Matthew Hassan Kukah (born 31 August 1952) is the current bishop of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Sokoto The Roman Catholic Diocese of Sokoto ( la, Sokotoën(sis)) is a diocese located in the city of Sokoto in the Ecclesiastical province of Kaduna in Nigeria. Its territory includes the states of Sokoto, Zamfara, Kebbi, and Katsina. History * Jun ...

. In December 2020, Pope Francis appointed him as a member of the Dicastery on Integral Human Development.

Early life and education

Bishop Kukah was born on efdom in

Zangon Kataf Zangon Kataf (Tyap language, Tyap: Nietcen-A̱fakan) is a Local Government Areas of Nigeria, Local Government Area in Southern Kaduna, southern Kaduna State, Nigeria. Its headquarters is in the town of Zonkwa. It is also a name of a town (Tyap lang ...

local government area of

Kaduna Kaduna is the capital city of Kaduna State, and the former political capital of Northern Region, Nigeria, Northern Nigeria. It is located in north-western Nigeria, on the Kaduna River. It is a trade Centre and a major transportation hub as the ...

State. Kukah received his primary education at St. Fidelis Primary School, Zagom, then St. Joseph Minor Seminary,

Zaria Zaria is a metropolitan city in Nigeria which at the present time lies within four (4) local government areas in Kaduna state; it happens to be the capital city to the Zazzau Emirate Council, and one of the original seven Hausa city-states ...

, before proceeding to St. Augustine Major Seminary Jos,

Plateau State Plateau State is the twelfth-largest Nigerian state. It is in the centre of the country includes a range of hills surrounding the Jos Plateau, its capital, and the entire plateau itself. Plateau State is described as "The Home of Peace and To ...

, where he studied Philosophy and Theology. Kukah was ordained a Catholic Priest on 19 December 1976. Kukah also attended the

University of Ibadan The University of Ibadan (UI) is a public research university in Ibadan, Nigeria. The university was founded in 1948 as University College Ibadan, one of many colleges within the University of London. It became an independent university in 196 ...

, where he obtained a diploma in Religious Studies. Kukah also received the Bachelor of Divinity at the Pontifical Urban University, Rome in 1976, followed by a master's degree in Peace Studies, at the

University of Bradford The University of Bradford is a Public university, public research university located in the city of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. A plate glass university, it received its royal charter in 1966, making it the 40th university to be creat ...

, United Kingdom in 1980. Kukah's academic pursuits culminated with a PhD from

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

School of Oriental and African Studies SOAS University of London (; the School of Oriental and African Studies) is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the federal University of London. Founded in 1916, SOAS is located in the Bloomsbury ar ...

(SOAS) in 1990. At some unspecified point, he studied at the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

, in

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

, in

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primarily ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

, and also at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

, in

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston, ...

, in Greater

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. Between 1999 and 2001 he served as a member of the Nigerian ''Investigation Commission of Human Rights Violations''. In addition to his work as a parish priest of Saint Andrews's parish in

Kakuri Kakuri is a residential area in Nigeria. It is a suburb of Kaduna and is under the Kaduna South Local Government. It has a St. Gerard Hospital and a Gwamna Awan General Hospital. A Government Secondary School, a school of psychiatric nursing and ...

from 2004 until his nomination as bishop, he was secretary of the ''National Political Reform Conference'' (2005) and from 2005 onwards he has been serving as the chairman of the Ogoni-Shell Reconciliation. Additionally, between 2007 and 2009 he worked also in the committee for electoral reform set up by the Nigerian government. ''This Day News'' reported the passing away and burial of Mama Janet Hauwa Kukah, the bishop's mother, born in June, 1934 who was buried in Anchuna, Zangon Kataf Local Government Area, with many dignitaries at attendance and others sending their condolences.

References

External links

Bishop Matthew Kukah
on CIID 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in Nigeria 1952 births Living people Nigerian Roman Catholics University of Ibadan alumni Alumni of SOAS University of London Alumni of the University of Bradford People from Kaduna State Roman Catholic bishops of Sokoto {{Nigeria-reli-bio-stub