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From Stanley Uzoaru, Owerri
The Deputy National Leader, Southeast, of Renewed Hope for Greater Nigeria (RHGN), Mazi Franklin Ngoforo, has defended President Bola Tinubu’s administration, arguing that the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) does not present the full picture of what he described as the country’s genuine recovery.
Ngoforo, who stated this while receiving clerics and members of the Apostolic Church of God, led by Pastor Ephraim Onwumere, on a courtesy visit.
The meeting came days after Cardinal John Onaiyekan, Archbishop Emeritus of Abuja, disclosed on Arise News, that President Tinubu disagreed with the bishops’ assessment of the economy and security during their visit to the State House. The revelation has since sparked heated debate between defenders of the church and the government.
Ngoforo said the bishops, under the leadership of Archbishop Matthew Ndagoso, were within their rights to raise concerns about insecurity, economic hardship, and governance.
He described President Tinubu, a Muslim, as one of the greatest defenders of religious freedom in Nigeria’s history, and commended the CBCN for its moral role. However, he maintained that the bishops’ submission did not capture the progress being made. He urged the church to exercise patience, calling it a Christian virtue it consistently teaches its congregations.
On the economy, Ngoforo pointed to what he called widespread commendation of the administration’s fiscal policy. He said the monetary environment is steadily recovering from shocks inherited from the previous administration.
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He defended the removal of the fuel subsidy, which he said past governments avoided for political reasons, noting that it has freed resources now being deployed to infrastructure across states.
He acknowledged that reforms of this magnitude come with early hardship, but insisted the worst days of adjustment are over. He listed health, education, infrastructure, and foreign policy as sectors already recording progress.
On security, Ngoforo conceded that breaches still occur, but said the government responds with urgency. He cited the rescue of 44 pupils and teachers kidnapped in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State as evidence, saying the operation was intelligence-led and carried out by the Nigerian Army and other agencies without ransom payment.
He also pointed to the proposed state police initiative, which he said is at its final stage, as proof of a long-term plan to address the security architecture.
Ngoforo described the situation in the Southeast as the most compelling example of improvement, saying normal business and social life have returned to almost every part of the zone after years of killings and kidnappings.
The RHGN chief appealed to the church to continue praying for and supporting the administration. He urged clerics to remind their congregations of where Nigeria was before Tinubu assumed office and the direction the country is now headed. He said the support of the church is vital in helping Nigerians understand the rationale behind what he called difficult but necessary reforms.
Responding, Pastor Onwumere assured that the Apostolic Church of God would continue to intercede for President Tinubu, stating that “all power belongs to God.”
