Former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Timi Frank, has commended the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) for what he described as their courage in confronting President Bola Tinubu with the “bitter truth” about the state of the nation.
He urged other Christian and Muslim leaders to emulate their example by speaking truth to power.
Frank’s remarks followed the bishops’ recent audience with Tinubu, during which the Catholic hierarchy raised concerns over Nigeria’s worsening economic hardship, insecurity, democratic governance, religious freedom and fears of an emerging one-party state.
The former APC spokesman on Sunday said the bishops deserved national commendation for openly telling the President what many Nigerians were experiencing instead of remaining silent.
“We commend the Catholic leaders for their courage. We have not seen this kind of courage from religious leaders in Nigeria for a long time. They were brave enough to look the President in the face and tell him the bitter truth,” Frank said.
He urged President Tinubu to take the bishops’ observations seriously, insisting that implementing their recommendations would help restore public confidence in his administration.
“The President should heed their advice. By doing so, he will save himself from embarrassment. These are true leaders, and we expect other religious bodies to follow the example set by the Catholic leaders,” he added.
During their meeting with President Tinubu on Tuesday, July 28, the Catholic bishops, led by CBCN President, Archbishop Matthew Man-Oso Ndagoso, expressed concern over what they described as growing anxiety among Christians regarding their place in Nigeria following the emergence of a Muslim-Muslim presidency.
The bishops urged the Federal Government to implement deliberate policies that would reassure Christians of their equal status under the Constitution and guarantee their right to freely practise their faith across the country.
“Many Christians have legitimate concerns about their place in Nigeria, especially regarding the departure from the Christian/Muslim presidency, and we hope that, through deliberate government policies, those concerns will be addressed, and Christians will be reassured of their rights as citizens,” Archbishop Ndagoso told the President.
The cleric also called on the government to ensure that constitutional guarantees of religious freedom, including the recent Supreme Court ruling affirming the rights of Muslim students to worship, are applied equally throughout the federation.
The bishops renewed their appeal for the return of mission schools to their original owners and expressed concern over Nigeria’s democratic trajectory, warning against any drift towards a one-party state.
Archbishop Ndagoso urged President Tinubu to strengthen democratic institutions and ensure that the 2027 general election is transparent, free and credible.
“Anything short of transparent, free, fair and credible elections in 2027 would be an invitation to avoidable disaster against which all well-meaning Nigerians have been praying,” he warned.
The bishops also acknowledged government efforts in securing the release of kidnapped schoolchildren in Oyo State but noted that terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, poor infrastructure, power shortages and economic hardship continued to threaten national stability.
Drawing inspiration from the bishops’ intervention, Frank challenged other Christian and Muslim clerics to stop remaining silent whenever they have the opportunity to engage political leaders. According to him, religious leaders have a moral obligation to demand accountability from those in authority instead of merely offering prayers.
He criticised some Pentecostal leaders, alleging that they often failed to confront government officials with the realities facing Nigerians after visiting the Presidential Villa.
“Unfortunately, some religious leaders, particularly some Pentecostal leaders, go to the Villa, drink tea with the President and forget what they went there to say. They come back with envelopes and the story becomes different,” he alleged.
Frank insisted that prayers alone were insufficient where leaders were unwilling to confront government with the truth.
“When they have the opportunity to tell the President the truth, they simply say they are praying for him. But they know the truth. They know the damage that has been done in this country. How long will they continue to sit and pray when they should be speaking the truth?” he asked.
The former APC chieftain further accused the Tinubu administration of worsening corruption, insecurity, poverty and unemployment, while questioning the legacy the President would leave after his tenure.
“What legacy is President Tinubu going to leave behind? What will Nigerians remember about his administration when he leaves office? Unfortunately, the legacy Nigerians are seeing is corruption taken to another level and insecurity taken to another level. Poverty and unemployment have also reached unprecedented levels,” he alleged.
Frank also claimed that the administration was working to weaken opposition political parties and democratic institutions ahead of the 2027 general election.
“He knows that if there is a free and fair election today, he is not going to come back. Instead of being desperate to destroy political parties and democratic institutions, the President should do the right thing: conduct free and fair elections,” he said.
He further alleged that there was undue interference in the judiciary and other democratic institutions.
He should stop doing everything possible to manipulate the electoral process, including using the judiciary to weaken or destroy opposition political parties. There is too much interference in the judiciary and in democratic institutions,” Frank said.
The former APC spokesman concluded by urging Christian and Muslim leaders across the country to emulate the Catholic bishops by speaking frankly to those in authority whenever national interest demands.
“We urge other religious leaders, both Christian and Muslim, to be courageous enough to follow the example of the Catholic leaders. They should look the President in the face and tell him the truth. This is the time to speak the truth. They should tell President Tinubu that he has failed and that, having failed, he should not seek another term,” he said.
The Presidency had not officially responded to Frank’s allegations as of the time of filing this report.
