Tinubu's Aides Are Not Telling Him the Truth About Nigerians' Hardship, Says Onaiyekan After Meeting

Archbishop Emeritus of the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja, John Onaiyekan, shared his experience after meeting with President Bola Tinubu. This meeting took place at the Presidential Villa on Thursday. The president argued with the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) delegation, saying everything in the country was fine. This was despite the bishops raising concerns about the worsening economy.

Onaiyekan, a member of the bishops' delegation, said the president's reaction showed that his aides were not giving him the real picture of the difficulties Nigerians are facing.

He spoke about this during an interview on Arise Television’s Prime Time on Friday. He reflected on the meeting and the situation in the country. He noted that President Tinubu did not look pleased with the bishops' views on the economy. Instead of accepting their worries, he insisted that things were getting better.

“You asked me, how did I see the face of the President in reaction? I was not surprised that he was not looking very happy. Not even his colleagues who were there. We knew that this is different from the kind of statements that our president keeps receiving from all kinds of people,” he said.

Onaiyekan highlighted that one key concern for the delegation was that the president's close aides were keeping him in the dark about the struggles of ordinary Nigerians.

“And that is one of the things that worries us. That there are so many people hanging around Mr President, giving him a rosy picture of what the country is, which it is not. And we felt that we have no duty to do that.

“Indeed, we have the obligation to help him to appreciate the reality of the situation in which we find ourselves. And that is the reality that we painted, which I know is not the kind of thing that he wanted to hear. And the reply shows very clearly,” he said.

The cleric mentioned that both sides left the meeting without changing their minds.

“And you can see his reply. We left that hall, both sides, knowing that we said what we had to say. He said what he had to say.

“His reply is that the nation is not bleeding. We told him our economy is not helping our poor people. He told us the economy is doing fine. Practically speaking, he told us quite clearly that he did not agree with us. Again, I said, we’re not surprised. We didn’t expect him to agree with us. We have done our duty. We have delivered our message,” he said.

When asked if the meeting could be called “frosty,” given that Nigerians expect friendly talks between religious leaders and political leaders, Mr Onaiyekan said the country's issues needed frank discussions.

“When the nation is bleeding, you can’t expect a polite meeting with the head of state. We need to let him know,” he added.

Even though the president disagreed with the bishops, Onaiyekan said he hoped that someone around Mr Tinubu would eventually show him the realities they discussed.

“And we have a feeling that somehow along the line, somebody will show him a few of the things we said,” he said.

Since becoming president in May 2023, Tinubu has made economic changes, including ending petrol subsidies and merging the foreign exchange market.

The government says these policies are needed to stabilise the economy and attract investment. But they have led to a sharp rise in fuel prices, transport costs, food inflation, and the overall cost of living. This has drawn criticism from labour unions, civil society groups, and religious leaders.