•Onaiyekan, Tinubu and Shehu Sani
Former Kaduna Central senator, Shehu Sani, has said that Catholic Bishops have a long-standing tradition of speaking truth to power and have never been partisan.
His comments come amid a debate following remarks by Cardinal and former Archbishop of Abuja, John Onaiyekan, on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, reports Sunday Trust.
Speaking during an appearance on Arise Television’s Prime Time programme on Friday, Onaiyekan said the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) told President Tinubu during a recent meeting at the State House that the country’s economic situation was taking a heavy toll on poor Nigerians.
He also alleged that the president was not receiving accurate briefings on the realities confronting the country.
The cardinal said the president is bent on winning the 2027 general election “by all means”, warning that the government’s access to state resources could threaten the credibility of the electoral process.
However, in an X post defending his principal, Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser to President Tinubu on Policy Communication, faulted Onaiyekan’s remarks as being politically motivated.
Bwala said the former Abuja Archbishop was speaking only for Catholics and not for all Christians, adding that the cardinal was “more political than spiritual.”
He also defended Tinubu’s response to the bishops’ assessment of the economy, saying the president’s position was based on facts and statistics.
But in a post on his X handle yesterday, Shehu Sani, also a public commentator, said the Catholic Bishops had consistently spoken truth to successive governments since the era of military rule.
“From the era of military rule and throughout the period of civilian governments, the Catholic Bishops have a consistent history of telling truth to power.”
He said the bishops had never been partisan in their dealings with political leaders, stating that they had always presented every president they visited with bitter kola instead of olive oil.
“They have never been partisan. Every president they visit, they bring him a gift of Bitter Kola instead of Olive Oil,” Sani wrote.
