On Tuesday, July 28, 2026, President Bola Tinubu met with the Catholic bishops at the presidential villa. During the meeting, the bishops expressed concerns over what they believe is the parlous and precarious state of the nation. They voiced their worry particularly about the economy, insecurity and political climate. However, what was supposed to be a simple and cordial meeting between the head of state and religious leaders has sparked controversy that now puts religion and politics on a collision course.
What the bishops thought was a dispassionate and objective analysis of what is going on in the country has sharply divided opinions and triggered a furore that has earned them commendation and opprobrium in equal measure. While many Nigerians believe the bishops spoke the mind of Nigerians, others, especially the supporters of the ruling party, opined that the position of the bishops on national issues does not reflect the true state of the country and is largely aimed at undermining the government while at the same time handing opposition weapons to attack it.
The position of the bishops.
The Archbishop Emeritus of the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja, John Onaiyekan, who spoke after the meeting, stated that the president is being fed false information about the situation of the country, as he clearly did not agree with their assessment of what is going on in the country.
Onaiyekan, who spoke during an interview on Prime Time, a programme on Arise News, on Friday, said too few people within the government were ready to tell the President the truth, describing it as one of the country’s major challenges.
He said: “When the nation is bleeding, you cannot expect a polite meeting with the Head of State. We told him the economy is not helping our poor people; he told us the economy is doing fine. Frankly speaking, he told us quite clearly that he did not agree with us. We didn’t expect him to agree with us. We have done our duty, we have delivered our message, and we have a feeling that somehow, along the line, somebody will show him a few of the things we said.”
The cleric maintained that the statement presented to Tinubu reflected the collective position of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference after wider consultations, adding that the bishops had no political ambitions but a duty to speak on issues affecting Nigerians. “We are not politicians running for office. We are religious leaders who feel we have a duty not just to preach our doctrines but also to address the lives of our people,” he said
Onaiyekan disclosed that the bishops chose to confront the president with the challenges Nigerians are grappling with rather than giving the President a satisfactory and rosy picture of what is happening in the country, adding that they were satisfied Tinubu listened because he responded directly to their concerns. On the political climate, the archbishop defended the bishops’ warning against what they described as the creeping danger of a one-party dominant state, saying democracy required credible elections and a level playing field.
He implored Tinubu to protect Nigeria’s democratic institutions, insisting the bishops were united in their belief that Nigerians deserved better and that the government should focus more on addressing the country’s challenges than celebrating its achievements.
Presidency hit back
Reacting to Onaiyekan’s interview, the presidency said sharing the details of what was discussed at the meeting with the public amounts to an abuse of clerical privilege. The Presidency says the meeting Tinubu had with bishops was private and discussing it during the Arise News interview was a breach of confidentiality.
In a statement on Saturday titled Cardinal Onaiyekan’s Abuse of Clerical Privilege, Presidential Adviser Temitope Ajayi said it was completely wrong for the Catholic cleric to publicly give his account of the closed-door meeting with the President.
“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.
According to the statement, the bishops had requested the audience with the President and presented concerns about Nigeria’s economic, social and security challenges. Ajayi said President Tinubu listened patiently before responding to each issue raised. The Presidency said the President challenged the bishops’ assessment of the country’s situation, arguing that it did not fully reflect inroads made by his administration.
“The President argued that the bishops’ characterisation of the country’s current condition was incomplete and, in several respects, inaccurate. He pointed to measurable progress on the economic, social, and security fronts. He did not pretend that Nigeria’s problems had disappeared. He acknowledged that significant economic and security challenges remain. His point was that the country has emerged from “a dark tunnel”, that his administration has laid the foundations for recovery and that the next phase is to ensure the greatest number of Nigerians feels the gains,” the statement said.
Earlier, Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser to the President on Policy Communication, downplayed the influence and significance of the Catholic bishops in Christendom, stressing that they don’t speak for all Christians. He noted that the position of the bishops was political and not spiritual, adding that Catholic bishops are known to be supporters of Peter Obi.
Bwala said: “Cardinal Onaiyekan wasn’t speaking for Christian’s; he was speaking for Catholics, the very institutions rooting for Peter Obi @PeterObi, in fact likely the institution where Peter Obi also said in 2022 “take back your country “.
“Therefore, Cardinal is more political than spiritual. And not all catholic members are supporting Peter Obi. The president @officialABAT was well within his right to disagree with their assertion as regards Nigeria’s economy based purely on facts, stats and numbers factored into context”
While the presidency may find the position of the bishops on the state of the nation unpalatable and unfavourable, it will be reckless and tactless to insinuate that their assessment of the government is subjective, biased and coloured by politics. The Catholic Christian denomination has a laudable history of being bold and fearless. It has acquired a fine reputation for speaking truth to power without fear or favour, whether it is a military regime or a civilian government.
By and large, the position of the bishops more or less reflects the stance of many Nigerians who feel the current government has not done enough to make the country a better place and that whatever reforms and progress the government relentlessly touts have no visible impact on the lives of average Nigerians.
