The Archbishop Emeritus of Abuja, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, has refused to react to complaints by the administration, saying that Catholic Bishops previously given their message to the president and were only interested in whether it will affect governance.
The new statement was on the heels of an interaction between the Presidency and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, CBCN, after the bishops had met with President Bola Tinubu at the State House, Abuja, on July 28, 2026, and presented their assessment on the country’s economy and security.
But in an exclusive interview with Frontline, a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu in Ogun State, yesterday, Onaiyekan said the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria had no intention to engage in a public exchange with government spokespersons, following its recent meeting with President Tinubu.
He dismissed accusations that the bishops were advocating on behalf of only Catholics, saying their engagement was based on a moral responsibility to all Nigerians.
“We didn’t go there as Catholic bishops advancing the Catholic agenda,” he remarked. No. “We went there as people with a spiritual mandate to speak to anyone in the name of God.
Onaiyekan refused to comment on the reply from the presidency. “I would not even answer that question. We have no reply to them. We’ve talked about it and the only thing we’re waiting to hear about is how it’s effecting the way they’re ruling.
“I don’t know what they think they should be saying on behalf of their principal, and that’s their business, not mine.
“And as for response to the things that we are hearing, I don’t even have to say anything because the social media is full of response from Nigerian people and that for me is more than enough. Africans & Diaspora
The Cardinal said the session with President Tinubu was initiated by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria after months of waiting for consent.
He said the conference was not an evangelical trip or an attempt to champion the cause of the Catholic Church, but a chance to communicate the bishops’ concern about the welfare and governance of Nigerians as part of their pastoral duty.
“We sought audience last week, the Bishops went to see President Tinubu. We readied ourselves to see him and it took a few months before we were allowed the audience. The primary reason we wanted to see him was not to go on an evangelical mission
“We didn’t go there to preach to him and try to see whether we could convert him into our Catholic Church, but we went there to share our views and thoughts about the government which he heads, hoping that our ideas will be taken into consideration, So that is what took us to the statehouse,” he explained.
We hope that our meeting with the President or our conversation with the government of Nigeria did not end that visit,” said the Cardinal, expressing hope that the government would be open to further engagement on issues that affect Nigerians.
He said the bishops were still waiting for the government to establish another chance for a more extensive conversation.
“We are hoping that somehow, he will invite us, not necessarily to meet him, I mean President Tinubu, but at least to open up fairness for us to give more information, more concerns that we have, than we could give in the ten minutes talk that we gave to him,” he added. Government
Onaiyekan, however, argued that the bishops did not have any partisan political ambitions and challenged government to focus on the substance of their message and not the persons behind it.
He added: “I have told you already that I am not even ready to start dating anybody. Remember, I was not doing my thesis defence. This document was created by the bishops of Nigeria. We are a large number and it was passed unanimously.
“We have no political ambitions for anything. Even our church does not let us to indulge in party politics. So I can’t be, even if I wanted to be a presidential candidate.”
“On the economy, Onaiyekan admitted the government’s focus on macroeconomic indicators, but argued that improvement should be measured by the quality of life of ordinary Nigerians.
“If we accept that the role of government is the welfare of citizens, then it means we are not going to judge the success of our government based on statistics from GDP, from the World Bank or whatever. “What, how is the life of the Nigerian? The important thing is. Diaspora and Africans
He warned that many graduates cannot construct secure lives, despite years of schooling, and said youth unemployment is one of the country’s gravest concerns.
“Now the terrible thing is that many of our young people who have struggled to finish university are all going around with their degrees. They can’t find a work.
“Marriage is out of the question for them. They have no conception of family. They can’t imagine organising their life. “That is horrible,” the Cardinal lamented.
Onaiyekan said that Nigeria was at risk of widespread frustration among young people. He said: “The only thing it takes is a political will to do the right thing, to be honest in how government is run, to be just to everybody, to be fair in this.
He also hoped other Christian and Muslim leaders would engage the government on issues impacting residents stating concerted effort was needed to address the country’s concerns.
“We hope our message is shared by other religious leaders in Nigeria, first other Christians within the framework of CAN and indeed, other believers, including our Muslim religious leaders. Africans and the Diaspora
‘’“It would be wonderful if we can get Mr President and all the religious leaders in Nigeria to sit down and talk, he said.
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