The Presidency has accused Cardinal John Onaiyekan, of breaching the confidentiality of a private meeting between President Bola Tinubu and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, describing his public comments about the engagement as an abuse of “clerical privilege.”
The response followed the Catholic Archbishop Emeritus of Abuja, Cardinal John Onaiyekan’s appearance on Arise Television, where he recounted discussions held during the meeting.
The cardinal said the bishops presented what they described as the harsh realities facing millions of Nigerians, including widespread poverty, hunger, unemployment and insecurity.
According to him, President Tinubu rejected the characterization that the country was “bleeding,” insisting instead that his administration’s economic reforms were yielding positive results.
Onaiyekan said Tinubu maintained that Nigeria was on a path to recovery and that his administration’s policies were beginning to produce tangible improvements.
He also alleged that the President was being shielded from the full extent of the country’s hardship by aides who present an overly optimistic assessment of national conditions.
Onaiyekan further questioned the independence of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, arguing that public confidence in the electoral body would remain weak as long as its chairman is appointed by the President.
In a detailed response issued by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, the Presidency described Onaiyekan’s television interview as “fundamentally inappropriate.”
“There is something fundamentally inappropriate about Cardinal John Onaiyekan granting a television interview to offer his own account and interpretation of what transpired during the private meeting between the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria and President Bola Tinubu. It is, in my view, an abuse of clerical privilege,” Ajayi said.
Ajayi said the audience with the President was requested by the bishops and granted in good faith. He added that Tinubu listened attentively to the concerns raised and responded to each issue, but maintained that such high-level engagements are expected to remain confidential.
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The presidential aide also rejected suggestions that Tinubu dismissed the country’s challenges. He said the President acknowledged Nigeria’s economic and security difficulties but disagreed with the bishops’ description of the country as a “bleeding nation.”
Instead, he said Tinubu argued that Nigeria was gradually emerging from years of fiscal and economic decline and that measurable progress had been recorded.
Ajayi said the President pointed to improved fiscal stability, increased revenue allocations to states, more regular payment of salaries and pensions, and significant gains in security operations across several parts of the country as evidence of progress.
Addressing the issue of insecurity, Ajayi said the bishops based their assessment largely on media reports, while Tinubu, as Commander-in-Chief, receives classified intelligence and operational briefings daily, giving him a broader understanding of the security situation. He said the President did not deny the seriousness of the crisis but disputed the claim that no progress had been made.
The Presidency also dismissed Onaiyekan’s assertion that Tinubu was insulated from the realities facing Nigerians. Ajayi said the President is exposed daily to “competing advice, conflicting intelligence, uncomfortable assessments and hard realities” through intelligence reports, economic data, newspapers, and both formal and informal engagements. “What truth does anyone really need to tell the President that he does not already know?” Ajayi asked.
On the cardinal’s remarks about INEC, the Presidency did not directly respond to the concerns over the commission’s independence.
However, Ajayi said democratic governance allows stakeholders, including religious leaders, to express their views, while the government also reserves the right to present its own position and evidence.
He concluded that although the bishops were entitled to raise moral and national concerns with the President, Onaiyekan crossed a line by publicly discussing the contents of what he described as a private meeting.
“Clerical office carries not only influence but also responsibilities, including discretion, restraint and respect for the confidentiality of high-level discussions,” Ajayi said. “Privileged access to the President should not be converted into a platform for public post-meeting commentary.”
The exchange underscores growing tensions between the Tinubu administration and some religious leaders over the country’s economic and security conditions, as the government’s reform policies continue to generate debate.
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria had not issued an official response to the Presidency’s statement as of the time of filing this report.
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