Former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Timi Frank, has commended the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, CBCN, for openly raising concerns over the state of the economy and warning against what it described as the growing threat of a one-party state.
Mr Frank, in a statement issued in Abuja on Sunday, said the Catholic bishops demonstrated courage by confronting President Bola Tinubu with what he described as the “bitter truth” about the country’s economic and political challenges.
He urged other Christian and Muslim religious leaders to emulate the bishops by speaking truth to those in authority and demanding accountability from the government.
The former APC chieftain said religious leaders had a responsibility to go beyond prayers by openly engaging political leaders on issues affecting the welfare and security of Nigerians.
“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,” Mr Frank said.
He urged President Tinubu to take the concerns raised by the Catholic bishops seriously, arguing that acting on their advice could help the administration address some of the challenges confronting the country and avert further public criticism.
“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 said.
Mr Frank, however, accused some religious leaders, particularly some Pentecostal leaders, of failing to speak frankly to the government after visiting the Presidential Villa.
He alleged that some religious leaders changed their positions after meeting with the president, rather than publicly raising concerns about government policies and the hardships faced by Nigerians.
“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.
The former APC spokesman said religious leaders should not limit their engagement with political leaders to assurances of prayers when they were aware of the economic, security and social challenges confronting the country.
“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.
Mr Frank also criticised the Tinubu administration over the state of the economy, insecurity, poverty and unemployment, alleging that corruption had worsened under the current government.
He further accused the administration of weakening democratic institutions and political parties, while questioning the legacy he said the president would leave behind at the end of 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 said.
The former APC official also alleged that the federal government was seeking to influence the outcome of the 2027 general elections because, according to him, President Tinubu would not secure re-election in a free and fair contest.
“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.
Mr Frank accused the administration of using the judiciary to weaken opposition political parties and called on the president to respect the independence of 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,” he said.
