Chinwe Odita
(08033003080)
The truth is that every nation, every generation desires to identify and indeed host rare individuals whose moral authority does not depend on political office, wealth, or the applause of the crowd.
Such men and women become the conscience of society, reminding both rulers and the ruled that truth remains truth regardless of who finds it discomforting. For them, conscience is that open wound which only truth will heal. This quotation is most commonly attributed to Uthman dan Fodio, the renowned 18th–19th century Islamic scholar, reformer, and founder of the Sokoto Caliphate in present-day northern Nigeria is frequently cited in discussions on ethics, leadership, and good governance. That popular saying means that when a person has acted wrongly or is troubled by guilt, their conscience remains like an open wound. Only honesty, acknowledgment of the truth, repentance, and doing what is right can bring genuine peace and healing.
In today’s Nigeria, one of those voices of conscience belongs to Archbishop John Cardinal Onaiyekan. The reactions that followed the recent visit of Catholic bishops to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu revealed, once again, the deep polarization that has come to define national discourse.
Rather than reflecting soberly on the substance of the bishops’ observations, some presidential spokesmen chose to engage in combative public exchanges that unfortunately shifted attention away from the issues affecting ordinary Nigerians.
Cardinal Onaiyekan’s intervention stood out because it reflected a principle that has guided his public life for decades: the Church is not an appendage of government, nor is it an opposition political party.
Onaiyekan graduated from St. Michel’s Secondary school in Aliade in 1962 with the best result in the whole of Northern Nigeria and turned down a scholarship to study anywhere in the world from the Sardauna and Premier, Sir Ahmadu Bello.
Onaiyekan’s profile is rich and even overwhelming. According to Ojeifo, he went to a seminary and became a priest at 25, finished his doctorate in Rome with first class honours at 32, became the youngest ever rector of a Catholic seminary in Nigeria at 34, was appointed to two Vatican International Commissions at 36, became bishop at 38, an archbishop at 50 and a cardinal at 68.
He has been an auxiliary bishop of Ilorin, bishop of Ilorin, apostolic administrator of Ilorin, co- adjutor bishop of Abuja, bishop of Abuja and Archbishop of Abuja for a combined period of 36 years.
He has been a bishop for 43 years now and he has marked his 57th year as a Catholic priest this month of August.
Onaiyekan has been CAN chairman of Kwara State, he has been president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria( CBCN) for two terms.
He has been president of the Catholic Bishops Conferences of West Africa, (RECOWA) for two terms. He has been President of the Symposium of Catholic Bishops Conferences in the continent of Africa(SECAM).
He has been president of African Council for Religious Leaders ( ACRL). He has been co – president of the World Council of Religions for Peace WCRL-RfP).
He is an Honorary life president of WRCL-RfP. He has been a member of the General Council of the synod of Bishops at the Vatican for several years.
He has been a member of the Global Agenda Council on Religions at the World Economic Forum (WEF). Onaiyekan has been president of every possible national and continental Christian body you can dream of.
The obligation of the clergy is to speak to the moral condition of society. That duty neither begins nor ends with any administration.
It was Omokugbo Ojeifo that recently reminded people that Cardinal Onaiyekan has a solid reputation for prophetic advocacy on behalf of the Nigerian people for nearly forty years.
According to Ojeifo, the Cardinal has been forthright with every government from Gen. Ibrahim Babangida and Gen. Sani Abacha, down to Tinubu’s.
The cardinal has over the years engaged every Nigerian leader over the errors of their policies as it affects the people. He criticized Abacha, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, and Tinubu cannot be an exception.
When the Christian bishops speak about the state of the nation, they are speaking as prophets and shepherds.
The true measure of leadership is not the ability to surround oneself with praise. It is the willingness to hear uncomfortable truths.
Nations do not progress because everyone tells the leader what he wishes to hear.
They progress when respected voices are free to point out where the country is succeeding, where it is failing, and where urgent correction is required.
According to Ojeifo, As it is today, Cardinal Onaiyekan can travel on a Vatican diplomatic passport, if he wants to.
He has food to eat, clothes to wear and a roof over his head. He has access to the best healthcare facilities, if need be.
He has a means of mobility and has supported the education of countless numbers of indigent children.
When he speaks, he is not speaking for himself. He is speaking for the poor, the suffering, the hungry, the sick, the mistreated and displaced, all those whose lives have been put on hold due to the dire economic situation in the country.
History teaches that societies decline when honest counsel is mistaken for hostility. Every government deserves supporters who explain its policies.
But every government equally needs critics whose loyalty is to the nation rather than to political convenience.
Democracy flourishes when these two voices coexist in mutual respect.
Cardinal Onaiyekan represents that tradition of principled engagement.
His public interventions have consistently demonstrated restraint, civility, and a commitment to justice.
He has criticized governments across political divides when he believed the national interest demanded it, just as he has acknowledged positive steps where they deserved recognition. Such consistency is what gives credibility to his voice.
The temptation in contemporary politics is to judge every statement according to its perceived political advantage.
If it favours one’s preferred side, it is celebrated. If it does not, it is dismissed as bias.
This mindset impoverishes public debate because it substitutes loyalty for reason and emotion for evidence.
Nigeria cannot afford that luxury.
Our challenges—economic hardship, insecurity, unemployment, declining public confidence, and social fragmentation—are too profound to be hidden beneath layers of official optimism. Citizens deserve honesty. Leaders deserve honest feedback.
And history ultimately rewards those who choose truth over convenience.
There is an old saying that one should speak the truth “no matter whose ox is gored “.
The wisdom behind that expression is timeless. Truth is not measured by whose interests it protects or injures.
It stands independent of personalities, political parties, ethnic identities, or religious affiliations.
This is why voices like Cardinal Onaiyekan’s remain indispensable. They remind us that patriotism is not silent acquiescence.
Genuine love of country sometimes requires asking difficult questions, challenging comfortable assumptions, and insisting that those entrusted with power remain accountable to the people they serve.
The greatest service any public intellectual, religious leader, journalist, or citizen can render a nation is not unquestioning praise but honest witness.
Democracies are strengthened when truth is spoken respectfully, received humbly, and debated intelligently.
If Nigeria is to become the nation of our collective aspirations, it must celebrate—not silence—those who speak with integrity regardless of whose ox is gored.
That is the enduring lesson of Cardinal John Onaiyekan’s public witness. In an era increasingly dominated by partisan noise, moral courage remains one of the nation’s rarest and most valuable resources.
And whenever truth is spoken with wisdom, civility, and conviction, Nigeria is better for it.
For a better society
Follow us across our platforms:
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/championnewsonline/
Facebook – https://web.facebook.com/championnewsonline
LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/champion-newspapers-limited/
https://x.com/championnewsng/
You can also like and comment on our YouTube videos.
https://youtu.be/QIBfD1tT80w?si=R4Qf3so2LxYu3GC2
