It was the Presidency that first informed Nigerians about President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s meeting with the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) on 28 July 2026.
In a statement issued by presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga, the Presidency said the President received a CBCN delegation led by its President, the Most Rev. Matthew Man-Oso Ndagoso, Archbishop of Kaduna.
The statement, titled “We Are Stabilising the Nation, Prosperity on the Horizon, President Tinubu Tells Catholic Bishops,” said the restructuring of security operations and institutions would deliver victory over terrorism, banditry and kidnapping.
“I have just approved the expansion of the armed forces,” the President was quoted as saying. “We are getting more equipment, building new barracks. We will defeat terrorism.”
The composition of the delegation showed that this was an engagement between the President and a broad representation of the Catholic hierarchy. The presidential statement acknowledged that the bishops raised concerns about security, tertiary education, limited university spaces, democracy, credible elections and poverty. It also reported their requests concerning mission schools and equal access to places of worship.
