Prominent civil rights group, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), has condemned two presidential aides for what it described as “disrespectful and amateuristic” attacks on Archbishop Emeritus of Abuja, John Cardinal Onaiyekan.
The criticism followed a television interview granted by the respected cleric to analyze the recent meeting between the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
—What The Aides Said—
Mr. Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser on Communications, argued that Cardinal Onaiyekan “spoke for only Catholics” in his post-meeting assessment.
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Mr. Temitope Ajayi, Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, went further.
He accused the Cardinal of abusing “clerical privilege” by discussing a supposedly private engagement on national television.
“The Catholic Bishops discharged what they considered their moral obligation by presenting their concerns to the President. President Tinubu accorded them respect,” Ajayi stated.
He added that “reciprocity should have dictated that the confidentiality and dignity of that engagement be preserved,” insisting that clerics should exercise “temperance, maturity, self-restraint, and the wisdom to remain above needless public controversy.”
—HURIWA Fires Back—
In a statement signed by National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko, HURIWA carpeted both aides and defended the Cardinal’s right to speak.
The group said the interview was “in the best public interest” and that Cardinal Onaiyekan spoke not just for Catholics, but “for the over 130 million households afflicted by multidimensional poverty and for the over 60% absolutely poor Nigerians” as reported by the World Bank.
“These unfortunate and irrational rants by the two presidential aides are inconsequential and unreasonable,” HURIWA said.
The rights group also accused Bwala and Ajayi of historical ignorance.
“If these two young men know about the political history of Nigeria, they would have known that John Cardinal Onaiyekan has been visiting Presidents for decades long before these two rookies entered primary school,” the statement read.
HURIWA further took a swipe at Bwala, recalling that he was once a vocal critic of President Tinubu before accepting an appointment.
“He collapsed on his ‘conscience’ and swallowed his vomit to serve the same Tinubu he had called all sorts of unprintable names,” the group alleged.
—“No Breach Of Privilege”—
HURIWA faulted Ajayi’s claim of a breach of privilege, noting that the meeting with the President and the CBCN was “extensively televised and covered by the media.”
The group argued that the positions of both the Bishops and the President were already in the public domain, with other leaders including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and 2027 presidential hopeful Peter Obi also weighing in.
“How did the Archbishop Emeritus abuse any privilege? Was the meeting secret conversations or were the participants plotting any partisan objective that does not concern public interest?” HURIWA queried.
“Is President Tinubu not the President of all Nigerians, and are the clerics who attended the meeting not the spiritual leaders of millions of Nigerians? Were the participants administered with oaths of secrecy and confidentiality?”
The group concluded by praising Cardinal Onaiyekan for “speaking truth to power” and for urging both politicians and INEC to ensure a “free, fair, peaceful and transparent general election in January 2027.”
“Or is the President hiding anything from Nigerians on why he is afraid of a free and fair election?” HURIWA asked.
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