More appalling APC arrogance! By Donu Kogbara

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Donu Kogbara

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Last week, I complained about the arrogance displayed by Dave Umahi, the Minister of Works, who has a lot of questions to answer around the mysterious death in his compound of an attractive young female nurse.

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This week, I will focus on another example of APC arrogance.

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Following a visit to the presidential villa by the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), His Eminence, Cardinal John Olorunfemi

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Onaiyekan, the emeritus archbishop of Abuja, gave an interview in which he described Tinubu’s nonchalant response when the bishops expressed concerns about the widespread suffering in the country.

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They told him that the country was bleeding. He disagreed and said the economy is doing fine.

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They said they were very worried about the hunger in the land. He said that hunger existed before he was born, displaying a reluctance to take responsibility for the hunger that has increased under his watch.

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An uproar ensued as opposition politicians, mainstream journalists, Christians generally, some Muslims, anti-APC social media influencers, professional humanitarians who run charities, etc, and members of the general public accused Mr President of chronic insensitivity

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Villa aparatchiks, alarmed by how bad the above remarks made their boss look, flew to his defence and accused Onaiyekan of breaching confidentiality by repeating the contents of a private interaction.

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Meanwhile, pro-APC social media influencers insulted Onaiyekan. Some even depicted him wearing demonic horns.

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The National Executive Council of the Catholic Laity Council of Nigeria (CLCN) addressed these complaints in a letter thus:

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It is the Catholic church’s God-given duty to speak truth to power, defend the vulnerable and hold leadership accountable “with truth and charity”.

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The bishops, priests and laity are called to be “salt of the earth and light of the world” (Matthew 5:13-14), even in the corridors of power.

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While the church respects the sanctity of private engagements, “matters that touch on the life, welfare and future of over 200 million Nigerians cannot remain forever in closed rooms.” “Cardinal Onaiyekan did not reveal secrets. He shared the moral concerns of the church and response of government, which is in the public interest.”

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Onaiyekan spoke out of concern, not malice because he is a man of peace and integrity who believes in dialogue.

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Government and church should continue to work together for the common good. We should pray for our leaders and support policies that bring relief to the poor, security to our communities and justice to all.

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Now, fair-minded people like me know that Tinubu cannot be blamed for every systemic dysfunction in a country that has been on the wrong path for decades. But, as one of his many detractors has eloquently pointed out (in an anonymous online article), “leadership is judged by results rather than historical context”.

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And there is no getting away from the fact that Tinubu is the personification of arrogance, delusion and gaslighting. I’m convinced that there is no humble, intellectually honest or genuinely compassionate bone in that man’s body!!! And his response to the bishops proves his penchant for hubris and callousness.

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Meanwhile, there are 38 million Catholics in Nigeria, including me and a whole bunch of very senior APC stalwarts – the Senate President (Godswill Akpabio), the Chairman of the APC Governors Forum (Hope Uzodinma) and others too numerous to mention in this short column.

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One of the above, George Akume, the Secretary to Government, has decided to stick his neck out and play peacemaker and placate both his religious and political constituencies.

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According to Akume, the Tinubu administration remains fully open to deepening its relationship with and receiving sincere counsel from religious institutions…and regards constructive engagement with the CBCN and other faith-based organizations as essential to navigating Nigeria’s economic and security challenges.

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I salute Akume for trying, but it is too late. Tinubu has already soured the milk.

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I also, of course, salute Onaiyekan. He has done better than the likes of Adeboye who are always making excuses for Tinubu, probably for reasons linked to ethnic loyalty.

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And, by the way, I thank God that Onaiyekan is a Yoruba from Kogi State because he cannot be accused of criticizing Tinubu for anti-Yoruba reasons. Better still, because he is not from the southeast, he cannot be viciously attacked the way the Yoruba wing of the APC constantly attacks Igbos, either subtly or overtly and especially online.

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Also, when a man who is notoriously suspicious of other tribes needs to be cautioned, his own brother is more likely than an outsider to persuade him to change direction. And I guess it’s possible that Tinubu will eventually listen to Onaiyekan’s advice.

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Finally, let’s hope that the many Catholics who are slavishly follow-following Tinubu have heard our spiritual leaders clearly stating that his government’s performance is morally indefensible. Frankly, they should hide their heads in shame.

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