I’m Mortally Ashamed Of What Is Going On In This Country Because It Is Impossible To Explain — Kukah

The Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, Matthew Hassan Kukah, has expressed deep concern over Nigeria’s current state, describing the level of corruption, insecurity, and institutional decay as difficult to defend before the international community.

Kukah made the remarks during an interview on the PAPShow Podcast on Sunday, February 22, 2026, as he reflected on the broader challenges confronting the country.

He said: “So what I’m saying is that it is about us returning to how did Nigeria get to be the way it is today? We are largely, almost like the rest of the, I travel around the world and people keep asking me, and you put on a brave face to try and defend this country, the corruption, the inefficiency. The total decay.”

The cleric stated that the realities on ground speak for themselves and require no further persuasion: “It’s not a question of whether they are convinced. Why should you convince anybody? Are you going to convince somebody that 100 people or 200 people have died in, the people who are dying? Do you need to convince anybody? You need to convince anybody. The figures are there. The statistics are there.”

He continued: “Every day you are looking at the dead bodies. This is no longer, it is a world that is now, everybody can see you naked everywhere.”

Kukah said he feels a personal sense of shame over the country’s trajectory: “So the point I’m making, that’s why I said, nobody. I’m mortally ashamed of what is going on in this country because it is impossible to explain. Why you will hear in the news, a hundred people have been killed, 200 people have been killed. And guess what? Nothing happened.”

COURTESY: Beejey