Archbishop Emeritus of the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, has revealed that President Bola Tinubu appeared unwilling to accept the Catholic bishops’ assessment of Nigeria’s worsening economic and social conditions during a closed-door meeting at the Presidential Villa.
Speaking on Arise Television’s Prime Time programme on Friday, the Catholic cleric gave an insider account of the meeting between President Tinubu and members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), describing it as a frank exchange in which the bishops deliberately chose to confront the President with what they described as the harsh realities facing millions of Nigerians.
Reflecting on President Tinubu’s reaction during the meeting, Onaiyekan said it was obvious that the President was displeased with the message delivered by the bishops.
“You asked me, how did I see the face of the President in reaction? I was not surprised that he was not looking very happy. Not even his colleagues who were there. We knew that this is different from the kind of statements that our President keeps receiving from all kinds of people,” Onaiyekan said.
The Archbishop Emeritus expressed concern that many individuals surrounding the President were shielding him from the true state of affairs in the country by presenting overly optimistic assessments.
“And that is one of the things that worries us. That there are so many people hanging around Mr. President, giving him a rosy picture of what the country is, which it is not. And we felt that we have no duty to do that.
“Indeed, we have the obligation to help him to appreciate the reality of the situation in which we find ourselves. And that is the reality that we painted, which I know is not the kind of thing that he wanted to hear. And the reply shows very clearly.”
According to him, both the bishops and the President left the meeting fully aware that neither side had shifted its position.
“And you can see his reply. We left that hall, both sides, knowing that we said what we had to say.
“He said what he had to say.”
Asked by the ARISE Television interviewer whether the meeting could be described as “frosty,” particularly because Nigerians are accustomed to cordial engagements between religious leaders and political officeholders, Cardinal Onaiyekan maintained that the gravity of the nation’s challenges demanded honesty rather than diplomacy.
“When the nation is bleeding, you can’t expect a polite meeting with the head of state.
“We need to let him know.”
The Catholic cleric disclosed that while the bishops painted a grim picture of the country’s economic realities and their impact on poor Nigerians, President Tinubu maintained that the nation was not in crisis and defended his administration’s economic policies.
“And his reply is that the nation is not bleeding.
“We told him our economy is not helping our poor people. He told us the economy is doing fine.”
Onaiyekan said the President made it abundantly clear that he disagreed with the concerns raised by the bishops.
“Practically speaking, he told us quite clearly that he did not agree with us. Again, I said, we’re not surprised.
“We didn’t expect him to agree with us. We have done our duty. We have delivered our message.”
Despite the President’s disagreement, the Archbishop Emeritus expressed hope that those around him would eventually bring to his attention the realities highlighted during the meeting.
“And we have a feeling that somehow along the line, somebody will show him a few of the things we said.”
