Senator representing Abia North, Orji Uzor Kalu, has said members of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) gave President Bola Ahmed Tinubu a truthful account of the country’s situation during their recent meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The former Abia State governor, who spoke in a viral video, maintained that the economic hardship and insecurity affecting Nigerians were not caused by Tinubu, arguing that some politicians often present the President with a misleading picture of developments across the country.

The Catholic bishops had, during their meeting with Tinubu, raised concerns over the nation’s economic conditions, security challenges and political atmosphere.

After the meeting, the Archbishop Emeritus of the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja, Cardinal John Onaiyekan, revealed that Tinubu disagreed with the bishops’ position, insisting that his administration remained on the right path.

Reacting to the outcome of the meeting, Kalu described the Catholic bishops as the nation’s conscience, saying they always offer objective advice in the country’s interest.

“The Catholic bishops are the conscience of the country and once they give advice, their advice is not for or against; it’s just for any sitting President to see things the way it should be,” he said.

Kalu said the bishops clearly understood the realities confronting Nigerians, while insisting that the country’s current challenges should not be blamed on Tinubu.

“The Catholic bishops are aware of the situation in the country. There are real difficulties in Nigeria, but they are not President Tinubu’s fault,” Kalu said.

He further praised the engagement between the bishops and the President, saying it gave Tinubu an honest assessment of the situation across the country.

“The Catholic bishops’ visit to President Tinubu is a good one. I support it because they are telling him the way it is,” he said.

Kalu also alleged that politicians sometimes fail to give the President an accurate account of conditions in the country, unlike the bishops.

“It promotes the President to work harder because the Catholic bishops are just telling him the way it is. Even if politicians are lying to him that things are good everywhere, they can never say that.

“Even if we politicians can lie to him, the bishops will tell him the truth about the current reality of the country.” (Nigerian Tribune)