September 24, (THEWILL) – The Catholic Diocese of Sokoto and founder of the Kukah Centre, Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, has been chosen to receive the Mundo Negro Fraternity Award in Madrid, Spain. This award comes with a cash prize of €10,000, that is N8.4 million.
The Mundo Negro magazine annually dedicates its award to individuals and institutions of African descent that have made significant contributions to the advancement of their nation and continent. The award will be formally presented to Kukah in Madrid in February 2024.
Popularly known for his boldness in airing his views about any government in power, Kukah is a tireless advocate for justice, democracy and human development. A political scientist, he has served as a member of Nigeria’s Truth Commission, as secretary of the Political Reform Conference for Nigeria, and as a member of Nigeria’s Electoral Reform Committee. He played an important role in negotiating an end to the Shell-Ogoni conflict in Nigeria’s delta region. A champion of respectful Christian-Muslim relations, Kukah served as chairman of the Committee on Interreligious Dialogue in Nigeria and West Africa and was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI as a member of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue. Named vicar general of the Archdiocese of Kaduna in 2004, he became bishop of Sokoto in 2011.
Besides being a member, Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue, Vatican City, Kukah holds a diploma in religious studies from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, a Bachelor of Arts in Divinity from the Urban University, Rome, a Master’s in peace studies from the University of Bradford, UK, and a PhD in political science from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. He was a senior Rhodes fellow at St. Antony’s College, University of Oxford and an Edward Mason Fellow at the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.
