The Presidency has criticised Cardinal John Onaiyekan for publicly recounting a private meeting between President Bola Tinubu and members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, calling the television interview “an abuse of clerical privilege.”
In a statement titled “Cardinal Onaiyekan’s Abuse of Clerical Privilege,” Presidential Adviser Temitope Ajayi said it was inappropriate for the cleric to offer his own account and interpretation of the closed‑door discussion on national television.
“There is something fundamentally inappropriate about Cardinal John Onaiyekan granting a television interview to offer his own account and interpretation of what transpired during the private meeting between the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria and President Bola Tinubu. It is, in my view, an abuse of clerical privilege,” Ajayi said.
The statement said the bishops had requested the audience to present concerns about Nigeria’s economic, social and security challenges. Ajayi said President Tinubu listened to their concerns and responded to each issue raised, while also challenging the bishops’ assessment of the country’s situation.
“He acknowledged that significant economic and security challenges remain. His point was that the country has emerged from ‘a dark tunnel’, that his administration has laid the foundations for recovery and that the next phase is to ensure the greatest number of Nigerians feels the gains,” the statement said.
On the bishops’ call for the return of mission schools, the Presidency noted that the issue falls under state governments’ jurisdiction, adding that Tinubu had returned mission schools while serving as governor of Lagos State.
Ajayi defended the administration’s economic record, saying the government had restored fiscal stability and improved salary and pension payments in many states. He said the president’s responses were intended to provide factual context, not to be dismissive.
“So when President Tinubu reminded the bishops of these facts during the meeting, he was not, as Cardinal Onaiyekan later suggested, being aloof or dismissive. He was presenting evidence to support his argument that the country is not standing still. A disagreement over facts should not be interpreted as arrogance,” Ajayi said.
On security, the Presidency rejected the bishops’ portrayal that “Nigeria is bleeding,” saying the president relies on intelligence and operational reports available to him as Commander‑in‑Chief.
“As Commander‑in‑Chief, he receives operational briefings, intelligence assessments, and battlefield reports unavailable to the general public,” the statement said.
Ajayi also dismissed suggestions that Tinubu depends on external critics to understand national realities, noting that the president receives daily intelligence reports, follows media coverage and maintains broad contacts across the country.
The statement concluded that while the bishops were entitled to raise concerns, the confidentiality of the private meeting should have been respected. “Reciprocity should have dictated that the confidentiality and dignity of that engagement be preserved. It was inappropriate for one of the participants to emerge almost immediately on national television to provide his own version of what was essentially a private conversation with the president.”
