Bishop Kukah to headline Dr. Reuben Abati’s book presentation November 7

*Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sokoto is confirmed as the keynote speaker for public presentation and official launch of Dr. Reuben Abati’s three new books November 7, in Lagos

Isola Moses | ConsumerConnect

Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, Northern Nigeria,  has been confirmed as the keynote speaker for the public presentation and official launch of three new books by Dr. Reuben Abati, a renowned journalist, intellectual and former Special Adviser to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, GCFR, on Media and Publicity.

Kukah, a notable cleric, social crusader, bridge builder and advocate for an inclusive Nigerian democratic and economic society, will speak on the topic “Nigeria: Time to Re-Load”.

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The three books for presentation Friday, November 7, 2025, at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) include: “Portraits: People, Politics and Society”, “A Love Letter and Other Stories”, and “How Goodluck Jonathan Became President”, all published by Caltop Publications Nigeria Limited.

The forthcoming event coincides with Dr. Abati’s 60th Birthday celebration, as an opportunity to reflect on a media icon that has remained focused and dedicated to national development.

Event details are Friday, November 7, 2025, at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Kofo Abayomi Street, Victoria Island, Lagos, at 10:00a.m. prompt.

About the Keynote Speaker Bishop Matthew Hassan

Kukah was ordained a Catholic Priest on December 19, 1976. He also attended the University of Ibadan (UI), Nigeria, where he obtained a Diploma in Religious Studies.

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The cleric 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, United Kingdom (UK), in 1980.

Bishop Kukah’s academic pursuits culminated in a PhD from University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), in 1990.

Between 1999 and 2001 he served as a member of the Nigerian Investigation Commission of Human Rights Violations.

Besides his work as a parish priest of Saint Andrew’s parish in Kakuri, Kaduna, Northern Nigeria, from 2004 until his nomination as Bishop, he was Secretary of the National Political Reform Conference (2005), and from 2005 onwards, the cleric has been serving as the Chairman of the Ogoni-Shell Reconciliation.

Additionally, between 2007 and 2009, he worked also on the Committee for Electoral Reform, set up by the Nigerian Government. He was a senior Rhodes Fellow at St. Anthony’s College, University of Oxford and an Edward Mason Fellow at the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, United States (UI).

Among his several publications are Democracy and Civil Society in Nigeria (Codestria, 2001), Religious Militancy and Self-Assertion: Islam and Politics in Nigeria (Avebury, 1997), and Religion, Politics and Power in Northern Nigeria (Ibadan, Spectrum Books, 1993).

Other books are Witness to Justice (Udara, 2010) and Witness to Reconciliation and Broken Truths: Nigeria’s Elusive Quest for National Cohesion (Adonis and Abbey, 2022).

Kukah was appointed as a member of the Dicastery on Integral Human Development in December 2020, by Late Pope Francis.

He is the Convener of the National Peace Committee, established in 2014, with the commitment to facilitating and supporting credible and peaceful general elections in Nigeria, strengthening political stability.