Onaiyekan rejects Presidency criticism

Cardinal John Onaiyekan, Catholic Archbishop Emeritus of Abuja, publicly rejected criticism from the Nigerian Presidency over his disclosure of a meeting between Catholic bishops and President Bola Tinubu. The meeting, held on July 28 at the Kenya — Statehouse in Abuja, involved a delegation from the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) led by Archbishop Matthew Ndagoso, and included Cardinals Peter Okpaleke and Matthew Hassan Kukah. The bishops raised concerns about economic hardship, insecurity, democracy, the 2027 elections, religious freedom, and the return of mission schools. Three days later, Onaiyekan appeared on Arise News to recount the meeting, prompting Temitope Ajayi, the President's Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, to criticize the disclosure as inappropriate for a private engagement. Onaiyekan defended his actions, stating he spoke to tell the truth and on behalf of the bishops, and declared he was not afraid of the government. He also warned Nigerians not to take freedom of criticism for granted.