The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has cautioned religious leaders against making partisan interventions in national politics, warning that such actions could erode their credibility.
Wike made the remarks during the August edition of his monthly media chat, aired live on TVC on Tuesday, while reacting to Cardinal John Onaiyekan’s criticism of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
The minister said he had no objection to religious leaders criticising government policies but argued that such criticism should be balanced with acknowledgment of areas where an administration has performed well.
“I am not against comments about government, because if comments are not made, government may not know where to focus. But when comments are consistently negative, it becomes difficult for people to see them as helpful,” Wike stated.
He accused Onaiyekan of maintaining a consistently critical stance toward the Tinubu administration, saying that leaders should commend progress where it exists while pointing out shortcomings.
“You don’t every time say things are bad. Nobody has heard him say one day government has done this well,” Wike added.
The minister also dismissed claims that religious leaders were politically neutral during the 2023 elections, insisting that many openly took sides.
Wike’s comments come amid a public disagreement between the Presidency and Cardinal Onaiyekan following a meeting between Tinubu and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria. While the bishops raised concerns about worsening economic hardship and insecurity, Tinubu reportedly disagreed, insisting the country was making progress.
The Presidency later defended Tinubu’s position, accusing some church leaders of partisanship, while opposition figures such as Atiku Abubakar condemned the government’s criticism of Onaiyekan and demanded an apology to the Catholic Church.
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com