Tinubu Government Reacts Strongly to Cardinal's Comments

The Tinubu government is not happy. What caused this? Was it the meeting two weeks ago between the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) and the government? Or was it John Cardinal Olorunfemi Onaiyekan's media briefing about what happened? The government was particularly upset with Cardinal Onaiyekan. They believe he violated the clergy-penitent privilege. There are few accusations that are as serious for a Catholic priest as revealing details from a private conversation or confession. This privilege is so important that it has legal protection.

There are limits to this privilege, especially when it comes to reporting harm to children. Even if a priest learns about this during confession, he must report it. The information is protected only if it comes from a parishioner speaking to a priest. The priest must also be acting in his spiritual role. Even though the person confessing has the right to keep things secret, both confessor and penitent need to agree that the confession is private.

It seems hard to believe that when President Tinubu met with the CBCN, he thought he was a penitent. Cardinal Onaiyekan’s account of the meeting gave some important details about what happened. This might be why some of the president's supporters want to attack the cardinal. There is also a feeling that the bishops might have upset the president. Tinubu’s statement that hunger has been a problem in Nigeria long before his time was made in anger. The issues the bishops raised about the economy are similar to what the opposition has been saying during campaigns.

Just because the opposition is making these claims does not mean they are untrue. The opposition’s ability to connect with what matters to the people is key for any democracy. If hunger, youth unemployment, and insecurity are what religious leaders hear from their congregations, they should bring these up in a meeting with the president. After all, isn't a prophet supposed to speak out for his people? Shouldn't he challenge those in power based on a true understanding of the people's needs?

What is the role of politicians in this situation? President Tinubu’s reply to the bishops shows how mature our democracy is. Before the last election, he asked to be president because he believed it was his turn. Many people wondered what he would do once in office. Normally, a president should focus on improving people's lives. Knowing about the long history of hunger in Nigeria, he should have aimed to tackle this issue. But his response to the CBCN made it clear that he sees his job differently than what people expect.

During the meeting with the bishops, the president’s view of his responsibilities seemed even narrower. There is no way a government could remove both petrol and foreign exchange subsidies in Nigeria like the Tinubu government did without making life harder for Nigerians at first. But when Tinubu took office, both subsidies were hurting the economy and not working well.

It would have been easier for the president to explain his decisions to the bishops. He could have said that he knows his reforms have worsened poverty and hunger but that they are necessary for his vision of a better Nigeria. Necessary? Yes. But not enough to push the economy to grow by more than 7% each year in the next election cycle and then into double digits.

At this point, the president could have listed the reforms his government is making to improve agriculture, manufacturing, and services. This would include increasing tax revenue without raising tax rates and boosting youth education and employment, along with timelines for these plans.

It is easy to say that problems arise when there are no reasonable arguments left. But we need to stop and think about whether the push for reforms was ever really about the people's needs. Maybe it was just an attempt to gain more power.