Atiku to presidency: Address Catholic bishops' concerns, stop attacking Onaiyekan

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar says President Bola Tinubu’s media handlers are attacking John Onaiyekan, cardinal and former archbishop of Abuja, instead of addressing concerns raised by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) about the state of the nation.

In a statement issued on Sunday by Phrank Shaibu, his senior special assistant on public communication, Atiku said the duty of Catholic bishops is not to flatter those in power, adding that the CBCN has always spoken truth to power.

Last Tuesday, the leadership of the CBCN, led by Matthew Ndagoso, its president, visited Tinubu at the State House in Abuja.

During the meeting, Ndagoso presented the CBCN’s message to the president, raising concerns about the state of the nation and the economic hardship facing Nigerians.

Tinubu, however, defended his administration’s performance, saying the economy is stabilising and that the era of prolonged strikes by university lecturers has ended.