Kukah Calls for Moral Stewardship of the Earth at 24th Chief S.L. Edu Memorial Lecture

Bennett Oghifo

Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, Most Rev. Dr. Matthew Hassan Kukah, has called on Nigerians and people of faith across the world to reclaim moral authority in the care of the environment, insisting that the Earth was given to humanity not for reckless exploitation but to be held in trust for present and future generations.

Kukah made the call at the 24th Chief S.L. Edu Memorial Lecture, organised by the Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF), held on January 30, 2026, at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Hall, Victoria Island, Lagos. He spoke on the theme, “To Have and To Hold: Faith, Moral Authority, and the Care of Our Common Home.”

Drawing inspiration from the matrimonial vow “to have and to hold,” Kukah said the phrase does not signify ownership or domination but love, fidelity, restraint and responsibility. He argued that framing humanity’s relationship with the Earth in these terms was both “profoundly theological and urgently political,” especially in an era of climate change, environmental degradation and deepening inequality.

Referencing the biblical mandate in Genesis, Kukah explained that humanity’s call to “subdue” and “rule” the Earth was not a licence to plunder but a responsibility to nurture creation and align it with the will of God. “Stewardship is rooted in service and sacrifice, not sovereignty,” he said, warning that the divorce of extraction from ethics had turned development into “moral failure disguised as progress.”

He lamented the culture of domination that now defines humanity’s relationship with nature, noting that forests are felled faster than they can regenerate, rivers poisoned in the name of profit, and communities left devastated by extractive industries. Quoting Pope Francis’ Laudato Si’, Kukah said the Earth itself now “groans in travail,” burdened by human greed and wounded hearts.

Focusing on Africa and Nigeria in particular, Kukah said the continent continues to relate to the environment largely from the perspective of subjugation and utility. He criticised attitudes that reduce animals, forests and land to nothing more than commodities for consumption, describing Nigeria’s casual acceptance of “bush meat” culture and neglect of domestic animals as symptoms of a deeper moral crisis.

The bishop traced environmental injustice to the historical roots of capitalism, colonial exploitation and the scramble for Africa, arguing that resource extraction has long been driven by profit motives detached from conscience. He linked many of Africa’s contemporary conflicts to ecological injustice, noting that struggles over land, oil, minerals and water often masquerade as ethnic or religious violence.

Drawing from his personal involvement in the Ogoni clean-up process while serving under former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Kukah said the Niger Delta remained a stark example of how environmental degradation fuels poverty, conflict and social breakdown. “Where the Earth is exploited without restraint, fragility follows, and fragility breeds conflict,” he warned.

Kukah stressed that religious leaders could not remain spectators in the environmental crisis. According to him, faith communities must name exploitation for what it is — “a violation of divine trust” — and insist that progress without justice is regression. He added that moral limits must be imposed where markets refuse to do so.

He proposed what he described as an “integral ecology,” which recognises that human, economic, cultural and ecological systems are interconnected. As part of this framework, he called for responses to the “cry of the Earth” and the “cry of the poor,” adoption of sustainable lifestyles, reform of Nigeria’s Land Use Act, and the cultivation of ecological spirituality rooted in culture and faith.

As Kukah concluded, “To have and to hold means resisting the temptation to consume today what belongs to tomorrow.”

In a welcome address, Chairman of the NCF National Executive Council, Hon. Justice R.I.B. Adebiyi, described the memorial lecture as one of the foundation’s flagship advocacy platforms. He said the choice of faith as an entry point for environmental discourse was deliberate, given that nearly all Nigerians identify with one religion or another.

Adebiyi paid tribute to the late Chief Shafi Lawal Edu, founder of the NCF and widely regarded as the father of conservation in Nigeria, recalling his lifelong belief that “the natural environment is governed by the laws of God.”

Also speaking, Director General of NCF, Dr. Joseph Onoja, said engaging faith communities was critical to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, noting that religious institutions wield enormous influence in shaping values and behaviour. He said the lecture complemented earlier engagements with other faith leaders, including the Sultan of Sokoto.

In a goodwill message, Metropolitan Archbishop of Lagos, Most Rev. Dr. Alfred Adewale Martins, reaffirmed the Catholic Archdiocese’s commitment to Laudato Si’, stressing that care for the environment was no longer optional but central to social justice and human dignity.

The event, attended by religious leaders, conservationists, students, corporate partners and members of the Edu family, ended with a renewed call for Nigerians to see environmental stewardship not just as policy or activism, but as a moral and spiritual duty.