Onaiyekan: Tinubu’s government bent on winning 2027 elections by all means
Cardinal John Onaiyekan has criticized President Bola Tinubu's administration, claiming officials are shielding the president from the harsh realities of Nigeria's economic crisis. This follows a meeting where Catholic bishops presented a critical assessment of the nation's state to the president.
Why it matters
The tension between religious leadership and the Nigerian government highlights growing public dissatisfaction with current economic policies.
John Onaiyekan, the cardinal and former archbishop of Abuja, says those around President Bola Tinubu are painting a “rosy picture” of the country to him, contrary to the true picture of the state of the nation.
Onaiyekan spoke on Friday during the ‘Prime Time’ programme on Arise Television.
On Tuesday, the leadership of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), led by Matthew Ndagoso, its president, visited Tinubu at the State House in Abuja.
During the meeting, the speech of the Catholic bishops was read by Ndagoso.
Responding to the Catholic bishops, the president defended his administration’s performance, saying the economy is stabilising and that the era of prolonged ASUU strikes has ended.
Tinubu also told the Catholic bishops that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is “neutral” and that his political opponents are “afraid of their own shadows and uncertainty in the companies they keep”.
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