At 70, Reverend Matthew Kukah becomes ritualized persona, a streamlined totem. As a revered clergyman, he is feted and celebrated by segments of Nigeria’s high society – and deservedly too.

The Bishop, Roman Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, is a respected figure and influential social critic who hardly shies from speaking truth to power.

Thus it was only fitting that he celebrated his 70th anniversary by launching his new book, “Broken Truths,” in Abuja. At the launch, he revealed his plan to build an N200 million Bishop Kukah Centre in Abuja, which among other things, will foster inter-faith dialogue and provide leadership training for people in power and a capacity for noble participation in politics.

“One is hoping that going forward, the right people will develop the right reflex for participating in politics in Nigeria,” he said.

The vision is consistent with his perceived role as a social crusader. It is a statement of his social responsibility.

Recall that Kukah stirred the hornet’s nest last year, when, in his Yuletide message, he accused President Muhammadu Buhari of alleged “nepotism” and its negative effect on “national cohesion and trust.”

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With a master’s degree in Peace Studies from the University of Bradford, United Kingdom (UK), in 1980, and a doctorate from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London (1990), Kukah parades striking insight and command on national issues, no doubt.

Mixed reactions to his oft controversial stance on national issues have, at one time or the other, established him as a fiery cleric cum activist on a defiant swerve against the principle of separating the church from the state.

As he celebrates his recent milestone, Kukah manifests as no pushover. Notwithstanding his previous engagement with the Nigerian State, he is first and foremost, a citizen of humanity.

As a faith leader and minister of the church, he is expected to be forbiddingly clean. There are hopes that he’d begin to view all things mortal and mundane with stricter discipline and a more prescient nuance – something close to visceral asceticism.

In his 70th year, Kukah parades inspiring spunk; his eyebrows may contract and retract with worldly furrow and frown – no thanks to social and political upheaval – but Kukah’s prescience would endure.

He is never simply human, after all. His clerical bust is as much a mascot as his spiritual, heartfelt politics.