RismadarVoice Reporters, August 6, 2026
The Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Christian Pilgrim Commission (NCPC), Bishop Prof. Stephen Adegbite, has called on the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) to exercise moderation in the frequency of its meetings with President Bola Tinubu, emphasising that engagements between the Presidency and Christian leaders should reflect the diversity of the country’s Christian community.
Speaking during an interview on Wednesday, August 5, 2026, Adegbite acknowledged that religious leaders have every right to visit the President and described such interactions as both legitimate and beneficial. However, he expressed concern that the Catholic bishops had met with President Tinubu twice within a relatively short period.
He said, “Religious leaders have the right to visit the Presidency, and Mr President in particular, and that will not be the first time.
I think the Catholic bishops need to exercise some restraint, because in the last twelve months or thereabouts, that will be the second time they’ll be visiting Mr President.”
Adegbite explained that the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) consists of five major blocs, with the Catholic Church representing only one segment.
He noted that other groups, including the Christian Council of Nigeria (CCN), the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), the Organisation of African Instituted Churches (OAIC), and TEKAN/ECWA, also represent large numbers of Christians and should equally have opportunities to engage with the nation’s leadership.
According to the NCPC boss, interactions between religious organisations and government officials are an important part of national development.
Nevertheless, he argued that such engagements should be inclusive and reflect the broad composition of the Christian community to promote fairness, unity and mutual respect among the different church bodies.
His remarks come amid public discussions surrounding the recent visit of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria to President Tinubu at the Presidential Villa.
The meeting has generated widespread debate about the relationship between religious institutions and the federal government, as well as the need to ensure balanced representation in official engagements involving Christian leaders.
