Catholic cleric Cardinal John Onaiyekan has blamed the controversy surrounding his appearance on Arise Television on remarks made by individuals he described as the government’s “attack dogs,” arguing that their responses stirred public anger and intensified the debate.
The cleric explained that the reactions generated by his conversation with Arise TV presenter Charles Aniagolu eventually overshadowed the message he originally intended to communicate. He maintained that his comments reflected concerns earlier presented by Catholic bishops during their engagement with President Bola Tinubu.
Onaiyekan made the clarification during an appearance on the Naija Unfiltered Podcast, where he revisited his earlier assertion that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) was prepared to secure victory in the 2027 general election through any means.
According to him, his appearance on television was intended to explain the position adopted by fellow Catholic bishops during their visit to the Nigerian leader, a stance he said he supported.
“Everything that happened at that interview was not coming from me. I was invited to expatiate on the position that my brother bishops took when we went to visit the president of the country,” he said.
The cardinal argued that the uproar which followed the broadcast was largely driven by subsequent interventions from people aligned with the administration rather than his initial observations.
“I think the main reason was because — I don’t know what pushed them — some of what they call the attack dogs of the government went out of their ways to make certain statements that were not helpful even for government,” he stated.
He noted that the responses generated further criticism and encouraged more Nigerians to participate in the discussion. However, he said he decided against making additional comments in response to the exchanges.
Reflecting on his conversation with Aniagolu, Onaiyekan recalled explaining that Tinubu was displeased with the concerns raised by the religious leaders during their meeting.
Nevertheless, he stressed that the bishops had never expected the President to welcome their message enthusiastically because their purpose was not to seek his approval.
The cardinal explained that the delegation considered it necessary to communicate the difficulties confronting ordinary citizens instead of offering praise to the administration.
“We were not expecting Mr President to be happy with us. We knew he was not going to be happy with what we were saying, but we felt that we don’t have to be going there to make him happy when Nigerians, in the vast majority, are not happy,” he said.
Onaiyekan further criticised political leaders for allegedly ignoring warnings and feedback about conditions across the country. He argued that the situation facing Nigerians was too widely documented for those in authority to claim ignorance.
“There is no governor, unless we have a president who is deaf, dumb, and blind, who can tell us that he’s not hearing the truth about what is happening in Nigeria,” he added.
The cleric also questioned the effectiveness of government programmes when citizens continued to experience hardship, insisting that the success of public policies should be assessed through their practical effects on people’s lives.
He maintained that improvements in living conditions, particularly for economically disadvantaged Nigerians, should serve as the principal measure of whether government decisions were delivering meaningful results.
“The proof of its validity must be seen in the life, daily life of the people, and especially of the poorest,” Onaiyekan said.
