The Presidency has dismissed comments by Cardinal John Onaiyekan criticising President Bola Tinubu’s administration, describing the cleric’s remarks as personal and political rather than representative of the entire Christian community in Nigeria.
The President’s Special Adviser on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, made the remarks in a post on his X account on Saturday, August 1, while responding to Onaiyekan’s criticism following the recent visit of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) to the President.
Cardinal Onaiyekan had accused the Tinubu administration of being more focused on winning political contests than addressing the country’s pressing challenges.
Responding, Bwala argued that the cardinal was expressing the views of the Catholic Church and not speaking on behalf of all Christians in Nigeria. He also claimed that the Catholic institution largely supported Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi during the 2023 presidential election.
According to Bwala, the cardinal’s comments were political rather than spiritual and did not reflect the opinions of all Catholic faithful.
“Cardinal Onaiyekan wasn’t speaking for Christians; he was speaking for Catholics, the very institutions rooting for Peter Obi. In fact, likely the institution where Peter Obi also said in 2022, ‘Take back your country.’ Therefore, the Cardinal is more political than spiritual. And not all Catholic members are supporting Peter Obi,” he wrote.
Bwala also defended President Tinubu’s response to the Catholic bishops’ assessment of the nation’s economy, arguing that the President was entitled to disagree based on available economic data.
“The President was well within his right to disagree with their assertion regarding Nigeria’s economy based purely on facts, statistics and numbers considered within the proper context,” he stated.
He further accused the cleric of applying a different standard to members of the church, suggesting that religious leaders often encourage worshippers to make positive declarations despite difficult circumstances.
“Ironically, the same priest would rebuke their members if they said, ‘We are suffering’ or ‘We are poor.’ They would instead tell them to declare, ‘We are doing great’ or ‘We are rich,’ even when they are facing hardship,” Bwala added.
The presidential aide maintained that there is a broader Christian body comprising various denominations, including the Catholic Church and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference, and argued that such organisations should remain politically neutral.
“There is a body comprising all Christians, including the Catholics and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference, and that body’s position is neutral and should remain so; otherwise, it becomes political,” he said.
The exchange follows renewed public debate over the role of religious leaders in commenting on governance and national affairs.
