An Open Letter to Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser on Media Policy Communication to the President (His Excellency, Bola Ahmed Tinubu) of the Federal Republic of Nigeria -By Timothy Dokpesi Adidi, PhD

Dear Bwala,

I have tried so hard to restrain myself from reaching out to you or writing you an open letter. Each time I try to restrain myself, I have a sleepless night. It is a burden on me to speak the truth on any given occasion, as long as it is for the good of Nigeria. Nigeria does not belong to the president of Nigeria; the president is only a custodian of the Nigerian state. The owners of Nigeria are the Nigerian people. The Constitution, Section 14(2)(a) of the 1999 Constitution, says, “Sovereignty belongs to the people of Nigeria,” and government derives its powers from the people. This is a constitutional truth that is ontological.

Daniel, it is not possible that you love Nigeria more than Nigerians. Therefore, you cannot cry more than the bereaved. I had hoped that your March 2026 interview with Mehdi Hasan would give you clarity about how you are perceived at home and the responsibility that comes with speaking for Nigeria on global platforms. Instead, the interview revealed a troubling disconnect between your past positions and your present answers. Many Nigerians felt that the exchange brought embarrassment to our country, not because tough questions were asked, but because the responses lacked consistency, humility, and insight. More so, unfortunately, that interview exposed a troubling gap. Nigerians watched a senior public voice struggle to reconcile past positions with present answers on a global stage. Many felt it brought embarrassment to our nation—not because difficult questions were asked, but because the responses lacked consistency, depth, and a sense of responsibility to the Nigerian people.

More so, your recent remarks on Saturday, August, 1 2026, about His Eminence John Onaiyekan were especially concerning. Public figures must be held to a higher standard of truth and charity. I urge you to take time for sober reflection, to seek counsel, and to issue clarifications where necessary. Nigeria deserves representatives who speak with integrity, even under pressure. The owners of Nigeria are the Nigerian people. You, like every public official, are only a custodian. Bwala, I understand that public communication can be stressful. But when a public official is constantly made to defend positions that contradict verifiable facts and reality, it points to a deeper problem: a disconnect with truth.  That disconnect was on full display after the pastoral visit of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria to the president on July 28, 2026. In a post on your X handle directed at His Eminence, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, you wrote: “You are rooting for Obi.” Daniel, that comment reveals a poor grasp of the identity, history, and operations of the Roman Catholic Church. The Catholic Church is not a political party. If it were, it would have taken partisan advantage when a Catholic governor was involved. It did not. Instead, it applied its own internal discipline. We saw this with Very Rev. Fr. Moses Orshio Adasu, the late former governor of Benue State and Catholic priest, who was suspended from public ministry by the Church and only recalled after due process and apology. The Church chose fidelity to her mission over politics. To therefore reduce Cardinal Onaiyekan’s pastoral voice to “rooting for Obi” is to misunderstand Catholic social teaching and the Church’s role as the Family of God in Nigeria—a role reaffirmed in Ecclesia in Africa. The Church speaks to power, not for a party. Nigeria does not belong to any appointee. The president is a custodian. The owners of Nigeria are the Nigerian people. As someone speaking for government, you owe Nigerians accuracy, charity, and historical knowledge—especially when speaking about faith leaders. I urge you to retract the mischaracterization, study the Church’s public role, and commit to public discourse that respects both truth and our common humanity.

Let me remind you: Cardinal John Onaiyekan is not just a Catholic priest. He is a scholar, a statesman, and a man of revered standing. He does not speak for the fun of it. His historical antecedents—in theology, peacebuilding, and governance—have earned him respect across Nigeria and around the world. He is respected by Muslims and adherents of other faiths. Indeed, Cardinal Onaiyekan is one of the foremost promoters of interreligious dialogue globally. To reduce his pastoral intervention to “rooting for Obi” is to miss the point entirely. The Catholic bishops did not go to Aso Rock on July 28, 2026, to speak for Catholics alone. They went to speak Nigeria’s reality to the president. They spoke for poor Nigerians who cannot afford medical bills. They spoke for workers whose minimum wage cannot pay rent. They spoke for families crushed by the cost of petrol, diesel, and food. They spoke for communities living under insecurity. Insecurity does not ask if you are Catholic before it strikes. Hunger does not ask your denomination before it bites. Rent, hospital bills, and fuel do not discriminate. The Roman Catholic Church came to say what you, as a spokesperson, may not be able to say because of the burden of office and “stomach infrastructure.” That is a prophetic duty. That is citizenship.

For the good of Nigeria, I urge you to reflect soberly on both the March 2026 interview and the July 28 post and their impact on our national image.  Offer a public clarification and retract the mischaracterization of Cardinal Onaiyekan and the CBCN.  Commit to public discourse that is truthful, historically informed, and respectful of faith leaders and the poor whose voices the Church carried to Aso Rock. I write this not out of malice, but out of love for country and concern for the integrity of public office. May we all be judged not by the titles we held but by how faithfully we served the people.

ADIDI, Dokpesi Timothy, PhD
A Concerned Nigerian
Abuja, Federal Capital Territor