₦airaland Forum

John Onaiyekan, a cardinal and former Catholic archbishop of Abuja, says President Bola Tinubu’s re-election prospects in a free and fair election would be jeopardised if he continues with his current policies.

Onaiyekan spoke in Abuja on Wednesday during an interview with journalists after participating in the communication week public lecture organised by the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria (CSN).

The cardinal pointed out the disconnect between the government and the people, stressing the need for the president to understand the everyday struggles of the ordinary Nigerians.

“My advice for Mr. President is to find ways and means of finding out what Nigeria is actually going through,” Onaiyekan said.

“Not those around him who are always praising him to the skies. They should find out. It is the job of every leader now.

“I’m not telling him to go and live in Mpape for two days, which would not be a bad idea. But he should be able to know how the people in Mpape are surviving. He should also know how families are managing with N30,000 salary a day.

“Since it is the people that he should serve, he should do more to raise the level of well-being of Nigerians.

“I don’t think we are unfair to the government if we say that in the last two years, our level of well-being has crashed considerably. The government may say it’s not their fault.

“They may say they have done their best. But the government is there to make sure that that does not happen. The government is there to make sure that at least the level of well-being of Nigerians is maintained and, if possible, improved.

“And I think it is a good time. Two years is halfway through for him to at least try and do that.

“If he changes gear in that regard and takes policies that really target the poor people of Nigeria, they will remember him forever.

“But if he continues like this for the rest of his term, if we have a free and fair election, he will not win. Because how can the country bring him back if we are not feeling good?

“Obviously, if they are not waiting for us to vote and they already made up their mind, if we win, okay, we praise the nation; we will continue. Going down, going down.”

He said the president should govern the country well and make it liveable for the ordinary Nigerian.

“We are still 250 million of us here in this country. We are struggling, and we shall win, we shall win. So, I’m hoping that the people around Mr. President will give him that advice,” Onaiyekan said.

“The elections were over two years ago. He doesn’t have to worry again whether he won the election or not. The Supreme Court said he won, so we have agreed now.

“We have agreed that he won. This is what the Supreme Court said, we have nowhere else to go. Now he should just govern, make life as liveable as possible for Nigerians, deal with security everywhere, improve the economic level of our people, and fight corruption.

helinues:


Sentiments would rent the air. I am yet to see which story the coalition/coercion will tell Nigerians that they would buy.

They have only be talking about taking power without talking about their plans. One is even saying he can fix the decades rot in Nigeria within 2 years, how? He never explained .

AMINDA:
What decades rot? Nigeria has seen more rot in 2 years than it saw in a decade while Tinubu and his elite political class continue to live extravagantly. Does he also need decades to fix the so-called decades rot?

"My advice for Mr. President is to find ways and means of finding out what Nigeria is actually going through," Onaiyekan said.

emkz:
I agree.

After criticizing, offer solutions.

Many of those who enjoy criticizing lack the brainpower to offer solutions.

Maxymilliano:
https://www.thecable.ng/tinubu-must-change-his-policies-he-wont-win-next-election-if-its-free-and-fair-says-onaiyekan/?fbclid=IwQ0xDSwKkxX9jbGNrAqTFf2V4dG4DYWVtAjExAAEeu4XHCrb9oA1DdQx5iexB0-mN7nP_ot8cudxRFyogmcYu3jvqh9n9eVoGQFk_aem_p3YEeBBcl-u9hC7oyHV3qw

helinues:
Those who can't manage ordinary their political party shouldn't be dreaming of being a Nigeria president.

The top leaders of the coalition can't even say they are the one in charge of their party. That's an early sign of weak leadership . If you can't manage ordinary your party, how can you manage complicated Nigeria?

Free, fair and credible election in 2027 would add to president Tinubu's legacies. The projects would do the easy campaign

Jostoman:
free and fair election?

AMINDA:
All he knows is politics, not governance. And his style of politics is the shady kind with lots of dirty, underhanded tactics, nothing inspirational. The Tinubu that was sold to Nigerians is not who he has turned out to be.

If the APC government plans to rig the 2027 election, they should jettison it and earnestly begin to work for the people. With the kind of anger brewing against him across the length and breadth of the nation, rigging would be resisted. His latest strategy is to scuttle all political parties so he can run unopposed but the people will find an alternative.

helinues:
Are you people in the opposition afraid of it?

President Tinubu want to add that to his records

helinues:


Sentiments would rent the air. I am yet to see which story the coalition/coercion will tell Nigerians that they would buy.

They have only be talking about taking power without talking about their plans. One is even saying he can fix the decades rot in Nigeria within 2 years, how? He never explained .