The Presidency has strongly criticized the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) and Archbishop Emeritus Cardinal John Onaiyekan over their public critique of President Bola Tinubu’s administration following a closed-door meeting at the Presidential Villa.
The friction began after Cardinal Onaiyekan revealed details of the July 28, 2026 encounter on television, disclosing that the bishops had confronted the President over worsening economic hardship and insecurity, claims that President Tinubu outrightly rejected by insisting his government was making genuine progress.
Reacting in separate statements, presidential aides, Temitope Ajayi and Daniel Bwala, faulted the clerics for breaching confidentiality and presenting a one-sided assessment of the country.
Ajayi argued that the bishops’ views were neither scripture nor infallible, noting that the President listened patiently and responded with factual counter-arguments, including measurable improvements in regular salary and pension payments across states.
The Presidency further dismissed the notion that the Catholic clerics held a monopoly on national truth.
Ajayi stressed that President Tinubu remains fully in touch with reality through daily intelligence briefings, extensive media monitoring, and policy consultations, rendering the suggestion that he needs the bishops to acquaint him with the nation’s true state an overreach.
Weighing in on the controversy, presidential aide Daniel Bwala accused Cardinal Onaiyekan of allowing partisan politics to cloud his judgment.
Bwala claimed the cardinal’s intervention should be viewed through the political lens of the Catholic Church’s open support for the Labour Party candidate, Peter Obi, during the 2023 elections, adding that the cleric applied a double standard by criticizing the government’s optimism while preaching positive confession to church members.
When reached for comment regarding the unfolding media war, Bishop Matthew Kukah of the Sokoto Diocese, who was part of the original delegation, declined to make any statements.
Meanwhile, other political figures have joined the discourse, with opposition figures criticizing the administration’s posture and handling of citizens’ economic grievances during the high-level engagement.
