Senator representing Abia north, Orji Kalu,has described the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) as “the conscience of the country”.
He said that President Bola Tinubu should ponder on the recent concerns raised by the bishops rather than view them through the prism of political criticism.
Kalu disclosed this in a video posted on his Facebook page while reacting to last week’s meeting between Tinubu and the leadership of the CBCN at the State House in Abuja, and the aftermath public exchanges from the public, the presidency and devotees of the church since the visit.
Recall that last Tuesday, the leadership of the CBCN, led by Matthew Ndagoso, its president, met Tinubu at the presidential villa, where the bishops raised concerns over worsening economic hardship, insecurity and state of the nation.
Tinubu defended his administration’s economic reforms, saying the economy is stabilising and that the era of prolonged strikes by university lecturers had ended.
The president also told the bishops that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) remains neutral, adding that his political opponents were “afraid of their own shadows”.
The meeting ignited public debate after John Onaiyekan, archbishop emeritus of Abuja, said on Arise Television that Tinubu was unhappy with the message delivered by the bishops, who told him that the country is “bleeding” and that worsening economic conditions were hurting poor Nigerians.
Daniel Bwala, special adviser to the president on policy communication, subsequently faulted Onaiyekan’s remarks, saying they did not represent the views of all Christians, and alleged that the Catholic Church was backing Peter Obi, the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate for the 2027 election.
Kalu, a former governor of Abia state, said the bishops’ intervention was intended to help the government improve governance rather than undermine the president.
“To me, the Catholic Bishops are the conscience of the country. And once they give advice, their advice is not for or against,” he said.
“Their advice is just for any sitting president, any sitting leader, to see things the way it should be.”
While acknowledging the economic difficulties facing Nigerians, Kalu said the challenges were not only the fault of the Tinubu administration.
“There’s difficulty in Nigeria, there’s no doubt. And it’s not the fault of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“And we have been able to capture the macro-economy, and the micro is what we are having problems, as I’ve always told people,” he said.
“So there’s nothing new about the Catholic bishops visiting; they are clergymen who are conscious of what they speak and what they say,” he said.
