To claim the assets, she obtained a Letter of Administration from the Abuja High Court.

On the court’s advice, she sought verification of the bank accounts linked to Edet’s Bank Verification Number (BVN) through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). The CBN’s response revealed four accounts:

₦10 million in GTBank,
₦2.9 million in Diamond Bank (now part of Access Bank),
₦3 million in Keystone Bank, and
Over ₦500 million in a Diamond-Access Bank CBN-linked account.
Recovery of Funds
The woman successfully retrieved funds from GTBank and Keystone Bank upon providing the necessary documentation. However, issues arose with the accounts linked to Access Bank:

Diamond Bank Account (₦2.9 million):
Initially, Access Bank denied the existence of this account. After several visits and a confrontation with the branch manager, the bank admitted to the account and released the ₦2.9 million in cash.

Diamond-Access Bank CBN-Linked Account (₦500 million):
When she attempted to claim the ₦500 million, Access Bank initially denied the existence of the account. Upon presenting her brother’s BVN, the bank acknowledged the account but claimed it held only ₦1.35.

Frustrated by the discrepancies, the woman engaged a lawyer to demand a complete account statement and supporting documents, including details of all transactions from the account’s inception on June 10, 2016.

The bank provided a partial statement but allegedly omitted all transactions between 2016 and 2020. Despite multiple petitions and court interventions from 2019 to 2024, Access Bank reportedly continued to delay the process, raising suspicions of internal malpractice.

The woman believes that senior officials within Access Bank may have diverted the funds and are attempting to cover up the activities.

VeryDarkMan, a public advocate supporting the case, has called on Nigerians to pressure Access Bank into addressing the matter transparently. He urged the public to withdraw their funds from the bank as a form of protest, stating, “The future of Nigerian families depends on ensuring accountability in our banking institutions. We cannot allow such practices to continue unchecked.”

LESS than seven days to the ninth “Adult Harvest Thanksgiving Service” of the Celestial Church of Christ, Testimony Parish, Elerumoke, Egbeda, Iyana Ajia in Egbeda Local Government Area of Oyo State, suspected thieves desecrated the temple of God and made away with two large cows meant for the celebration of the thanksgiving. The animals were worth about N2 million.

The thieves had struck last Saturday after the shepherd-in-charge of the parish and other notable leaders of the church had gone to bed.

Members of the various committees set up by the church were taken by surprise when they learnt of the theft.

A leader of the church identified as Oluso Ayo confirmed the incident to Saturday Tribune on Thursday.

He said: “The incident really happened. Suspected thieves invaded our church premises and made away with two cows meant for the harvest celebration. The cows, which were tethered, were untied by the suspected thieves.

“We saw the footprints of the thieves and the cows but we cannot say the exact place the animals were taken to.

“We learnt that such an incident had happened in the neighbourhood before, but not in our church.”

One of the church members who preferred anonymity said: “If this thing could happen in a church environment, where else is safe in this country?

“I have never heard before that thieves invaded a church and stole cows, not minding the sizes. The incident is a further confirmation that things have gone awry in this country.”

The church had earlier posted on its X account: “Hallelujah. Two missing Cows: Dear Celestials and the general public, these two huge cows were stolen where they were tied in the church premises at CCC, Testimony Parish, Elerumoke area, Egbeda, Iyana Ajia, Ibadan, Oyo State.