Onaiyekan Says Tinubu Rejected Bishops Concerns On Economy, Security

Cardinal John Onaiyekan has said President Bola Tinubu disagreed with concerns raised by Catholic bishops about Nigeria’s economy and security situation during a meeting at the State House in Abuja.

Onaiyekan, Archbishop Emeritus of Abuja, said the bishops told the president that many Nigerians were struggling with hardship and insecurity, but Tinubu maintained that the economy was doing well.

Speaking during an Arise TV interview on Friday, Onaiyekan said the bishops did not expect the president to agree with everything they presented. He said their duty was to give him their honest assessment of conditions in the country.

Punch reported Onaiyekan as saying the bishops’ position came after wide consultation and was not driven by political ambition. Daily Post also reported his account of the meeting, including his concern that people around the president were giving him a more favourable picture than many citizens were experiencing.

The comments followed the July 28 visit by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria to Tinubu, where the bishops raised concerns about the economy, insecurity and the political climate.

Sources: Punch, Daily Post