The Archbishop Emeritus of the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja, John Onaiyekan, has said that President Bola Tinubu disagreed with the assessment of the economy and security concerns raised by members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria during their meeting at the State House, Abuja.
PUNCH Online had reported that Tinubu met with the bishops on July 28, 2026, where they expressed concerns over the country’s economy, insecurity and political climate.
Speaking during an interview on Prime Time, a programme on Arise News, on Friday, Onaiyekan said Tinubu rejected the bishops’ assessment, insisting that his administration was on the right track.
“When the nation is bleeding, you cannot expect a polite meeting with the Head of State. We told him the economy is not helping our poor people; he told us the economy is doing fine. Frankly speaking, he told us quite clearly that he did not agree with us,” Onaiyekan said.
He added, “We didn’t expect him to agree with us. We have done our duty, we have delivered our message, and we have a feeling that somehow, along the line, somebody will show him a few of the things we said.”
