NEWS
“Tinubu Has Been Caged, Misinformed Or Misled“ — The Chairman of the Northern Christian Association (NCA), Rev. John Joseph Hayab, Defends Catholic Bishops, Says They Spoke the Mind of Nigerians
The Chairman of the Northern Christian Association (NCA), Rev. John Joseph Hayab, has thrown his weight behind the Catholic Bishops’ criticism of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, insisting that the clerics merely voiced the concerns and daily struggles of millions of Nigerians rather than advancing any religious or political agenda.
Speaking on Tuesday during an interview on Trust TV’s Day Break programme, Hayab said the position of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) reflected the realities confronting ordinary citizens across the country and should not have attracted the sharp response it received from the presidency.
According to him, the issues highlighted by the bishops, including rising hunger, worsening insecurity, the declining value of the naira, and growing fears about Nigeria’s democratic future are visible realities that many Nigerians experience every day.
“Anything the Catholic bishops said is not just a Christian position; it is a Nigerian feeling. It is a Nigerian reality,“ Hayab said.
He questioned whether anyone could honestly deny the widespread economic hardship and insecurity facing the country, stressing that the bishops simply conveyed what Nigerians have consistently been telling them.
“They reminded the president of what they are hearing from Nigerians because people go to their bishops and ask, ‘Aren’t you watching? Nigerians are hungry. There is insecurity. Everything seems to be moving towards a one-party state,’“ the cleric said.
Hayab explained that the bishops considered it their moral obligation to bring those concerns directly to the attention of President Tinubu so that necessary corrective measures could be taken.
However, he expressed disappointment with the president’s reaction, arguing that the response was unnecessary and suggesting that those advising Tinubu may not be serving him well.
“If he actually read it from his prepared speech, then his speechwriters have a serious problem because they are not helping this president,“ Hayab said.
According to the NCA chairman, a more statesmanlike response would have been for the president to acknowledge the concerns and assure Nigerians that the government would continue working to address them.
“All he needed to say was, ‘I have heard you. We are doing our best, but your further information will help us identify where the gaps are so we can correct them,’“ he said.
Instead, Hayab argued that the language used in response to the bishops raised serious concerns about the advice reaching the president.
“To use such language against people who were not seeking contracts, political appointments or personal gain, but were genuinely concerned about the country, shows that our president has either been caged, misinformed or terribly misled by some people, so that he does not understand what Nigerians are going through,“ Hayab said.
He also dismissed attempts to frame the controversy as a disagreement involving only the Catholic Church, emphasizing that Christian leaders from different denominations deserve respect because of their spiritual leadership rather than their denominational affiliations.
“We respect our bishops, just as we respect Pastor Kumuyi, Pastor Adeboye, Bishop Oyedepo, the Anglican Primate, the Methodist Prelate, the Baptist President and many others.
“We respect them because they preach Christ, not because of the denomination they belong to,“ he said.
Hayab further argued that attributing political motives to the bishops’ remarks only diverted attention from the pressing national issues they sought to highlight.
While acknowledging that the Tinubu administration has recorded some achievements, he maintained that those accomplishments should not overshadow the harsh realities confronting ordinary Nigerians.
“No one is saying this government has done nothing. But despite whatever has been achieved, we must ask whether the ordinary Nigerian can feel the impact.“ he said.
He also pointed to what he described as a growing disconnect between positive economic statistics and the everyday experiences of citizens.
“You may have huge foreign reserves, but people are going to bed hungry. You may be constructing roads, but people are still dying in accidents.
“These are the realities the bishops were talking about. They were not confrontational and they were not seeking anything for themselves,“ Hayab said.
His remarks add another voice to the growing national conversation over the Catholic bishops’ assessment of the state of the nation, with many Nigerians continuing to debate the government’s response and the broader concerns over economic hardship, insecurity and governance.