The senior special assistant to President Bola Tinubu on media and publicity, Temitope Ajayi, has clarified that his recent criticism of Catholic Archbishop Emeritus of Abuja, Cardinal John Onaiyekan, was not intended to disrespect the 82-year-old cleric or the Catholic Church.
Ajayi made the clarification on Arise TV on Thursday, days after describing Onaiyekan’s decision to publicly discuss details of a meeting between President Tinubu and Catholic bishops as an “abuse of clerical privilege.”
The controversy followed a July 28 meeting between Tinubu and a delegation of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) at the State House, Abuja.
The bishops, led by CBCN President, Archbishop Matthew Man-Oso Ndagoso of Kaduna, raised concerns over insecurity, economic hardship, poverty, democracy, credible elections, religious freedom, tertiary education and the 2027 general elections, among other national issues.
Following the meeting, Onaiyekan appeared on Arise TV and gave an account of the discussions, saying the bishops had spoken frankly with the President about the difficulties confronting Nigerians.
His comments drew a response from the Presidency, with Ajayi faulting the public disclosure of details from what he described as a private engagement.
However, speaking again on Thursday, Ajayi said the disagreement had been resolved and should no longer dominate public discourse.
“Well, I think that episode has been closed. Cardinal Onaiyekan is a respected clergy and a statement in his own right,” he said.
The presidential aide stressed that his response was not intended to question Onaiyekan’s position or standing in the Catholic Church and wider society.
“My response to him did not in any way disrespect him or disrespect his standing in the society and the church. He’s one of the leaders of the faith,” Ajayi said.
According to him, his intention was simply to offer a different interpretation of the account given by the cardinal concerning the bishops’ encounter with the President.
“I only tried to provide a different perspective from his own account of the bishop’s encounter with the president, and I think that point has been made,” he added.
Ajayi said he did not want to prolong the disagreement, maintaining that the issue should be allowed to rest.
“And I think it’s not something we really want to dwell further on,” he said.
His clarification comes after Onaiyekan, on Wednesday, rejected suggestions that the Presidency’s criticism had intimidated or embarrassed him.
The cardinal said he appeared on television to tell Nigerians the truth about the issues raised by the bishops and not to please the government or any individual.
“I didn’t go to Arise to please government, or to just please people, but to tell the truth. That’s all I stand for,” Onaiyekan said.
He added that, at his age, he was not afraid of government criticism or possible consequences.
“I cannot be embarrassed. I’m 82 years old; nobody can embarrass me. And I’m not afraid of anybody,” the cleric said.
Onaiyekan also maintained that his comments represented the collective position of the Catholic bishops who attended the meeting, rather than his personal opinion.
He explained that the bishops had drafted a statement containing the concerns he later discussed publicly, stressing that he was merely communicating the position agreed upon by the delegation.
“No, mind you, I didn’t talk on my own now. I spoke on behalf of my fellow bishops. We drafted a statement which contained all that I said in the interview. So, all the bishops of Nigeria spoke that way. It was their voice I was echoing,” he said.
The cleric further warned that Nigerians should not take the freedom to criticise those in authority for granted, noting that religious leaders in some African countries could not speak openly about the condition of their nations.
He said the bishops’ concerns were driven by the economic hardship, poverty and suffering experienced by Nigerians.
