We won’t pretend all is well, admit there is heavy trust deficit — Onaiyekan tells FG

By Precious Mark

The Archbishop Emeritus of the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja, Cardinal John Onaiyekan, has urged the Federal Government to accept the reality of a heavy trust deficit and stop pretending that all is well with the nation.

Onaiyekan made the call in a video interview on Friday, circulating on X, where he reflected on the recent State House meeting between President Bola Tinubu and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN).

During the State House visit, the bishops raised frank concerns about economic hardship, insecurity, and electoral integrity, which met with pushback from the President.

Directly addressing those in authority, the cardinal urged the government to accept reality rather than insisting that everything is functioning normally.

“Whoever claims to be ruling us now should know that we need to have the trust of the people. They cannot just sit there and expect that things should just work normally,” he said.

“I will ask that they should accept the reality, accept that they have a heavy trust deficit. There is nothing wrong in admitting that things didn’t go so well,” he stressed.

Reflecting on the administration’s stance, Onaiyekan warned that political maneuvering and legal arguments cannot replace actual public confidence.

“If we keep pretending that we can play games, cut corners, bring in brilliant lawyers to turn black to white and white to black, the reality will still be there,” he said.

“It is not about the politicians or the candidates; it’s about us, about Nigerians who went to vote. If we do not have a good election, we can’t have a government that enjoys our confidence and trust,” he added.

The cleric emphasized that citizens must refuse to normalize institutional compromises, forged certificates, or rigged elections.

“We shall refuse to agree that this is a country where certificates are forged and it is okay. We shall refuse to accept a situation where elections are rigged. These things have consequences; we cannot run a nation well if we do not respect the truth,” Onaiyekan stated.

Expressing disappointment over public statements by the leadership of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Onaiyekan recounted his reaction to official claims regarding electoral processes.

“When I heard Professor Mahmood saying on TV that everything went well since January, I shed tears because he knows he was not telling the truth. If we don’t say the truth, we won’t move forward,” the cleric stated.

Concluding his remarks, Onaiyekan reaffirmed his belief in ultimate moral and judicial truth, declaring: “Whatever judges may decide, whatever court may say, at the end of the day, the truth will make us free.”