Catholic Archbishop Emeritus of Abuja, Cardinal John Onaiyekan, has rejected criticism from the Presidency over his public account of a meeting between Catholic bishops and President Bola Tinubu, saying he has no reason to be afraid or embarrassed.
The 82-year-old cleric said he appeared on television to communicate the concerns raised collectively by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, rather than to win the approval of the government or any individual.
Onaiyekan spoke in a video shared by SYMFONI TV on Wednesday, August 19, while responding to questions about the Presidency’s reaction to his comments following the bishops’ meeting with Tinubu.
“I didn’t go to Arise to please government, or to just please people, but to tell the truth. That’s all I stand for,” Onaiyekan said.
He added, “I cannot be embarrassed. I’m 82 years old; nobody can embarrass me. And I’m not afraid of anybody. Nobody, at this stage now, are they going to arrest me, carry me to where?”
The cardinal also urged Nigerians to value the freedom to criticise government officials publicly, warning that such openness should not be taken for granted.
“And we are still lucky in this Nigeria that we can still talk. We shouldn’t take that for granted. There are many countries in Africa where no bishop dares to talk like we do here,” he said.
Onaiyekan stressed that the views he expressed during his television appearance were not his personal position but reflected the concerns agreed upon by the bishops who participated in the meeting with the President.
“No, mind you, I didn’t talk on my own now. I spoke on behalf of my fellow bishops. We drafted a statement which contained all that I said in the interview. So, all the bishops of Nigeria spoke that way. It was their voice I was echoing,” he said.
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He said individual bishops remained free to raise the same concerns in their respective dioceses, adding that several other religious leaders had also expressed concerns about the country’s situation.
“I cannot speak on behalf of other religious leaders. Everybody has their own job to do, but many of the other religious leaders have supported us,” he said.
“When it comes to what is happening to Nigeria, the poverty, the suffering, we are all in the same boat now, abi?”
The disagreement followed a July 28 meeting between Tinubu and a delegation of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria at the State House in Abuja.
The delegation was led by the CBCN President, Archbishop Matthew Man-Oso Ndagoso of Kaduna, and included Onaiyekan, Cardinal Peter Okpaleke, Bishop Matthew Kukah of Sokoto and other senior Catholic clerics.
During the meeting, the bishops raised concerns over economic hardship, insecurity, the state of democracy and preparations for the 2027 elections. They also discussed religious freedom and the return of mission schools.
Three days later, Onaiyekan appeared on Arise News and gave his account of the meeting, saying the bishops had spoken candidly to Tinubu about the difficulties facing Nigerians.
His comments drew a response from the Presidency. Temitope Ajayi, the President’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, criticised the decision to publicly disclose details of what he regarded as a private engagement.
Onaiyekan, however, has maintained that he was simply conveying the collective position of the bishops and speaking out of concern for Nigerians.
In his latest remarks, the cardinal made clear that criticism from the Presidency would not deter him from expressing his views on issues affecting the country.