The Bishop of Sokoto Catholic Diocese, Most Reverend Matthew Kukah, has called on President Bola Tinubu’s administration to address Nigeria’s severe food crisis. Speaking at the unveiling of the Progressive Institute in Abuja on Friday, Kukah emphasized the urgent need to tackle hunger and the rising cost of fuel.

Kukah’s remarks were made in the presence of governors, ministers, party leaders, and other government officials, including Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, and representatives of Vice President Kashim Shettima and Senate President Godswill Akpabio.

With food inflation exceeding 40% and petrol prices soaring from approximately ₦585 to nearly ₦900 per litre, Kukah highlighted the growing public discontent and the need for immediate action. He also underscored that democracy must be grounded in intellectual rigor to avoid being “built on sand,” asserting that politics should be approached as a science for effective governance, not merely as a means for looting. The Kukah Centre, he noted, aims to elevate leadership standards.

National Chairman of the APC, Abdullahi Ganduje, introduced the Progressive Institute as a means to institutionalize party ideology and serve as a policy think-tank. The institute will facilitate dialogue among the party, the public, academia, and the media, providing policy advice to APC-affiliated governments and engaging with the international community.