“Our problems are self-inflicted”: Cardinal Onaiyekan on Nigeria’s Deepening Crisis

Makurdi, 02 February, 2026 / 12:08 AM

John Cardinal Onaiyekan has described Nigeria’s deepening social, political, and economic crisis as the result of deliberate human actions rather than fate or external forces. 

In an interview with ACI Africa on the sidelines of the celebration marking his 82nd birthday on January 31, Cardinal Onaiyekan stated that Nigeria’s predicament is driven by selfishness, dishonesty, and lack of wisdom. 

“Our problems in the country are self-inflicted. They are self-inflicted because people are selfish, people are dishonest, and people are not wise,” Cardinal Onaiyekan told ACI Africa.

According to the Nigerian Cardinal, the failure to recognize shared humanity and responsibility has deepened inequality, insecurity, and mistrust across the country.

He said genuine happiness cannot be achieved in isolation, warning leaders who enrich themselves at the expense of society that they are undermining the very environment in which they hope to thrive. 

“You can’t be happy alone,” Cardinal Onaiyekan said, adding that no amount of wealth can “compensate for a society filled with anger, poverty, and despair.”

He expressed concern that politics in Nigeria has drifted away from service into a struggle for power and access to national resources. 

“Who is thinking about the people? Who is thinking about the poor? Who is thinking about the future?” the Nigerian Cardinal posed, describing the situation as “very sad.”

On Nigeria’s electoral process, the Cardinal condemned the widespread acceptance of rigging as normal. 

Recalling the 2023 general elections, he said irregularities were obvious.

“Everybody saw that there was rigging happening,” the Archbishop Emeritus of Nigeria’s Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja said, accusing institutions meant to defend democracy of pretending not to see what was evident.

Cardinal Onaiyekan lamented that Nigerians’ choices are already restricted by political parties that impose candidates.

“Our choice has been considerably limited by the fact that the political system leaves the choice of candidates in the hands of politicians. So at the end of the day, I really have to say, who is going to be the candidate? It's all within the clique of politicians,” he said.

He faulted the billions spent on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), describing the institution as ineffective in its current form. 

“We have a new INEC chairman. He's even from a few kilometres from my town. I don't know him personally, but I'm sure he knows me. I've contacted him, but I've never been able to talk with him. Is there going to be any change? We have changed the INEC chairman. Have we changed the INEC system? That is the problem. If we don't do all that, we shall be suffering from our self-inflicted wounds,” Cardinal Onaiyekan said.

Lamenting inequality in Africa’s most populous nation, the Catholic Church leader frowned at a society where hard work often goes unrewarded while others prosper effortlessly.

“It seems to be the order of the day in Nigeria now that people are working hard and getting very little,” he said, urging those who enjoy material success to recognise God’s hand in their fortunes and reach out to the less privileged in society.

Reflecting on life at 82, the Archbishop emeritus of Nigeria’s Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja said ageing has taught him to value each day as a gift.

“When I go to sleep, and I wake up in the morning, hey, here’s another day for me,” he said.

He added, “I’m not in a hurry to die. I will not kill myself. But I’m not afraid to go. My boarding pass is ready… the destination is paradise. Direct flight, non-stop.”  

Cardinal Onaiyekan also used the occasion to caution religious leaders against pride and self-glorification, reminding them that all gifts come from God. Quoting Saint Paul, he asked, “What is it that you have that has not been given to you?”