•Cardinal John Onaiyekan
The Archbishop Emeritus of the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja, Cardinal John Onaiyekan, yesterday took a swipe at the Tinubu-led Administration, saying that the living standard of Nigerians has crashed considerably in the last two years under his watch.
He asserted that if the president continues like this for the rest of his term, if we have a free and fair election, he will not win, reports The Guardian.
Speaking with journalists at the Communication Week Public Lecture organised by the National Directorate of Social Communications of the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria (CSN) yesterday in Abuja, Onaiyekan deplored the worsening economic hardship in the country and called on President Bola Tinubu to make life as livable as possible for Nigerians, deal with the escalating problem of insecurity everywhere, improve the economic level of the people, and fight corruption.
He said, “My advice for Mr. President is to find ways and means of finding out what Nigeria is actually going through but not from those around him who are always praising him to the skies. He should also know how families are managing with ₦30,000 salary a month. Since it is the people that he should serve, he should do more to raise the level of well-being of Nigerians. I don’t think we are unfair to government if we say that in the last two years, our level of well-being has crashed considerably.
“The government may say it’s not their fault. The government may say they’ve done their best, but the government is there to make sure that at least the level of well-being of Nigerians is maintained and, if possible, improved, and I think it is a good time. Two years is halfway through for him to at least try and do that. If he changes gear in that regard and takes policies that really target the poor people of Nigeria, they will remember him forever.
“But if he continues like this for the rest of his term, if we have a free and fair election, he will not win because how can the country bring him back if we are not feeling good? Obviously, if they are not waiting for us to vote and they already make up their mind if we win, okay, we praise God. We are still 250 million of us here in this country. We are struggling and we shall win. So I’m hoping that the people around Mr. President will give him that advice.
“The elections were over two years ago. He doesn’t have to worry again whether he won the election or not. The Supreme Court said he won, so we have agreed now. Now he should just govern, make life as livable as possible for Nigerians, deal with security everywhere, improve the economic level of our people, and fight corruption.
“These were the things that his predecessor said he would do Buhari, He didn’t do it.
“Eight years, and we expect him to do something. So I don’t know any of you who have the possibility to reach him, or the courage to tell him, but that is necessary.”
Earlier in his remarks, Onaiyekan, who emphasised the need to use the media as a tool for hope and healing, noted that Nigeria is yearning for truth, unity, justice, and hope in the face of increasing social, economic, and political challenges.
He urged media practitioners to be responsible communicators, offering not just information but inspiration, and stressed the need to promote peace, good dialogue, non-violence, and inclusive leadership.
In his welcome address, Secretary General of CSN, Rev. Fr. Michael Banjo, said that the National Communications Week was designed to foster robust discussions and formulate actionable plans on key themes within important sectors of the Church.
He said, “The Church’s call for disarmament among nations, a recurrent message in Papal Messages for the World Day of Peace, has now found profound expression in the realm of communications. In his four-section 59th ‘Message for the World Day of Communications, 2025,’ Pope Francis passionately calls for the disarming of communications to rid it of aggression, violence, unhealthy rivalry, and divisive ideologies.”
Also speaking, the Executive Director of the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB), Shuaib Husseni, said that Nigeria faces multiple crises—ethnic tensions, religious conflicts, political violence, and misinformation—that are often exacerbated by inflammatory media coverage, adding that disarming communication and conflict-sensitive reporting are essential tools for mitigating these conflicts.
