By Solomon Dalung, Esq.
I believe some of you might have read or listened to Bishop Stephen Adegbite, who has recently been doing everything possible to paint the Catholic Bishops in another light, including making statements suggesting that they are somehow against the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Before we accept that narrative, I think it is important that we pause for a moment and ask a very simple question:
Who exactly is Bishop Adegbite, and how independent are the claims he is making about his fellow Christian leaders?
This is not an attack on his faith, his denomination or his right to hold a political opinion. He is entitled to support President Tinubu if he genuinely believes the administration is doing well.
But if he wants Nigerians to believe that the Catholic Bishops are somehow acting out of political hostility towards the government, then Nigerians are equally entitled to examine his own relationship with that government.
Let us begin with what is not in dispute.
Bishop Stephen Tunde Victor Adegbite is the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Christian Pilgrim Commission. He was appointed to that position by President Bola Tinubu in January 2024 for an initial five-year term.
He is also the Chaplain of the Aso Rock Villa Chapel and Chairman of the Lagos State chapter of CAN.
And this is where the story becomes interesting.
Adegbite has not exactly hidden his support for the Tinubu administration.
In fact, in public statements over the last few years, he has repeatedly praised the President and defended his administration.
During the worsening security situation earlier this year, for instance, he defended the Federal Government’s efforts and urged Nigerians not to lose confidence in the administration.
He has also publicly praised Tinubu’s leadership and economic policies, urged Nigerians to support the Renewed Hope Agenda and spoken favourably about the President’s performance.
There is even a 2024 report in which Adegbite was described as a self-confessed family friend of the Tinubu family.
Again, none of these things is a crime.
Let me be very clear about that.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with a bishop supporting a President.
There is nothing wrong with him believing that Tinubu is doing a good job.
There is nothing wrong with him defending the government when he believes the government is being unfairly attacked.
But then we must apply the same principle in the other direction.
If Bishop Adegbite is going to question the motives of Catholic Bishops because they have criticised the Tinubu administration, we are entitled to ask questions about his own proximity to the same administration.
This is not about Catholic versus Methodist.
It is not about Yoruba versus Igbo, Hausa or any other ethnic identity.
It is about independence and credibility.
Because there is a very important difference between saying:
“I disagree with the Catholic Bishops.”
and saying:
“The Catholic Bishops are politically motivated and are against the government.”
The first is an opinion.
The second is an allegation.
And allegations require evidence.
If the Catholic Bishops have lied about insecurity, let Bishop Adegbite tell us precisely what they lied about.
If they exaggerated the suffering of Nigerians, show us where.
If their intervention was politically motivated, establish it.
If they have misrepresented the position of the Federal Government, correct them with facts.
But simply suggesting that they are against Tinubu because they have criticised his government is not a serious argument.
In a democracy, particularly one experiencing the kind of security, economic and social difficulties Nigeria is experiencing, religious leaders do not surrender their moral responsibility simply because a particular government is in power.
The Catholic Bishops have every right to question the government.
Bishop Adegbite has every right to defend it.
But Nigerians have the right to examine both sides.
And here is where I find the attempt to throw the Catholic Bishops under the bus particularly troubling.
A government-appointed Christian leader who also serves as the Chaplain of the Aso Rock Villa is publicly defending the government while portraying other Christian leaders who criticise that government as politically motivated.
That doesn’t make him wrong.
But surely, it makes his position deserving of scrutiny.
And I think this is where we have got our democracy completely wrong.
We have become so accustomed to partisan politics that we now seem to believe that anybody who criticises government must be an enemy of government, while anybody who praises government must be patriotic.
No.
That is not how democracy works.
A government should be able to survive criticism.
A President should be able to hear uncomfortable truths.
And religious leaders should be able to speak truth to power without being required to obtain clearance from the Presidency.
I would have no problem with Bishop Adegbite praising Tinubu today if he believes Tinubu deserves praise.
But I would be much more impressed if tomorrow, when Tinubu gets something fundamentally wrong, he can stand before that same government and say:
“Mr President, on this matter, you are wrong.”
That is where moral authority is tested.
Not when you praise the powerful.
When you have the courage to correct them.
And this is why I am less interested in the denomination of the bishops involved and much more interested in the substance of what they are saying.
If the Catholic Bishops are wrong, challenge their facts.
If they are right, fix the problem.
But please, don’t attempt to discredit the messenger simply because you disagree with the message.
Nigeria has suffered enough from a political culture where loyalty to individuals has become more important than loyalty to truth.
We cannot allow that culture to enter the Church.
Because the Church should not be a government department.
It should not be an opposition party either.
It should be the conscience of society.
And that conscience must remain independent, whether the occupant of Aso Rock is Bola Tinubu, Muhammadu Buhari, Goodluck Jonathan, or anyone else.
So before we accept Bishop Adegbite’s attempt to paint the Catholic Bishops as enemies of the Tinubu administration, let us ask ourselves a much more fundamental question:
Are the Catholic Bishops really the problem because they criticised the government, or are we simply uncomfortable with anyone who refuses to tell power what it wants to hear?
That, for me, is the real issue.
And as someone in the opposition, I will readily admit my interest in this debate.
I want this government questioned. I want it scrutinised. I want its claims tested.
But even beyond partisan politics, I want every Nigerian, including our bishops and other religious leaders, to retain the courage to speak truth to power.
Because when a government becomes so comfortable that even the pulpit begins defending it from legitimate criticism, we should all become concerned.
