Listen to Catholic bishops, they’re not political adversaries – POMR tells Tinubu

The Peter Obi Media Reach (POMR) has urged President Bola Tinubu to listen to concerns raised by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) rather than regard the clerics as political adversaries.

The POMR said dismissing the bishops’ assessment of the cost-of-living crisis and security concerns as partisan or alarmist would amount to a tactical error by the administration.

It made the position known in a statement issued on Wednesday by its spokesman, Idris Zekeri Jnr, amid what it described as a needless feud over advice offered by the Catholic bishops.

According to the statement, the disagreement reflects what it described as a governance problem in which those exercising executive power risk becoming insulated from realities confronting citizens.

“When presidential aides dismiss pastoral feedback on cost-of-living struggles and security concerns as merely ‘one perspective’ or a breach of protocol, they miss the strategic value of moral, non-partisan feedback.

“Dismissing the clerics’ assessment as partisan or alarmist is a tactical error.

“Listening to the episcopacy is not a political concession; it is vital to sound governance for several key reasons,” POMR stated.

It argued that Catholic bishops have access to extensive networks across rural and urban communities, placing them in a position to understand the challenges confronting Nigerians.

“Unlike political appointees and state governors who often sanitise reports to protect their offices, bishops preside over vast, decentralised networks that reach deep into Nigeria’s rural and urban peripheries.

“From remote parishes to community healthcare centres, clerics absorb the daily economic pain, food insecurity, and quiet desperation of citizens long before these issues register in official economic indicators,” it added.

The statement also warned against the danger of political leaders being surrounded by advisers who could shield them from uncomfortable realities.

“Power naturally creates an echo chamber.

“Advisers frequently tell leaders what they want to hear, emphasising macroeconomic metrics or reform milestones while glossing over human costs.

“Credible figures like Cardinal John Onaiyekan and Archbishop Matthew Ndagoso provide an unvarnished mirror, serving as an institutional check against presidential isolation.”

The POMR described religious leaders as important channels through which public frustration could be expressed peacefully, particularly during periods of social anxiety.

It stated, “Religious leaders act as critical shock absorbers in times of deep social anxiety.

“When bishops voice public frustration, they provide a constructive, peaceful channel for popular discontent.

“Rebuffing their warnings risks alienating a vital institutional bridge between an overstretched state and an increasingly exhausted populace.”

The statement maintained that the bishops’ warnings should not be interpreted as an attempt to undermine the Tinubu administration.

Rather, it said their intervention should provide the government with an opportunity to understand the experiences of Nigerians beyond official economic figures.

“The pastoral warnings presented by the CBCN are not designed to undermine the administration but to anchor policy in the lived experiences of everyday Nigerians.

“For President Tinubu, treating the clergy as trusted whistleblowers instead of political adversaries is essential to bridging the gap between macroeconomic projections and the realities on the street,” it concluded.