Presidency Faults Onaiyekan Over TV Interview on Tinubu-Bishops Meeting

The Presidency has criticised Cardinal John Onaiyekan over his public comments following a private meeting between President Bola Tinubu and members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), describing the interview as an abuse of clerical privilege.

In a commentary released on Saturday, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, argued that Cardinal Onaiyekan acted inappropriately by granting a television interview in which he shared his account of the closed-door meeting with the President.

Ajayi said the bishops were granted an audience at their request and freely presented their assessment of Nigeria’s economic, security and social challenges, while President Tinubu responded to each of the issues raised.

According to him, the President acknowledged that the country still faces serious economic and security challenges but maintained that his administration has made measurable progress and laid the foundation for recovery.

“The country has emerged from a dark tunnel, and the next phase is to ensure the greatest number of Nigerians feels the gains,” Ajayi quoted President Tinubu as saying during the meeting.

The presidential aide also defended Tinubu’s response to the bishops’ call for the return of mission schools, noting that the President reminded them the matter falls within the constitutional powers of state governments.

Ajayi further argued that the administration inherited a severe fiscal crisis and has since restored greater financial stability across many states, resulting in more regular payment of salaries and pensions.

“It is wrong to dismiss or ignore those improvements casually,” he said.

On security, Ajayi rejected suggestions that the President was dismissive of the country’s challenges, insisting Tinubu receives intelligence briefings unavailable to the public and therefore has a broader understanding of the security situation.

He also dismissed claims that the President is shielded from the realities facing Nigerians.

“Presidents are constantly confronted with information, much of it unpleasant. The real question is not whether they know the truth but what choices they make in response to it,” Ajayi stated.

The presidential spokesman maintained that while the Catholic bishops had every right to express their concerns to the government, the confidentiality of the meeting should have been respected.

“It was inappropriate for one of the participants to emerge almost immediately on national television to provide his own version of what was essentially a private conversation with the president,” Ajayi wrote.

He added that holders of clerical office should exercise discretion in matters of state, saying public influence should not be used to turn privileged access into post-meeting public commentary.