…”they are Nigeria’s conscience”
Orji Kalu, senator representing Abia north, has described the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) as “the conscience of the country”.
He added that President Bola Tinubu should reflect on the recent concerns raised by the clerics rather than view them through the prism of political criticism.
Kalu spoke in a video posted on his Facebook page while reacting to last week’s meeting between Tinubu and the leadership of the CBCN at the State House in Abuja, and the subsequent public exchanges from the public, the presidency and devotees of the church since the visit.
Background
Last Tuesday, the leadership of the CBCN, led by Matthew Ndagoso, its president, met Tinubu at the presidential villa, where the bishops raised concerns over worsening economic hardship, insecurity and state of the nation.
Tinubu defended his administration’s economic reforms, saying the economy is stabilising and that the era of prolonged strikes by university lecturers had ended.
The president also told the bishops that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) remains neutral, adding that his political opponents were “afraid of their own shadows”.
The meeting later sparked public debate after John Onaiyekan, archbishop emeritus of Abuja, said on Arise Television that Tinubu was unhappy with the message delivered by the bishops, who told him that the country is “bleeding” and that worsening economic conditions were hurting poor Nigerians.
Daniel Bwala, special adviser to the president on policy communication, subsequently faulted Onaiyekan’s remarks, saying they did not represent the views of all Christians, and alleged that the Catholic Church was backing Peter Obi, the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate for the 2027 election.
‘Economic crisis not Tinubu’s fault’
Kalu, a former governor of Abia state, said the bishops’ intervention was intended to help the government improve governance rather than undermine the president.
“To me, the Catholic Bishops are the conscience of the country. And once they give advice, their advice is not for or against,” he said.
“Their advice is just for any sitting president, any sitting leader, to see things the way it should be.”
Kalu acknowledged the economic difficulties facing Nigerians but said the challenges were not solely the fault of the Tinubu administration.
“There’s difficulty in Nigeria, there’s no doubt. And it’s not the fault of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” he stated.
He said while the administration has recorded progress on the macroeconomic front, many Nigerians are yet to feel the impact.
“And we have been able to capture the macro-economy, and the micro is what we are having problems, as I’ve always told people,” he said.
The lawmaker said the bishops had a moral responsibility to tell the president the truth, unlike politicians who might present a different picture.
“So there’s nothing new about the Catholic bishops visiting; they are clergymen who are conscious of what they speak and what they say,” he said.
“And I support the visit of the Catholic bishops; it prods the president to work harder because the Catholic bishops are just telling him the way it is.
“Even if we politicians are lying to him and say things are good everywhere, the Catholic bishops can never say that. And that’s why they are Catholic bishops.”
Kalu also corrected what he described as a misconception about the leadership of the CBCN.
“And I want to correct one thing. Cardinal Onaiyekan is not the president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference. And people are making mistakes on that,” he said.
He urged those working with the president to carefully consider the issues raised by the bishops.
“So I believe whatever is the disagreement between the Catholic bishops and people speaking for the president, it’s nothing because the Catholic bishops just dropped what they want to say about the presidency, or it’s about what they want to say about what they know about the economy,” he added. “It’s left for us who work with President Tinubu to take back to our rooms and analyse what they say and come out with a beautiful thing that will make Nigerians happy.”
