Presidency, Catholic Bishops Clash Over State of Insecurity, Economy

Presidency on Saturday criticised members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria over their account of a recent meeting with President Bola Tinubu, declaring that the clerics were not the only custodians of the truth about the state of the country.

It also faulted the Archbishop Emeritus of the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja, Cardinal John Onaiyekan, for revealing details of the closed-door engagement, describing the disclosure as inappropriate and contrary to the confidentiality expected at such a high-level meeting.

Presidential aide, Temitope Ajayi, defended Tinubu’s response to the bishops in a statement, arguing that the clerics’ assessment of the economy, insecurity and governance represented only one perspective which could be challenged with facts.

The controversy followed Onaiyekan’s appearance on Arise Television’s Prime Time on Friday, during which he spoke about the July 28 meeting between Tinubu and a delegation of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

According to the cardinal, the bishops raised concerns about the worsening economic hardship, insecurity and the state of democracy, but the President disagreed with their conclusions and insisted that his administration was recording progress.

Bishops Defend Position

Onaiyekan said the document presented to Tinubu was not based on the personal views of the clerics who attended the meeting, but reflected the collective position of the bishops’ conference.

He explained that the submission was prepared after extensive consultations and several reviews.

“Let me say first and foremost that the statement read by our president was not just put together at random. It was carefully considered and with wide consultation. The Bishops’ Conference is bigger than the group of us that were there, but it is very representative of the Bishops’ Conference.

“So, it is the Catholic Bishops’ Conference that produced that document. It was written, rewritten and corrected. So it was not done at random, nor did we deliver it with levity,” he said.

The former Abuja archbishop maintained that the bishops had no political interests or ambitions but were duty-bound to speak about the suffering of Nigerians.

“I think I have an opportunity in this programme to remind Nigerians that, as bishops, we have no ambitions to take Mr Tinubu’s job or anybody else’s job. We are not politicians running for office.

“We are, first and foremost, religious leaders who feel we have a duty, not just to preach our religious doctrines, but also to address the lives of our people, both those who are our members and those who are not. You can see that from the content and the tone of our statement,” Onaiyekan said.

He added that the delegation told the President that some of the government’s economic policies were worsening the hardship experienced by ordinary Nigerians.

However, Tinubu, according to the cardinal, rejected the assessment and maintained 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. Frankly speaking, he told us quite clearly that he did not agree with us.

“We didn’t expect him to agree with us. We have done our duty, we have delivered our message, and we have a feeling that, somehow, along the line, somebody will show him a few of the things we said,” he stated.

Tinubu Unhappy With Criticism — Cardinal

Onaiyekan said Tinubu’s reaction during the meeting suggested that he was displeased with the bishops’ presentation.

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