The eminent prelate gave an interview on Arise TV and reported how the President pushed back against the report of harsh economic conditions of the country. Against the president’s ‘rosy’ picture of the economy, the Cardinal insists people are suffering. Ordinarily, this shouldn’t generate the acrimonious banters it had between Nigerians.
The first problem is with the president’s media aide who escalated this by accusing the Cardinal of bias and unethical behavior. That’s totally unnecessary and provocative. Then characters like Daniel Bwala took the campaign of calumny against the Cardinal to insane level. I don’t know why media aides to presidents in this country think their job is to behave like attack dogs.
I expected Bayo Onanuga and his cohorts to respectfully and intelligently disagree with whatever the Cardinal said that they didn’t like. All they needed do is explain how ‘rosy’ the economy has become or is becoming under Tinubu. Just reel out the macro and micro indices that support your position on the economy and allow Nigerians to judge. Bantering the cleric for saying what is OBVIOUS does your government no good.
The self evident truth is that Nigerians are experiencing harsh economic realities. Common folks everywhere in the world measure the economy with prices of basic commodities. Denying such realities with any intelligent sounding economic term is foolhardy, and attacking people who voice it out makes no sense and no gain.
Acknowledge it and then explain how the policies of your government will in the long run make things better. I am an unrepentant agitator for structural change in Nigeria; restructuring as we call it. That’s ultimately how I measure a government. Tinubu’s administration has done some good job on that, he has bullishly taken some policy decisions that make a president unpopular but good for the country in the long run. I commend him for all that.
Yet, while I regard those policy/ structural changes as huge accomplishments, I cannot push back against those who complain of hardships, that’d be totally stupid and insensitive as if what they complain about isn’t true. The most important thing anyone can do is acknowledge the truth of what they say and then explain how the structural changes will lead to better days, or how postponement of such changes will only guarantee a future of worse conditions. The president’s men should stop behaving like attack dogs and engage rationally.
The CBCN and John Cardinal Onaiyekan have consistently called out governments based on the plights of the people. Is Tinubu’s government expecting a romantic love letter from them? Is there any criticism they made against this government that they spared others? Why are some people making it look like the CBCN and Onaiyekan are picking on Tinubu?
Then there is a group of Nigerians that are hypocritically inconsistent. There is one group that is all over the place praising the CBCN and Cardinal Onaiyekan to high heavens for calling the government out. This same people were and are still up in arms against the Pope when he said no to war and Trump made it a personal fight. Such persons argued that the pope should leave politics and face papacy as if what the pope said was partisan. Same people are now not telling the CBCN and Onaiyekan to leave politics and face church. They like Trump, they don’t like Tinubu. If they liked Tinubu as they like Trump, they would be defending him against the bishops just as they defended Trump.
Then there is another group that is also excited and happy about the Cardinal’s position but were not happy when he made same criticism against Buhari. These ones I remember vividly.
Well, all I can say is that John Cardinal Onaiyekan has done no wrong. He has consistently spoken out against governments in the midst of the sufferings of the people. He did it to Abacha, Obasanjo, GEJ, PMB and now Tinubu, that’s consistency. He will only stop when Nigerians are not suffering unnecessarily.
You can disagree with him, but you can’t accuse him of unethical behavior, hatred or prejudice against Tinubu. The Bwalas and Onanugas should learn to defend their principals with rational and intelligent arguments rather than pedestrian diatribe.
