Presidency Blasts Catholic Bishops, Fires Back at Onaiyekan Over Tinubu Meeting Revelations

• The Presidency has attacked the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria and Cardinal John Onaiyekan over criticisms of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

The Presidency has lashed out at the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) and Archbishop Emeritus of Abuja, Cardinal John Onaiyekan, over criticisms of President Bola Tinubu’s administration and the disclosure of details from a closed-door meeting at the Presidential Villa.

In separate statements issued on Saturday, presidential aides Temitope Ajayi and Daniel Bwala defended Tinubu’s handling of Nigeria’s economic and security challenges, insisting that the bishops’ assessment represented only one perspective and should not be treated as the ultimate truth.

The Presidency also faulted Onaiyekan for publicly discussing what transpired during the July 28 meeting between Tinubu and the Catholic bishops, describing the move as inappropriate and a breach of the confidentiality expected in high-level engagements.

The reaction followed Onaiyekan’s interview on Arise Television, where he revealed that the bishops told Tinubu Nigeria was facing worsening economic hardship, insecurity and democratic decline, but the President disagreed, insisting his administration was making progress.

The cardinal said the bishops had no political ambitions but felt morally obligated to tell the President the truth about the suffering of Nigerians.

He also claimed Tinubu appeared unhappy with their observations and warned that too many people around the President were painting an unrealistic picture of the country’s situation.

Responding, Ajayi argued that while the bishops were entitled to their opinions, their assessment was “neither scripture nor an article of faith” and could be challenged with facts and evidence.

According to him, Tinubu listened respectfully to the bishops before presenting evidence of improvements under his administration, including more regular payment of salaries and pensions, better fiscal stability and ongoing economic recovery.

Ajayi further rejected claims that Nigeria was “bleeding,” saying the President’s assessment was based on classified intelligence reports, security briefings and consultations unavailable to the public.

“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,” he said.

Special Adviser on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, also criticised Onaiyekan, alleging that the Catholic Church openly supported Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi during the 2023 elections.

Bwala argued that the cardinal was speaking from a political standpoint rather than a spiritual one and maintained that the President was justified in disagreeing with the bishops based on available economic data and statistics.

Meanwhile, Catholic Bishop Matthew Kukah, who was part of the delegation, declined to comment further on the meeting.