Most Rev. Sosthenes Eze, Archbishop of the Enugu Ecclesiastical Province of the Anglican Communion, has defended the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) over its recent engagement with Bola Ahmed Tinubu, saying the bishops spoke the concerns of Nigerians rather than advancing any political or denominational agenda.
Eze criticised attempts by some individuals to portray the bishops’ advice to Tinubu as a religious or political matter, describing such reactions as embarrassing and a distraction from the issues affecting Nigerians.
The Anglican archbishop, in a widely circulated interview, said the bishops’ intervention was a genuine and productive attempt to draw attention to the challenges facing the country, including economic hardship, insecurity and declining public confidence
Most Rev. Sosthenes Eze, Archbishop of the Enugu Ecclesiastical Province of the Anglican Communion, has defended the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) over its recent engagement with Bola Ahmed Tinubu, saying the bishops spoke the concerns of Nigerians rather than advancing any political or denominational agenda.
Eze criticised attempts by some individuals to portray the bishops’ advice to Tinubu as a religious or political matter, describing such reactions as embarrassing and a distraction from the issues affecting Nigerians.
The Anglican archbishop, in a widely circulated interview, said the bishops’ intervention was a genuine and productive attempt to draw attention to the challenges facing the country, including economic hardship, insecurity and declining public confidence.
“A very genuine and productive piece of advice was given to Bola Tinubu by the Catholic bishops, but someone became so myopic as to turn it into a denominational issue, which is very embarrassing. Those bishops were speaking the minds of Nigerians,” Eze said.
He also criticised reactions from some supporters of the Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led government, accusing them of shifting attention away from the substance of the bishops’ concerns by focusing on political and religious interpretations.
Eze specifically faulted Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser to Tinubu on Policy Communication, over his comments on Cardinal John Onaiyekan’s remarks, describing such responses as the actions of sycophants who undermine effective leadership.
“People like Daniel Bwala should never be taken seriously; he is working for his stomach. These are the sycophants destroying the country’s leadership,” the archbishop said.
The controversy followed Cardinal John Onaiyekan’s disclosure about the July 2026 meeting between Catholic bishops and Tinubu, where the clerics reportedly raised concerns about economic hardship, insecurity and other national challenges. The cardinal’s comments later attracted criticism from some government supporters, who accused him of political bias.
However, Eze insisted that religious leaders have a responsibility to speak on issues affecting the welfare of citizens, arguing that addressing national problems should not be interpreted as partisan politics.
He added that the current situation in Nigeria was “terrible and deplorable,” warning that the country’s challenges required honest conversations, accountability and collective efforts rather than attacks on individuals raising concerns.
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