- Aso Rock Says Clerics Not Sole Custodians Of Truth
- Faults Onaiyekan For Revealing Closed-Door Meeting With Tinubu
- Bishops Insist Nigerians Are Suffering, President Rejects Grim Assessment
A fresh confrontation has erupted between the Presidency and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), with the Federal Government accusing the clerics of presenting a one-sided assessment of the nation’s challenges and insisting that they are not the exclusive voice of Nigeria’s conscience.
The sharp exchange followed comments by the Archbishop Emeritus of the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja, Cardinal John Onaiyekan, who disclosed details of a closed-door meeting between President Bola Tinubu and a delegation of Catholic bishops at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on July 28.
The Presidency described the cardinal’s public account of the private engagement as inappropriate, maintaining that discussions at such high-level meetings should remain confidential.
In separate statements issued on Saturday, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, and Special Adviser on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, mounted a robust defence of President Tinubu’s handling of the economy, security and governance, rejecting claims that the administration was disconnected from the realities confronting Nigerians.
Ajayi argued that while the bishops were entitled to express their concerns, their conclusions were neither beyond scrutiny nor immune from rebuttal.
“Their assessment is neither scripture nor an article of faith. It is a perspective, and perspectives can be challenged with facts and evidence,” he said.
According to the Presidency, the bishops’ delegation presented a strongly critical assessment of the country’s economic and security situation during the meeting, but President Tinubu responded by outlining what he described as measurable improvements recorded under his administration.
Ajayi said the President acknowledged that Nigeria still faces significant economic and security challenges but insisted that the country had made notable progress in restoring fiscal stability, improving governance and laying the foundation for long-term recovery.
He pointed to regular payment of salaries and pensions, stronger fiscal conditions across states and ongoing reforms as evidence that the administration was gradually reversing years of economic decline.
The presidential aide also dismissed suggestions that Tinubu was insulated from the realities facing Nigerians, stressing that the President receives daily intelligence briefings, monitors media reports extensively and consults widely with stakeholders across the country.
“The suggestion that President Tinubu somehow needs only the Catholic Bishops to acquaint him with the truth is an overreach. They are an important constituency, but they are by no means the exclusive custodians of the national mood or the nation’s conscience,” Ajayi stated.
Onaiyekan Defends Bishops’ Position
Speaking during an interview on an Arise Television programme, Cardinal Onaiyekan maintained that the document presented to the President represented the collective position of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference after extensive consultations and careful deliberations.
He said the bishops had no political ambitions or partisan interests but were fulfilling their moral obligation to speak truthfully about the condition of the nation.
According to him, the delegation informed President Tinubu that prevailing economic policies had worsened the hardship confronting ordinary Nigerians, although the President disagreed and insisted that the economy was improving.
“When the nation is bleeding, you cannot expect a polite meeting with the head of state. We told him the economy is not helping our poor people; he told us the economy is doing fine,” Onaiyekan said.
The cardinal further suggested that many of those surrounding the President were presenting an overly optimistic picture of the country’s condition instead of confronting him with the realities experienced by ordinary citizens.
Bwala Accuses Cleric Of Political Bias
Joining the debate, Daniel Bwala accused Onaiyekan of allowing politics to colour his public comments.
He argued that the Catholic Church had openly supported Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi during the 2023 general election and therefore questioned the neutrality of the cardinal’s intervention.
Bwala insisted that President Tinubu was justified in disagreeing with the bishops’ assessment because his position was based on economic data, official statistics and intelligence reports available to the government.
He also argued that the Christian community extends beyond the Catholic Bishops’ Conference, noting that several other Christian organisations had maintained political neutrality.
Kukah Declines Comment
The Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, Matthew Kukah, who was part of the delegation to the Presidential Villa, declined to comment further on the controversy, saying he would not publicly express a personal position on a meeting in which he participated.
Opposition Faults Tinubu’s Position
Meanwhile, Lagos Central Senatorial candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Ladipo Johnson, criticised President Tinubu’s reported suggestion that Nigerians experiencing hardship should seek assistance from churches.
Johnson described the remarks as a disappointing reflection of presidential leadership at a time millions of Nigerians are grappling with inflation, insecurity, rising food prices and declining purchasing power.
He argued that addressing economic hardship remains a constitutional responsibility of the government
and should not be shifted to religious institutions.
The latest exchange has once again placed Nigeria’s economic direction and governance at the centre of national debate, exposing widening differences between the Presidency and influential religious leaders over the true condition of the nation. While the government insists that reforms are gradually delivering results, the bishops maintain that millions of Nigerians are yet to feel any meaningful improvement, underscoring the growing contest over the narrative of Nigeria’s economic recovery.
