A Catholic priest of the Abuja Archdiocese, Rev. Fr. John Chinenye Oluoma, popularly known as Fada Oluoma, has criticised presidential media aides, including Daniel Bwala and Bayo Onanuga, over their response to comments made by Cardinal John Onaiyekan on Nigeria’s economic situation.
In a Facebook post on Sunday, Oluoma accused the presidential aides of resorting to personal attacks instead of engaging with the substance of the cardinal’s remarks.
The controversy followed comments made by Cardinal Onaiyekan during an interview on Arise Television, where he stated that many Nigerians were experiencing economic hardship despite the Federal Government’s positive assessment of the economy.
According to Oluoma, the cardinal merely expressed the reality facing many citizens and did not deserve the backlash that followed.
He criticised one of the President’s media aides for accusing Onaiyekan of bias and unethical conduct, describing the response as unnecessary and inflammatory.
“The first problem is with the president’s media aide who escalated this by accusing the Cardinal of bias and unethical behavior. That’s totally unnecessary and provocative. Then characters like Daniel Bwala took the campaign of calumny against the Cardinal to insane level.
“I don’t know why media aides to presidents in this country think their job is to behave like attack dogs,” Oluoma said.
The priest argued that government officials should have responded by presenting facts and economic data to support the administration’s position rather than attacking the messenger.
“I expected Bayo Onanuga and his cohorts to respectfully and intelligently disagree with whatever the Cardinal said that they didn’t like.
“All they needed do is explain how ‘rosy’ the economy has become or is becoming under Tinubu. Just reel out the macro and micro indices that support your position on the economy and allow Nigerians to judge. Bantering the cleric for saying what is OBVIOUS does your government no good,” he added.
Oluoma maintained that ordinary Nigerians judge the economy by the cost of essential goods and the realities they face daily, noting that many citizens continue to struggle with rising living costs.
While acknowledging that President Bola Tinubu’s administration has embarked on structural reforms that could deliver long-term benefits, he said such efforts should not be used to downplay the immediate economic hardship confronting Nigerians.
The priest also defended the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) and Cardinal Onaiyekan, stating that the Church has consistently spoken out on issues affecting citizens, regardless of which administration is in power.
