John Cardinal Onaiyekan spoke a bit too much, by Rotimi Fasan

A television interview granted by Archbishop Emeritus of Abuja, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, to Arise News has ignited a storm of controversy following the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria’s visit to President Bola Tinubu. The Cardinal detailed their discussions with the president, an act some observers believe was an attempt to stir the hornet's nest.

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It was an unusual behaviour that goes against the grain of similar visits by other clerics, Muslim or Christian, in the past.

Critics suggest Onaiyekan's detailed analysis of the president's body language and facial expressions during the meeting was unnecessary and possibly driven by a desire to sensationalize the event. This behavior is considered unusual, diverging from the typical approach of religious leaders meeting with the president. While supporters frame it as "speaking truth to power," others question the necessity of such a public disclosure, especially when both the presidency and the bishops' conference had already provided their accounts.

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For Onaiyekan, others have been telling the president what he wanted to hear rather than what he ought to be told.

The presidency released footage of the meeting, while the bishops' conference issued a printed speech by its President, Archbishop Matthew Man-Oso Ndagoso. The article questions why Cardinal Onaiyekan felt the need to conduct a television interview that has now overshadowed the purpose and impact of the bishops' visit. It suggests that if the visit was not intended to be confidential, a direct media engagement by the conference leadership might have been more appropriate than an individual's detailed commentary.

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Why then was it necessary for Cardinal Onaiyekan to do a television interview that has now spiraled into a controversy that has cast a shadow over the bishops’ visit and its purpose?