Cardinal Onaiyekan: Nobody Can Silence Me at 82

Catholic Archbishop Emeritus of Abuja, Cardinal John Onaiyekan, has said he is neither embarrassed nor intimidated by criticism from the Federal Government over his public comments concerning a meeting between Catholic bishops and President Bola Tinubu.

The 82-year-old cleric said he is not afraid of anyone, stressing that his appearance on television was to present the concerns of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria and not to please the government.
“I didn’t go to Arise to please the government, or to just please people, but to tell the truth. That’s all I stand for,” Onaiyekan said in a video shared by SYMFONI TV on Wednesday.
He made the remarks while responding to questions about the Presidency’s reaction to his account of the bishops’ meeting with Tinubu.
“Nobody Can Embarrass Me At This Age”
Onaiyekan dismissed any suggestion that he could be silenced or intimidated because of his comments.
“I cannot be embarrassed. I’m 82 years old; nobody can embarrass me. And I’m not afraid of anybody. Nobody, at this stage now, are they going to arrest me, carry me to where?” he said.
The Cardinal also said Nigerians should appreciate the freedom to openly criticise those in government, noting that such freedom is not guaranteed in many other African countries.
“And we are still lucky in this Nigeria that we can still talk. We shouldn’t take that for granted. There are many countries in Africa where no bishop dares to talk like we do here,” he said.
Onaiyekan’s latest comments followed a meeting between Catholic bishops and President Tinubu, after which he granted a television interview outlining concerns raised by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria.
His account of the meeting drew a response from the Presidency, prompting the cleric to reaffirm his right to speak publicly and defend his position.