Onaiyekan Fires Back at Presidency: I’m 82, I’m Not Afraid of Anybody
Cardinal John Onaiyekan, Catholic Archbishop Emeritus of Abuja, has rejected criticism from the Presidency over his decision to publicly speak about a meeting between Catholic bishops and President Bola Tinubu.
The 82-year-old cleric said he had no intention of pleasing the government when he appeared on Arise News, insisting that his purpose was to speak the truth about the issues raised by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN).
“I didn’t go to Arise to please government, or to just please people, but to tell the truth. That’s all I stand for,” Onaiyekan said.
His response followed criticism from the Presidency after he discussed details of the bishops’ July 28 meeting with Tinubu at the State House in Abuja.
The meeting was attended by a delegation led by CBCN President, Archbishop Matthew Man-Oso Ndagoso of Kaduna.
Other members included Onaiyekan, Cardinal Peter Okpaleke, Bishop Matthew Kukah of Sokoto and other senior Catholic clerics.
The bishops raised concerns about the economic difficulties facing Nigerians, insecurity, the state of democracy, the 2027 elections, religious freedom and the return of mission schools.
Onaiyekan appeared on Arise News three days after the meeting and publicly explained some of the issues discussed with the President.
His comments later drew criticism from Temitope Ajayi, President Tinubu’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, who described the public disclosure of the private engagement as inappropriate.
But Onaiyekan said the reaction would neither embarrass nor intimidate him.
“I cannot be embarrassed. I’m 82 years old; nobody can embarrass me. And I’m not afraid of anybody. Nobody, at this stage now, are they going to arrest me, carry me to where?” he said.
The Cardinal also warned Nigerians not to take the country’s current level of freedom of expression for granted.
“And we are still lucky in this Nigeria that we can still talk. We shouldn’t take that for granted. There are many countries in Africa where no bishop dares to talk like we do here,” he said.
Onaiyekan further explained that the views he expressed publicly were not his personal position but reflected the concerns of the Catholic bishops who attended the meeting with Tinubu.
“No, mind you, I didn’t talk on my own now. I spoke on behalf of my fellow bishops,” he said.
He said the bishops had prepared a joint statement containing the issues he discussed during his television appearance.
“We drafted a statement which contained all that I said in the interview. So, all the bishops of Nigeria spoke that way. It was their voice I was echoing,” Onaiyekan stated.
The cleric said the bishops were free to continue expressing their concerns within their respective dioceses, while noting that other religious leaders had also spoken about the condition of the country.
“I cannot speak on behalf of other religious leaders. Everybody has their own job to do, but many of the other religious leaders have supported us,” he said.
Onaiyekan said the hardship being experienced by Nigerians should not be reduced to a disagreement between religious leaders and government officials, stressing that the effects of poverty and suffering cut across society.
“When it comes to what is happening to Nigeria, the poverty, the suffering, we are all in the same boat now, abi?” he asked.
The Cardinal maintained that his intervention was driven by concern over the situation in Nigeria and the need for those in positions of influence to speak about the difficulties confronting ordinary citizens.
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