John Onaiyekan, the cardinal and former archbishop of Abuja, says those around President Bola Tinubu are painting a “rosy picture” of the country to him, contrary to the true picture of the state of the nation.
Onaiyekan spoke on Friday during the ‘Prime Time’ programme on Arise Television.
On Tuesday, the leadership of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), led by Matthew Ndagoso, its president, visited Tinubu at the State House in Abuja.
During the meeting, the speech of the Catholic bishops was read by Ndagoso.
Responding to the Catholic bishops, the president defended his administration’s performance, saying the economy is stabilising and that the era of prolonged ASUU strikes has ended.
Tinubu also told the Catholic bishops that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is “neutral” and that his political opponents are “afraid of their own shadows and uncertainty in the companies they keep”.
Speaking during the interview, Onaiyekan said the speech delivered by the Catholic bishops during the visit to the president was carefully packaged.
The cardinal said the Catholic bishops told the president that the country is bleeding and the economy is not helping poor citizens.
Onaiyekan said Tinubu and his officials present at the meeting were “not looking very happy” with the speech, adding that it was a different speech from what the president usually listens to.
“I was not surprised that he was not looking very happy nor even his colleagues who were there,” he said.
“We knew that this is different from the kind of statements that our president keeps receiving from all kinds of people.
“And that is one of the things that worries us, that there are so many people hanging around Mr President giving a rosy picture of what the country is, which it is not.
“Indeed, we have the obligation to help him appreciate the reality of the situation in which we find ourselves. That is the reality that we painted, which I know is not the kind of thing he wanted to hear and the reply shows very clearly.”
Asked if the meeting with the president was fairly frosty, Onaiyekan responded that when the nation is bleeding, a polite meeting with the president cannot be expected.
The cardinal said after the bishops’ speech, Tinubu responded that the country is not bleeding and that the economy is “doing fine”.
“Practically speaking, he told us quite clearly that he did not agree with us,” Onaiyekan said.
Speaking further, the cardinal said the Catholic bishops are worried that the government of Tinubu is “bent” on winning elections by all means using the resources at its disposal.
Onaiyekan said the Catholic bishops warned that if elections are not free and fair, it would lead to “difficulties” for the country.
“We are worried about the fact that we see clearly that our government is bent on winning by all means,” he added.
“Unfortunately, they have a lot of means at their disposal to win. Even if we had a free and fair election, the votes of the people may not count.”