Nigerian Catholic Archbishop Bemoans Bullying on Social Media after Meeting President amid Persecution of Christians

On November 4, Archbishop Kaigama met with President Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Aso Villa, for private discussions.

A Facebook user, questioning the timing of the meeting, wrote, “People want safety, not statements. Justice, not diplomatic grammar. Lives protected, not explained away.”

In his homily, Archbishop Kaigama found it unfair that he had been “pronounced guilty” without evidence.

“They never asked me what we discussed, but just concluded and, without any evidence, pronounced me guilty of backing the government and not defending the Christians,” he added.

Archbishop Kaigama disclosed that in the past two years, he has sought a private audience with the President on three occasions whenever issues affecting Nigerians required his personal intervention as the Archbishop of Abuja.

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“Our conversation has been very private, and my suggestions to him are also private, and God knows it is for the good of the country,” he said.

The Archbishop underscored the importance of his long-standing service to the poor and the voiceless in Nigeria despite the social media users’ negative allegations.

He said, “For 44 years as a Priest, standing and working with and for the poor; condemning injustice and the taking of human life; calling to task the civil authorities on behalf of the jobless youths, now alleged on social media of not caring or condemning what is happening to Christians!”

Archbishop Kaigama highlighted several leadership roles he has held in defending human rights, including serving twice as President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) and as President of the Catholic Bishops of the entire West African region.

 “I know what I did in defence of life,” he emphasized.

He further recalled presenting a paper at the United Nations in 2019 on the topic, “Religious freedom: a new era for advocacy in response to a new age of challenges and threats”.

In his presentation, the Archbishop recalled, he focused on Nigeria and the violence perpetrated by religious fundamentalists that resulted in needless killings.

He said, “My work for almost twenty years in Jos in defence of the sacredness of life does not matter to the myopic social media critics in question. I thank God, however, who sees and judges not as we humans see and judge.”

Archbishop Kaigama said that he forgives those who are unaware of his work, but cautioned those who misuse social media platforms, saying, “Be careful. You will get into trouble someday when the law of defamation of character is pursued by those injured by your uncharitable and unedifying comments.”

Sabrine Amboka is a Kenyan journalist with a passion for Catholic church communication. She holds a bachelor’s degree in mass communication from St. Paul's University in Kenya.