A Catholic priest, Fr. Ugochukwu Ugwoke, has faulted Bola Tinubu’s government and his aides over a purported Catholic Youth Organization of Nigeria (CYON) letter circulating online, accusing those behind the document of using a fake statement to counter Cardinal John Onaiyekan’s remarks on national issues.
The disputed letter, which surfaced on social media, was presented as an open letter from the Catholic youth body, urging Church leaders to exercise caution when commenting on partisan political issues ahead of the 2027 general elections. It also claimed that no individual cleric speaks for all Nigerian Catholics on political choices.
Fr. Ugwoke described it as lacking authenticity, pointing to what he called several obvious errors in the letterhead, structure and content that cast doubt on its origin.
The priest noted that the document wrongly identified the organisation as the “Catholic Youth Association of Nigeria (CYAN)” instead of the official Catholic Youth Organization of Nigeria (CYON), describing the mistake as one of the major signs that the letter was not genuine.
He also faulted the motto displayed on the letterhead, saying the official CYON motto is “Let Your Light Shine” and not “Christ Our Light” as contained in the disputed document.
Fr. Ugwoke further explained that official national correspondence from CYON would normally carry the signatures of key officers, including the National President, National Secretary and National Chaplain, rather than being signed by a single individual claiming to represent the “National Executive Council.”
According to him, the use of “National Executive Council” in the document also appeared inconsistent with the established structure of a Catholic lay organisation, noting that the expression sounded more like a government administrative structure.
The controversy comes amid reactions to comments by Cardinal John Onaiyekan following his meeting with Bola Ahmed Tinubu and members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), where issues including economic hardship, insecurity and governance were reportedly discussed.
Fr. Ugwoke maintained that the Catholic Church has the right and responsibility to speak on matters affecting the common good without becoming partisan. He warned against the misuse of Catholic organisations’ names to spread misinformation, stressing that truth remains important in public discourse.
As of the time of filing this report, there was no official confirmation from the national leadership of CYON that it authored or approved the disputed letter, while Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s government and his aides had not responded to the allegations.
