Onaiyekan: ‘I’m 82, Not Afraid of Anybody’ as Cardinal Defends Tinubu Meeting Comments

ABUJA — Cardinal John Onaiyekan has hit back at criticism from the Presidency over his public account of a meeting between Catholic bishops and President Bola Tinubu, insisting that he spoke out to tell the truth and was not seeking to please the government.

The Catholic Archbishop Emeritus of Abuja, who is 82, made the statement in a video shared by Symfoni TV on Wednesday.

Onaiyekan said his appearance on Arise News following the meeting was motivated by his commitment to truth rather than a desire to satisfy either the government or the public.

“I didn’t go to Arise (Television) to please government, or to just please people, but to tell the truth. That’s all I stand for,” he said.

Reacting to suggestions that the Presidency’s response could embarrass or frighten him, Onaiyekan said he was beyond intimidation.

“I cannot be embarrassed. I’m 82 years old; nobody can embarrass me. And I’m not afraid of anybody. Nobody, at this stage now, are they going to arrest me, carry me to where?” he said.

He also cautioned Nigerians against taking their ability to openly criticise government for granted.

“And we are still lucky in this Nigeria that we can still talk. We shouldn’t take that for granted. There are many countries in Africa where no bishop dares to talk like we do here,” he said.

Onaiyekan explained that his comments about the meeting were based on the collective position of the bishops rather than his personal views.

“No, mind you, I didn’t talk on my own now. I spoke on behalf of my fellow bishops. We drafted a statement which contained all that I said in the interview. So, all the bishops of Nigeria spoke that way. It was their voice I was echoing,” he said.

According to him, the bishops remain free to communicate their concerns in their individual dioceses.

“I cannot speak on behalf of other religious leaders. Everybody has their own job to do, but many of the other religious leaders have supported us,” he said.

He added: “When it comes to what is happening to Nigeria, the poverty, the suffering, we are all in the same boat now, abi?”

The controversy followed a July 28 meeting between President Tinubu and a delegation of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria at the State House in Abuja.

The delegation, led by CBCN President Archbishop Matthew Man-Oso Ndagoso of Kaduna, included Onaiyekan, Cardinal Peter Okpaleke, Bishop Matthew Kukah of Sokoto and other senior Catholic clerics.

The bishops used the meeting to raise issues concerning economic hardship, insecurity, democracy and the 2027 elections. Religious freedom and the return of mission schools were also discussed.

Onaiyekan appeared on Arise News three days after the meeting and publicly recounted aspects of the engagement, saying the bishops had spoken frankly to President Tinubu about the situation facing Nigerians.

The comments prompted a response from the Presidency, with Temitope Ajayi, the President’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, describing the public disclosure of details from what he considered a private engagement as inappropriate.

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