The Archbishop Emeritus of the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, has revealed that President Bola Tinubu openly rejected the concerns raised by members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria during their recent meeting at the State House, Abuja.
President Tinubu had hosted the Catholic bishops on July 28, 2026, where they expressed deep concerns over Nigeria’s worsening economic hardship, persistent insecurity, and the country’s political direction.
In an interview on Arise News monitored by The News Chronicle, Onaiyekan said the bishops did not expect a cordial exchange while discussing what they described as the nation’s dire condition.
“When the nation is bleeding, you cannot expect a polite meeting with the Head of State. We had to let him know. And his reply is that the nation is not bleeding.”
The senior cleric said the bishops challenged the President over the impact of his administration’s economic policies on ordinary Nigerians, but Tinubu insisted that the economy was performing well.
“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.”
According to Onaiyekan, the bishops were neither shocked nor discouraged by the President’s response, stressing that their responsibility was to present the realities confronting Nigerians, regardless of whether the government accepted their position.
“Again, we were not surprised. 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.”
Onaiyekan further dismissed suggestions that the bishops’ intervention was politically motivated, explaining that the position presented to President Tinubu emerged from extensive consultations within the CBCN and reflected the unanimous view of the Catholic hierarchy.
He maintained that the bishops have no political ambitions but a moral obligation to speak truthfully about the hardships facing Nigerians and to hold leaders accountable whenever the nation’s welfare is at stake.
