By Oscar Okhifo
Former Kaduna State Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, has faulted reports suggesting that the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) was the first to disclose its meeting with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Aruwan, in a statement on Monday, insisted that the Presidency had publicly announced the meeting through an official statement issued on July 28, 2026.
He said the clarification became necessary amid public discussions and media reports surrounding the meeting between President Tinubu and the Catholic delegation.
The controversy followed remarks by Cardinal John Onaiyekan, former Archbishop of Abuja, during a television interview in which he spoke about the meeting and said the Catholic bishops had frankly raised concerns about insecurity, economic hardship and the general state of the nation with the President.
The comments generated a response from the Presidency, which disputed aspects of the narrative surrounding the meeting and maintained that the engagement had already been officially announced.
“It was the Presidency that first informed Nigerians about President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s meeting with the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria on July 28, 2026,” Aruwan said.
According to him, presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga issued the statement announcing the meeting and providing details of the issues discussed during the engagement.
Aruwan said the statement disclosed that President Tinubu received a delegation of the CBCN led by its President, the Most Rev. Matthew Man-Oso Ndagoso, Archbishop of Kaduna.
He identified the statement as titled, “We Are Stabilising the Nation, Prosperity on the Horizon, President Tinubu Tells Catholic Bishops.”
Quoting the Presidency, Aruwan said Tinubu assured the bishops that ongoing restructuring of security operations and institutions would ultimately lead to victory over terrorism, banditry and kidnapping across the country.
He added that the President used the meeting to explain his administration’s security and economic policies and reassure the religious leaders that efforts were being intensified to restore peace and improve the welfare of Nigerians.
According to Aruwan, Tinubu told the bishops that “we are stabilising the nation” and that his administration remained focused on creating the conditions for long-term prosperity despite the economic difficulties confronting citizens.
“The public record clearly shows that information about the meeting originated from the Presidency and was not first disclosed by the Catholic bishops,” Aruwan said.
He said the clarification was intended “to put the facts in proper context and forestall the spread of misinformation regarding the meeting.”
Aruwan stressed that the chronology of the disclosures was important because it established the official source of the information released to the public.
He noted that the Presidency’s statement was widely circulated on July 28 and contained details of the meeting and the issues discussed between the President and the Catholic delegation.
Tinubu was quoted in the statement as acknowledging the economic hardship facing many Nigerians while assuring the bishops that his administration was working to stabilise the country and improve living conditions.
The CBCN delegation, led by Archbishop Ndagoso, comprised senior Catholic clerics from different parts of the country.
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria has consistently maintained that it has no partisan interest in political contests, saying its primary concern is the emergence of a well-governed and functional country where citizens can enjoy the dividends of democracy and freely choose their leaders at all levels.
“This clarification is necessary because the chronology matters,” Aruwan said.
“The Presidency issued an official statement on July 28 announcing the meeting and outlining the discussions. The public record is therefore clear on the source of the information.”