The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare, has criticised the Catholic bishops over their assessment of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, saying they cannot reduce the government’s reform agenda to a story of failure.
Naijaonpoint reports that Dare argued that such a portrayal amounted to an unfair attack on the President, who, according to him, inherited a country facing severe economic and structural difficulties in May 2023.
The presidential aide stated this in a post on his 𝕏 account while reacting to comments by the Archbishop Emeritus of the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja, Cardinal John Onaiyekan.
Onaiyekan had spoken about the July 28, 2026 meeting between Tinubu and a delegation of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
During the meeting, the bishops reportedly expressed concerns about the country’s economic hardship, insecurity and political climate.
Speaking during an appearance on Arise Television’s Prime Time, Onaiyekan said the President disagreed with the bishops’ assessment of the economy and security situation.
According to the cleric, Tinubu maintained that his administration was recording progress and remained on the right path despite the concerns raised by the delegation.
The cardinal’s disclosure has since attracted responses from several presidential aides, who accused the bishops of presenting what they described as an incomplete picture of developments in the country.
Reacting, Dare said the administration’s reforms cut across several sectors and should not be dismissed because Nigerians were still confronting economic and security challenges.
Dare Defends Tinubu’s Reforms
The presidential aide described the bishops’ assessment as intellectually dishonest and unfair to Tinubu.
Dare wrote, “Still on the state of the nation.
“For the bishops to seek to reduce President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s monumental, multi-sectoral transformation agenda to a narrative of failure is not merely an act of intellectual dishonesty; it is a scathingly uncharitable assault on a patriotic leader who inherited a crumbling, bankrupt estate in May 2023 and possessed the rare political courage to rebuild it from the foundation up.”
Dare maintained that any assessment of the administration must consider the condition of the country when Tinubu assumed office.
He said Nigeria was close to an economic crisis and structural breakdown before the President’s inauguration.
The presidential adviser said the financial and structural challenges inherited by the administration explained the difficult policy decisions taken since May 2023.
He added, “The tipping point: The inherited bankruptcy of May 2023.
“To understand the weight of President Tinubu’s achievements, one must first measure the abyss Nigeria faced on the eve of his inauguration.
“In May 2023, the Nigerian nation was hovering on the precipice of total economic collapse and structural paralysis.”
Dare insisted that Tinubu had demonstrated political courage by implementing reforms aimed at rebuilding the economy rather than postponing difficult decisions.
He maintained that the administration’s policies should be judged against the scale of the problems inherited and the efforts being made to establish a foundation for economic recovery.
