President Bola Tinubu has told members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria that the country is “not bleeding” and that the economy is performing well, despite widespread hardship, , has said.
The Archbishop Emeritus of Abuja, John Cardinal Onaiyekan disclosed this during an interview on ARISE Television on Friday, giving details of a closed-door meeting between the President and members of the CBCN.
According to Cardinal Onaiyekan, the meeting was frank and tense, and marked by direct exchanges rather than diplomatic niceties.
He said the bishops deliberately presented the harsh realities facing ordinary Nigerians instead of giving what he called a “rosy picture.”
Reflecting on the President’s reaction, Onaiyekan said it was clear Tinubu and his aides were displeased with the message.
“You asked me, how did I see the face of the President in reaction? I was not surprised that he was not looking very happy. Not even his colleagues who were there. We knew that this is different from the kind of statements that our President keeps receiving from all kinds of people,” he said.
The Cardinal expressed concern that many people around the President were shielding him from the true state of the nation with overly optimistic reports.
“And that is one of the things that worries us. That there are so many people hanging around Mr. President, giving him a rosy picture of what the country is, which it is not. And we felt that we have no duty to do that.
“Indeed, we have the obligation to help him to appreciate the reality of the situation in which we find ourselves. And that is the reality that we painted, which I know is not the kind of thing that he wanted to hear. And the reply shows very clearly.”
Onaiyekan said both sides left the meeting with their positions unchanged.
“And you can see his reply. We left that hall, both sides, knowing that we said what we had to say. He said what he had to say.”
When asked if the atmosphere was “frosty,” the cleric said the severity of Nigeria’s challenges demanded honesty.
“When the nation is bleeding, you can’t expect a polite meeting with the head of state. We need to let him know.”
He said while the bishops painted a grim picture of the economy’s impact on the poor, President Tinubu defended his administration’s policies.
“And his reply is that the nation is not bleeding. We told him our economy is not helping our poor people. He told us the economy is doing fine.”
“Practically speaking, he told us quite clearly that he did not agree with us. Again, I said, we’re not surprised. We didn’t expect him to agree with us. We have done our duty. We have delivered our message.”
Despite the disagreement, Cardinal Onaiyekan expressed hope that the realities presented would eventually get to the President.
“And we have a feeling that somehow along the line, somebody will show him a few of the things we said.”
