Cardinal John Onaiyekan has blamed comments by individuals he described as the government’s “attack dogs” for the controversy that followed his interview with Arise Television, saying their reactions attracted more public attention than his original remarks.
The Catholic cleric made the clarification during an interview on the *Naija Unfiltered Podcast*, where he reflected on the reactions to his conversation with Arise TV’s Charles Aniagolu.
Onaiyekan explained that his comments were based on concerns raised by Catholic bishops during their visit to President Bola Tinubu, stressing that he supported the position presented by the bishops to the President.
“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.
According to him, the controversy escalated after individuals he associated with the government made comments in response to his interview.
“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 said.
The cardinal added that the reactions provoked Nigerians and fuelled further public discussion, while he chose not to respond again.
Onaiyekan also recalled that the bishops did not expect President Tinubu to welcome their concerns during the meeting, explaining that their purpose was to communicate the realities facing Nigerians rather than praise 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.
The bishops had raised concerns about Nigeria’s economic situation, insecurity and political climate during their July 2026 meeting with Tinubu at the State House in Abuja. The Presidency subsequently criticised Onaiyekan’s public account of the meeting, arguing that the discussion had been private.
The cardinal also questioned how the success of government policies should be measured, arguing that their impact must be evident in the everyday lives of citizens, particularly the poorest.
“The proof of its validity must be seen in the life, daily life of the people, and especially of the poorest,” he said.
His latest comments have brought renewed attention to the disagreement between the cleric and the Presidency over the bishops’ assessment of the country’s condition and the administration’s approach to governance.