The Presidency has criticised representatives of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) over their conduct following a recent meeting with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, insisting that the clerics do not have an exclusive claim to the truth about the state of the nation.
In separate statements issued on Saturday, presidential aides Temitope Ajayi and Daniel Bwala defended the President’s response to concerns raised by the bishops over the economy, insecurity and governance, arguing that the clerics’ assessment represented only one viewpoint and was open to public scrutiny and debate.
The Presidency also faulted John Onaiyekan for publicly disclosing details of the closed-door meeting, describing his comments as inappropriate and contrary to the confidentiality expected of high-level engagements between religious leaders and the President.
The reaction followed remarks made by Cardinal Onaiyekan during an interview on Prime Time, a programme aired on Arise Television on Friday, in which he discussed aspects of the July 28 meeting between President Tinubu and a delegation of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
According to the presidential aides, while the bishops were entitled to express their views on national issues, their observations should not be regarded as the definitive assessment of the country’s condition.
The Presidency maintained that President Tinubu’s administration remained committed to addressing Nigeria’s economic and security challenges, stressing that differing opinions on government policies are part of democratic discourse but should be presented responsibly.
