Tinubu's Aide Clarifies Criticism of Cardinal Onaiyekan

Temitope Ajayi, the senior special assistant to President Bola Tinubu on media and publicity, clarified his recent criticism of Cardinal John Onaiyekan, the Catholic Archbishop Emeritus of Abuja. Ajayi's comments followed Onaiyekan's public discussion of a meeting held on July 28 between President Tinubu and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), which addressed various national issues.

Ajayi described Onaiyekan's disclosure as an “abuse of clerical privilege.” However, during an appearance on Arise TV, Ajayi stated that his intention was not to disrespect Onaiyekan or the Catholic Church but to provide a different interpretation of the meeting's discussions. He expressed that the disagreement should be considered resolved.

Onaiyekan responded by asserting that he was not intimidated by the criticism and emphasized his commitment to truth-telling, stating, “I cannot be embarrassed. I’m 82 years old; nobody can embarrass me.”.