The Catholic Laity Council of Nigeria (CLCN) has come out in defence of Cardinal John Onaiyekan, dismissing the Presidency’s claim that he breached trust by speaking publicly about a closed-door meeting between President Bola Tinubu and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN).
The council, which said it represents over 38 million Catholic laity nationwide, made its position known in a statement signed by its National President, Sir Ambrose Obioha, and Secretary General, Francis Olayinka Ojo, following days of back-and-forth between the Presidency and the Catholic Church.
The controversy began after Cardinal Onaiyekan, Archbishop Emeritus of the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja, appeared on Arise TV last Friday to give his account of the meeting, which was held at the State House on Thursday under the leadership of CBCN President, Archbishop Matthew Ndagoso.
During the interview, Onaiyekan said the bishops presented a position paper reflecting concerns over worsening hardship, insecurity and the state of democracy, but that the President disagreed with their assessment.
He further suggested that those around Tinubu might not be giving him an accurate picture of the realities facing ordinary Nigerians.
The Presidency reacted sharply. Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, described the Cardinal’s decision to offer his own account of the private meeting as fundamentally inappropriate and an abuse of clerical privilege.
Presidential aide Daniel Bwala also weighed in, suggesting the Cardinal was speaking more for Catholic interests aligned with Peter Obi than in a purely spiritual capacity, a claim that has further inflamed the dispute.
The Presidency has maintained that the bishops were freely received and heard on issues bordering on the economy, security, education and democracy, and that disagreeing with their assessment did not amount to dismissing their concerns.
But CLCN, in its statement, rejected the framing of the Cardinal’s comments as a breach of confidence, arguing that the Church has a God-given duty to speak truth to power and hold leadership accountable.
The council said matters touching on the welfare of over 200 million Nigerians cannot remain forever confined to closed rooms, and insisted that Onaiyekan revealed no state secrets but merely shared the Church’s moral concerns and the government’s response.
The lay group described the Cardinal as a man of peace and integrity whose intervention was meant to call the nation to conscience rather than embarrass the government, adding that a disagreement over facts should not be mistaken for arrogance.
CLCN’s position echoes that of other clerics who have come to Onaiyekan’s defence. A Catholic priest, Fr. Ugochukwu Ugwoke, had earlier argued that neither law nor Catholic teaching prohibits bishops from publicly discussing issues of national importance after meeting government officials.
The council called on the Presidency and the Church to sustain channels of dialogue, describing both as partners in nation-building, and urged Nigerians to pray for the country’s leaders while supporting policies that address poverty, insecurity and injustice.
(The Whistler)
