Catholic priest and public commentator, Fada Oluoma, has defended the recent remarks by John Cardinal Onaiyekan on Nigeria’s economic situation, arguing that the cleric’s comments reflect the realities faced by millions of Nigerians and should be addressed with reasoned arguments rather than personal attacks.
In a statement posted on his Facebook page titled “The President and the Cardinal,” Fada Oluoma criticized what he described as the hostile response by some presidential media aides to the Cardinal’s interview on Arise Television, where the former Archbishop of Abuja reportedly challenged President Bola Tinubu’s positive assessment of the economy.
According to Oluoma, the controversy was unnecessarily escalated after a presidential media aide accused the Cardinal of bias and unethical conduct, while other government spokespersons, including Daniel Bwala, allegedly launched personal attacks against the cleric.
He argued that government officials should have responded by presenting economic data to support the administration’s position instead of engaging in what he described as a campaign of calumny.
“The self-evident truth is that Nigerians are experiencing harsh economic realities,” Oluoma stated, adding that ordinary citizens judge the economy by the prices of food and other essential commodities rather than by technical economic indicators.
While acknowledging that the Tinubu administration has implemented difficult but potentially beneficial structural reforms, Oluoma maintained that recognizing the hardship experienced by citizens does not diminish those achievements.
He commended the President for pursuing reforms that may yield long-term benefits but insisted that government officials must first acknowledge the suffering many Nigerians are facing before explaining how the reforms will improve the country’s future.
The priest also rejected suggestions that the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) or Cardinal Onaiyekan were unfairly targeting the Tinubu administration, noting that the Cardinal has consistently criticized successive governments whenever Nigerians faced hardship.
According to him, Cardinal Onaiyekan spoke out during the administrations of the late General Sani Abacha, former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari, and has maintained the same stance under President Tinubu.
Oluoma further criticized what he described as selective reactions by some Nigerians, arguing that many people praise or condemn religious leaders based on political preferences rather than consistency.
He concluded that while citizens are free to disagree with Cardinal Onaiyekan’s views, accusing him of hatred, prejudice or unethical behaviour is unwarranted. He urged presidential media aides to defend government policies through rational debate and factual explanations instead of resorting to personal attacks.
Rev. Fr. John Chinenye Oluoma, known as Fada Oluoma, is a priest of the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja.
He describes himself on his Facebook Profile as, a Priest, Teacher, Preacher, Musician, Writer and Footballer.
