Tinubu’s Aide Accuses Onaiyekan of Misusing Clerical Privilege Over Disclosure of Private Meeting

Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, has strongly defended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s engagement with the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), accusing Cardinal John Onaiyekan of violating the confidentiality expected from a private meeting by publicly discussing what transpired between the bishops and the President.

In a lengthy article titled “Cardinal Onaiyekan’s Abuse of Clerical Privilege,” published on his verified Facebook page, Ajayi criticised the former Catholic Archbishop of Abuja for granting a television interview shortly after the meeting, where he reportedly shared his interpretation of the discussions with President Tinubu.

According to the presidential aide, the decision by the Cardinal to publicly narrate events from what he described as a closed-door engagement undermined the dignity and confidentiality that should characterise such interactions between religious leaders and the nation’s highest political office.

Ajayi argued that while the Catholic bishops were well within their constitutional rights to express concerns over the state of the nation, including economic hardship, insecurity, and governance challenges, it was inappropriate for one participant to immediately offer a public account of the conversation after the meeting had ended.

“There is something fundamentally inappropriate about Cardinal John Onaiyekan granting a television interview to offer his own account and interpretation of what transpired during the private meeting between the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria and President Bola Tinubu,” Ajayi wrote.

“It is, in my view, an abuse of clerical privilege.”

The presidential spokesman explained that the audience between the President and the Catholic bishops was granted at the request of the religious leaders and was intended to provide an opportunity for frank and respectful dialogue on national issues.

According to him, the bishops freely presented their assessment of Nigeria’s economic conditions, social challenges and security situation, while President Tinubu carefully listened to every concern before offering detailed responses.

“The bishops requested an audience with the president. He granted the audience graciously. They presented, as was their right, a catalogue of the country’s economic, social, and security challenges as they saw them,” Ajayi stated.

“The president listened patiently and responded comprehensively. That should ordinarily have been where the matter rested.”

Ajayi dismissed suggestions that President Tinubu ignored or brushed aside the concerns raised by the Catholic bishops.

Instead, he insisted the President addressed every issue brought before him, including the request for the return of mission schools to their original religious owners.

According to Ajayi, Tinubu explained that the issue falls under the constitutional powers of state governments rather than the Federal Government.

He noted that the President reminded the bishops that while serving as Governor of Lagos State, he approved the return of mission schools and therefore encouraged them to engage state governors on the matter.

“President Tinubu did exactly that, responding point by point to the issues they raised,” Ajayi said.

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“On the bishops’ demand for the return of schools to their owners, the President was surprised that such an issue could be tabled before him because it is a matter for the states to resolve. He asked the bishops to take the matter to the governors and reminded them he returned mission schools in Lagos State when he was governor.”

Ajayi also defended President Tinubu’s assessment of the economy, maintaining that while the administration acknowledges the hardships facing Nigerians, significant progress has already been made in stabilising public finances and laying the foundation for long-term recovery.

He quoted the President as saying that Nigeria had emerged from what he described as a “dark tunnel,” with ongoing reforms designed to produce broader economic benefits for citizens.

According to Ajayi, Tinubu never denied that Nigerians were facing difficulties but merely emphasised that the country was beginning to recover from years of fiscal instability inherited by his administration.

“He acknowledged that significant economic and security challenges remain,” Ajayi explained.

“His point was that the country has emerged from a dark tunnel, that his administration has laid the foundations for recovery, and that the next phase is ensuring the greatest number of Nigerians experience the benefits of those reforms.”

The presidential aide argued that many critics fail to appreciate the severe economic situation inherited by the current administration.

He said President Tinubu took difficult but necessary decisions to prevent Nigeria from sliding into a deeper fiscal crisis.

Ajayi maintained that one of the clearest signs of improvement was the increased ability of many state governments to meet salary and pension obligations, which had remained a major challenge for years.

According to him, thousands of civil servants and pensioners who previously suffered prolonged delays in receiving their entitlements are now experiencing more consistent payments due to improved fiscal conditions.

“Countless civil servants and pensioners who, for years, endured unpaid salaries and pensions are now receiving them more regularly,” he said.

“While this does not erase the discomfort many Nigerians still face, it is wrong to dismiss or ignore those improvements casually.”

On security, Ajayi also challenged the bishops’ assertion that Nigeria remains in an extremely dire condition, insisting that President Tinubu possesses intelligence unavailable to the general public.

He explained that, as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, the President receives daily operational briefings, classified intelligence reports and battlefield assessments from military commanders and security agencies across the country.

According to him, those confidential reports provide a broader picture of security developments than media reports alone.

“The bishops declared that Nigeria is bleeding. The President thinks otherwise,” Ajayi wrote.

“President Tinubu did not deny the seriousness of the security situation. Rather, he acknowledged the challenge while outlining the gains recorded by the Armed Forces and intelligence agencies across different theatres of operation.”

He added that because the President has access to detailed intelligence unavailable to ordinary citizens, it is reasonable for him to conclude that the overall security situation is more complex than portrayed in newspaper headlines.

Ajayi also dismissed claims that President Tinubu depends on religious leaders or critics to understand public sentiment.

According to him, the President receives information daily from multiple sources, including security agencies, intelligence services, government institutions, newspapers, television programmes and public opinion monitoring.

“What truth does anyone really need to tell President Tinubu that he does not already know?” Ajayi asked.

“As president, he has multiple channels for feeling the pulse of the country. He reads an average of 10 newspapers every day. He watches television discussion programmes to gauge public opinion. He receives daily security, social and economic intelligence reports prepared for decision-making, and they are not sugar-coated.”

Ajayi further argued that while the Catholic Bishops’ Conference remains an influential institution in Nigeria, it should not be regarded as the sole representative of the country’s conscience or public opinion.

According to him, the bishops constitute one important voice among many stakeholders contributing to national discourse.

“They are an important constituency, but they are by no means the exclusive custodians of the national mood or the nation’s conscience,” he stated.

Concluding his article, Ajayi insisted that the confidential nature of the meeting between President Tinubu and the Catholic bishops should have been respected by everyone present.

He argued that mutual respect required participants to preserve the dignity and privacy of the discussions rather than immediately presenting personal interpretations to the public.

“Reciprocity should have dictated that the confidentiality and dignity of that engagement be preserved,” Ajayi said.

“As such, it was inappropriate for one of the participants to emerge almost immediately on national television to provide his own version of what was essentially a private conversation with the president.”

He added that while religious leaders enjoy considerable moral authority and public influence, such privileges also come with responsibilities that require discretion.

“Clerical office carries privileges, but it also imposes obligations,” Ajayi concluded.

“Public influence should be exercised with discretion, not by converting privileged access into a platform for post-meeting commentary.”