FG’s Growing Intolerance of Divergent Views

For democracy to thrive in the country, the federal government must demonstrate tolerance for criticism and uphold freedom of expression by ensuring that all citizens, including religious leaders and the media, can question those in power without fear of intimidation or harassment, Davidson Iriekpen writes 

Cardinal John Onaiyekan has never been one to shy away from speaking truth to power. Over the years, the Catholic cleric has shared his views on governance, justice, insecurity, corruption, national unity and the welfare of ordinary Nigerians, regardless of who holds the power in Aso Rock.

His interventions have often unsettled those in authority. His latest remarks on President Bola Tinubu-led administration have drawn an unusually sharp response from the Presidency over what many would regard as routine counsel.

Trouble started on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, when the leadership of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), led by its President, Matthew Ndagoso, visited President Bola Tinubu at the State House in Abuja. During the meeting, Ndagoso, on behalf of the bishops, expressed that Nigerians are hungry, adding that the economy is crushing ordinary families. The gathering appealed to the president to reduce their suffering and address the insecurity ravaging the country.

The clerics also questioned public confidence in the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), wondering whether the next election would offer a level playing field.

Rather than use the opportunity to reassure the clerics and the nation on the steps his administration was taking to tackle the challenges currently facing the country, President Tinubu, in his response, was said to have told the bishops that the economy was doing well.

According to him, he was not responsible for the hunger in the country because there had always been hunger even before he was born. On education, he said the era of prolonged ASUU strikes had ended.

The president also told the bishops that INEC was “neutral” and that his political opponents were “afraid of their own shadows and uncertainty in the companies they keep.” He added that whoever wanted power should be ready to wrestle for it.

Three days later, Onaiyekan, while speaking during the ‘Prime Time’ programme on ARISE NEWS, said those around the president were painting a “rosy picture” of the country to him, contrary to the true state of the nation. He noted that Tinubu and his officials present at the meeting were “not looking very happy” with the speech, because it was different from what the president usually listened to.

The cleric further expressed worry about the body language of the government. According to him, they seemed more focused on winning the elections at all costs than the economic situation in the country.

In a swift response, the Special Adviser to the President on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, criticised Onaiyekan’s comments, alleging that they were more political than spiritual and did not represent the views of all Christians.

He also faulted Onaiyekan’s assessment of the country’s economic situation, saying Catholic priests often encouraged their members to make positive confessions even in difficult circumstances.

Also, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Tope Ajayi, tackled Onaiyekan, saying his comments were an abuse of clerical privilege and reflected a familiar error that many ideological and professional critics make.

But many observers have since taken the presidential aides to task, reminding them that long before President Tinubu came to power, Onaiyekan had consistently spoken truth to power on issues affecting the people.

Those who spoke to THISDAY recalled that as President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), he repeatedly challenged successive governments on issues of poverty, governance and accountability. In September 2001, he reminded then President Olusegun Obasanjo that despite Nigeria’s vast natural wealth, millions of citizens continued to live below the threshold of basic human dignity, lacking food, decent housing, quality education and hope for the future.

A few months later, in February 2002, Onaiyekan cautioned the government against relying on propaganda instead of results, arguing that citizens would judge any administration by the realities of their daily lives rather than official pronouncements. He warned that no government could indefinitely deceive its people.

By December 2005, he was calling for a fundamental overhaul of Nigeria’s political culture, urging leaders to abandon deception, betrayal and self-interest in favour of honesty, service and accountability. As he put it, “We cannot continue to do things badly and expect things to somehow work out well.”

Less than 48 hours after President Jonathan on November 20, 2012, praised himself for fighting corruption, Onaiyekan criticised his administration, specifically urging him to be less timid and show greater courage in tackling worsening corruption and the rising insecurity tied to the Boko Haram insurgency.

Onaiyekan also criticised the late President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration primarily over worsening national insecurity, governance failures, and threats to the judiciary. He condemned rising violence, noting that the safety situation had deteriorated to the point where even Catholic priests were not spared.

The role of Churches in Nigeria, including the Catholic Church, is neither to support nor oppose any government, but to offer moral guidance that can help those in authority govern more justly and effectively. Unlike politicians, churches are not expected to conceal the country’s challenges from political leaders.

This is because economic hardship in the country places a heavy social and financial burden on them, transforming local parishes into primary safety nets for struggling citizens. Congregants always turn to the church for daily food, medical aid, and school fees as inflation spikes. Religious bodies increasingly fund community relief efforts independently to offset state gaps. Poorer collections constrain church operations.

The Tinubu administration must show tolerance toward criticism and dissenting voices from individuals and organisations closer to the grassroots, who are more in tune with what is affecting the populace.

Many believe that one of the greatest challenges facing governance in Nigeria is that those who surround presidents and governors as advisers or allies do not tell them the truth, because they, too, benefit from the system. 

Presidents and governors are surrounded only by people who paint a rosy picture of the country for them. Cardinal Onaiyekan did Nigeria, and indeed President Tinubu, a service by pointing out what is so painfully evident today — the resentment among Nigerians.

This is why the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has weighed in on the Presidency’s attacks on Onaiyekan, criticising and accusing the administration of showing increasing intolerance to criticism and dissenting voices. 

In a statement, he said the Presidency resorted to political attacks and intimidation instead of addressing the concerns raised by the Catholic cleric. He also contrasted the Catholic Church’s independence with what he described as politically compliant clerics allegedly courted by the ruling party during the 2023 electioneering campaign.

A government confident in its record does not fear scrutiny. It replies to facts with superior facts. It does not reduce every inconvenient voice to partisan politics. That is not strength.

 President Tinubu needs to be conscious of the fact that he will not be judged by how vigorously his supporters defended him online or how effectively his critics challenged him. He will be judged by whether Nigerians became safer, more prosperous and more hopeful during his presidency. Those outcomes cannot be achieved by silencing independent voices. They require listening, reflection and the humility to acknowledge that no government has a monopoly of wisdom.