President Bola Tinubu has held a closed-door meeting on Friday with a delegation from the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
Led by Archbishop Lucius Ugorji and joined by prominent figures including Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah and Cardinal John Onayikan, the session’s agenda remained undisclosed, sparking widespread criticism over its lack of transparency.
This confidential dialogue comes on the heels of international concern—Nigeria has recently been designated a Country of Particular Concern by the United States for alleged abuses against Christians.
At its inaugural plenary meeting of 2025, the bishops decried the nation’s escalating ills: rampant youth unemployment, insecurity, pervasive poverty, corruption, and electoral fraud.
Despite these stark criticisms, the administration’s response was a perfunctory nod to the bishops’ “patriotic fervour” and claims of improved security and economic stability since Tinubu assumed office.
Critics argue that such assertions are little more than smoke and mirrors, masking the deep-rooted governance failures that continue to imperil the nation. The secretive nature of this meeting has only heightened public skepticism regarding the government’s commitment to addressing Nigeria’s most urgent challenges.
