Archbishop Emeritus of the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja, Cardinal John Onaiyekan, has said President Bola Tinubu dismissed the concerns raised by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) during their recent meeting at the State House, Abuja.
Speaking on Friday during an interview on Prime Time on Arise Television, Onaiyekan said the bishops used the meeting to present what they described as the true state of the nation, which they believed differed from the positive reports often presented to the President by those around him.
The cardinal was referring to the CBCN’s courtesy visit to President Tinubu, during which the President maintained that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) remained neutral and that the nation’s economy was performing well.
According to Onaiyekan, the President did not respond favourably to the concerns raised, although he said he was not surprised by Tinubu’s reaction.
He stressed that the bishops considered it their responsibility to speak truthfully about the country’s challenges rather than present an overly optimistic picture.
“The President rejected our concerns about the country. Nigeria is bleeding. I was not surprised that he was not looking very happy, nor were those with him.
“We knew that what we said was different from the kind of reports the President often receives from many people around him, and that is one of the things that worries us.
“There are so many people around Mr President giving him a rosy picture of the country, but that is not the reality. We believe it is our duty to help him appreciate the true situation in which we find ourselves.
“That was the reality we presented, even though I knew it was not what he wanted to hear, and he made his position very clear,” Onaiyekan said.
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