Bishop Kukah was born on August 31, 1952. He received his secondary education at St. Joseph Minor Seminary, Zaria, after which he proceeded to St. Augustine Major Seminary Jos, Plateau State, where he studied Philosophy and Theology. Bishop Kukah also attended the University of Ibadan, where he obtained a diploma in Religious Studies in 1976. In that same year of 1976, Kukah was ordained a Catholic Priest on the 19th of December. Bishop Kukah further bagged himself a Master’s degree in Peace Studies, at the University of Bradford, United Kingdom in 1981. His academic pursuits culminated with a PhD from University of London's School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in 1990. Bishop Kukah was later conferred with Senior Rhodes Fellow at Oxford University (St Antony’s College) which he pursued from 2001-2003.

Bishop Kukah has vast years of working experience within the Church, in the academia and as a respected Statesman. He served as an associate Parish Priest in Kaduna from 1977-78 and shortly afterwards, he served as a Lecturer, Dean of Students at St. Augustine’s Seminary, Jos from 1978-79. In addition, he was also a Cardinal’s Special Assistant at the Catholic Church, Abuja between 1982 and 1986. Also very notably, Bishop Kukah was appointed Vicar General at the Catholic Archdiocese of Kaduna (2004-2011), Parish Priest at St. Andrew’s Catholic Church, Kakuri, Kaduna (August 2004-2011) and Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto (2011- till date).

His duties as a statesman has spanned through several years and administrations in Nigeria. To mention a few of such notable assignments, the Bishop served as a Member of the Human Rights Violations Investigation Commission Federal Government of Nigeria from 1999-2001, Secretary of National Political Reform Conference (February-July 2005), the Chairman of the Ogoni-Shell Reconciliation (August 2005-till date), Consultant with the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue at the Vatican City (1999-2006), Member of the Electoral Reform Committee of Nigeria (2007-2009), Chairman of the Committee on Inter-religious Dialogue, Bishops of Anglophone and Francophone West Africa (2012-till date), Pro Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council, Nassarawa State University, Keffi (2014- till date).