Presidency Slams Cardinal Onaiyekan Over Tell-All Interview on Tinubu’s Private Meeting
The Presidency has fired back at Cardinal John Onaiyekan, accusing him of “abusing clerical privilege” after he went public with details of a closed-door meeting between President Bola Tinubu and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN).
In a sharply worded statement titled “Cardinal Onaiyekan’s Abuse of Clerical Privilege,” Presidential Adviser Temitope Ajayi said it was wrong for the cleric to broadcast his personal account of a private engagement with the President.
“There is something fundamentally inappropriate about Cardinal John Onaiyekan granting a television interview to offer his own account and interpretation of what transpired during the private meeting… It is, in my view, an abuse of clerical privilege,” Ajayi said.
What happened at the meeting:
– Bishops raised concerns over economic, social, and security challenges facing Nigeria
– Tinubu reportedly listened patiently, then pushed back, insisting the country had exited “a dark tunnel” and that his reforms had laid the groundwork for recovery
– On calls to restore mission schools, Tinubu said the issue was a state matter — recalling that he had done so as Lagos governor
– On security, the Presidency said Tinubu leaned on intelligence briefings unavailable to the public in rejecting claims that Nigeria is “bleeding”
Ajayi insisted the President wasn’t being dismissive: “A disagreement over facts should not be interpreted as arrogance.”
He also took a swipe at the Cardinal for going public so soon after the meeting: “It was inappropriate for one of the participants to emerge almost immediately on national television… Public influence should be exercised with discretion, not by converting privileged access into a platform for post-meeting commentary.”
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