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, accusing them of responding to criticism of President Bola Tinubu’s administration with personal attacks instead of reasoned engagement.
Oluoma made the remarks in a Facebook post on Sunday while reacting to the controversy surrounding comments by Cardinal John Onaiyekan on Nigeria’s economic situation following an interview on Arise Television.
According to the cleric, Cardinal Onaiyekan merely pointed out that many Nigerians are experiencing economic hardship, contrary to the Federal Government’s optimistic assessment of the economy.
He faulted the response of one of the President’s media aides, who accused the Cardinal of bias and unethical conduct, describing the reaction as unnecessary and provocative.
Oluoma specifically criticised Daniel Bwala, alleging that the presidential spokesman escalated the criticism of the Catholic cleric beyond reasonable limits.
He argued that presidential media aides should not act like attack dogs whenever the government is criticised but should instead engage critics with facts and informed arguments.
According to him, Bayo Onanuga and other presidential spokespersons should have responded by presenting clear macroeconomic and microeconomic indicators to support the administration’s claims about improvements in the economy, allowing Nigerians to assess the evidence for themselves.
The priest maintained that attacking the messenger rather than addressing the issues raised does little to improve public confidence in the government.
He added that many Nigerians judge the state of the economy by the rising cost of food and other essential commodities, which directly affect their daily lives.
While acknowledging that the Tinubu administration has introduced structural reforms that could deliver long term benefits, Oluoma stressed that such measures should not be used to dismiss the immediate economic hardship being experienced by citizens.
He also defended the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria and Cardinal Onaiyekan, noting that they have consistently spoken out on issues affecting the welfare of Nigerians under successive administrations, regardless of which party was in power.
