Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Hassan Kukah, has said Nigeria must address the peculiarities in the kind of democracy it operates to achieve inclusive governance.

Delivering a lecture at the Niger Delta University (NDU) during the third Annual Memorial Public Lecture in honour of Dr. Ayebakepreye Amba Ambaiowei, Bishop Kukah warned that ethnicity, religion, and other primordial sentiments remain potent threats to federalism and continue to fuel unhealthy rivalries across the country.

“The question we must address is, what is peculiar about our own kind of democracy? Ethnicity remains a potent weapon and when it becomes a source of identity and justification, alongside religion and other sentiments, the country will remain volatile,” he said.

Kukah urged Nigerians to remain hopeful, noting that investment in critical infrastructure would promote unity, interconnectivity, and overall wellbeing of citizens.

In his remarks, Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri, represented by his deputy, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, said Nigeria had never practiced effective federalism since independence.

He argued that nationalists like Nnamdi Azikiwe, Obafemi Awolowo, and Ahmadu Bello largely pursued ethnic and regional interests rather than promoting true federalism.

Governor Diri also paid glowing tributes to Dr. Ambaiowei and other founding fathers, stressing that without the creation of Bayelsa State, the milestones achieved in the state’s development would not have been possible.

Other speakers, including Dr. Gabriel Toby, former Deputy Governor of Rivers State, and Rear Admiral Gboribiogha John Jonah (Rtd), immediate past Deputy Governor of Bayelsa, emphasized the need for genuine federalism to unlock Nigeria’s potential.

NDU Vice Chancellor, Allen Agih, described the lecture theme as timely, while dignitaries such as Rodney Ambaiowei, Bolade Igali, Franklin Osaisai, Chief Timi Kaiser Ogoriba, and Bishop Hyacinth Ogbebo graced the event.