AHIARA DIOCESE IN CROSSHAIRS: THE REAL STORIES …1 [EXCERPTS FROM A BOOK IN PRINT]

Preface: Eve of Ahiara Diocese crisis ...[i]

There is absolutely no doubt that the greatest tragedy to ever hit Mbaise land since January 1905 was the sudden death of Bishop Victor Adibe Chikwe on September 16, 2010. It would be recalled that the forces of the colonial masters, the British West Africa Volunteer Force, in January of 1905, committed heinous crimes in some pristine areas of pre-colonial Mbaise by massacring many innocent and unarmed civilians of the area in a pretended retaliation for the murder of a Briton known as Dr Roger Stewart. That singular genocidal event serves even till today as a watershed moment in the history of both pre- and post-colonial Mbaise peoples. That colonial genocide so to speak could be compared to a monstrous seismic event whose aftershocks are still felt throughout Mbaise land and beyond more than one hundred years after.

The death of Bishop Victor Chikwe marked yet another seismic event in Mbaise land. Its impact has been as devastating as the tragic deaths of so many pre-colonial Mbaise locals in the hands of invading colonial soldiers at the turn of the 20th century. As was perhaps the case in January of 1905, Bishop Chikwe’s death on September 16, 2010, happened at the most inauspicious time for the Mbaise people. It took place at a time Mbaise people thought they were beginning to glimpse some elements of modernity. Bishop Chikwe was the force charting the course of Mbaise people’s renaissance in the latter part of the twentieth century. With him as leader Mbaise people believed that they were well on their way towards shaking off completely some historical burdens and prejudices that had held them down for more than a century. As a result, Mbaise people kind of elevated the status of Bishop Chikwe to that of an Israelite Moses leading his people to the Promised Land. But when death struck him down so suddenly on that fateful Thursday in mid-September, it appeared as if the world had come to an end.

As in a real natural earthquake, Bishop Chikwe’s death had caught nearly everybody in Mbaise land by surprise. Hardly did anyone around Mbaise territory expect that such a thing had the possibility of happening to Mbaise people at that point in time. Even though many had known Bishop Chikwe to be sick for some time as he had been in and out of the hospitals especially during his summer vacations overseas, nobody expected that death was going to strike him down the time it did. And when the unthinkable eventually happened, the whole of Mbaise land was thrown into unimaginable confusion and convulsion. In fact, it could be said that with the death of Bishop Chikwe, the sun stood immovably still throughout the land of the Mbaise people.

As would be expected of such a sudden and unprepared tragic event, the initial reaction to the news of that death was chaos and unmitigated confusion. The entire diocese of Ahiara Mbaise - clergy and laity, was thrown into a state of chaotic desperation and uncontrollable mourning and lamentation. There was confusion regarding the chain of command, the continued survival of the diocese and its prospects for the future. The question on the lips of many was; who would step in to take charge of the beautiful Diocese of Ahiara Mbaise and make sure that everybody acted rationally in the face of such a jarring tragedy? The many canonists in Ahiara Diocese were shocked out of their wits and could no longer proffer a quick solution to a simple problem that was well envisaged in the book of Canon Law of the Catholic Church. Even the Nigerian bishops who were tucked away in the heart of south western part of Nigeria holding their September plenary CBCN meeting were thrown into utter confusion as the news of the sudden demise of one of their most respected members broke through into their rank and file.

But after the initial hiccups and confusion the entire Ahiara diocese settled down to deal with the monumental challenge of Bishop Chikwe’s death in the usual Mbaise manner. On their part, the Nigerian bishops stepped in and provided a clearer direction regarding funeral arrangements for their late member. Led by the newly installed administrator of the diocese, Msgr. Theophilus Nwalo, the faithful of Ahiara Diocese braced for the challenge of giving the heroic bishop the best funeral that was possible within the approved time frame of the diocese. The priests, religious and prominent lay leaders were immediately distributed into various committees for adequate preparation. October 7, 2010 was chosen as the date for the funeral.

A few among the Nigerian bishops wanted a date beyond that day but the priests of Ahiara Diocese insisted on October 7 as a mark of respect to Bishop Chikwe who made a rule and kept it faithfully to the end that every Catholic of the diocese must be buried within twenty one days of death. October 7, was the twenty first day of Bishop Chikwe’s death. And being the day for the celebration of the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary/Our Lady of Victory, Ahiara Diocese saw it as the most appropriate day to bury a holy man like Bishop Chikwe who throughout his life maintained a healthy devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Bishop Chikwe was always very fond of his Rosary.

That day of the funeral was a very bleak day throughout Mbaise land. Flags were flying at half-masts throughout Mbaise territory. At dawn solemn processions of Mbaise people in mourning garbs stretched from Holy Rosary Hospital Mortuary Ogbor Nguru to the Mater Ecclesiae Cathedral. Tearful Mbaise Catholics lined up the entire route of the funeral procession in mournful prayer mood. Many sang the song that a saint of God being the late Bishop Chikwe had been called back home by God. Unending lines of motorcades and ambulances blaring martial music filled the entire atmosphere. Businesses throughout Mbaise land shut their doors for business on that haloed day of the funeral. Banks and other establishments at Ahiara junction voluntarily closed shop to pay respect to the man who inspired and attracted the new wave of developments in Mbaise land.

The funeral ceremony at Mater Ecclesiae Cathedral was unlike anything that had been seen in Mbaise land before. The Nigerian Catholic bishops in their numbers filled the whole sanctuary. The Apostolic Nuncio to Nigeria, Archbishop Augustine Kasujja was in attendance and in a mournful mood too. Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama, President of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria [CBCN], was at the head of the ceremony as the chief celebrant. Most Rev AJV Obinna, Archbishop of Owerri Archdiocese and Metropolitan of the Owerri Ecclesiastical Province was the homilist. The priests in attendance both from within and outside Ahiara Diocese filled almost half of the five-thousand-capacity Cathedral. There were many bishops and clergy men and women in attendance from the other Christian denominations in Mbaise land and beyond. The special choir for the occasion made up of a consolidation of the different choirs in Mbaise land and beyond put up such a soulful performance that people felt that Bishop Chikwe was riding a wave of joyful music into the kingdom of heaven. Crowds of mourners filled the entire Mater Ecclesiae Cathedral premises and spilled over to the outlying roads around the Cathedral.

Towards the conclusion of the Eucharistic celebration and a little before the beginning of procession to the place of interment, it was announced that the Apostolic Nuncio, His Excellency, Archbishop Augustine Kasujja would be meeting with the various groups of Mbaise priests and laity the very next day being October 8, 2010. The groups he intended to meet separately with included the priests of Ahiara Diocese, the religious and the laity. Everybody looked forward to the meeting as an opportunity to chart the way forward for the newly orphaned Diocese of Ahiara.

At the meetings with the various groups of Ahiara Diocesan Catholics, Archbishop Kasujja condoled with the priests and laity of the diocese on the death of Bishop Chikwe. He lavished praises on the entire diocese for a well organized funeral ceremony. He described it as one of the best organized events he had attended since arriving in Nigeria some months earlier. The Nuncio made a subtle comparison of the magnificent organization recorded at Bishop Chikwe’s funeral with the disastrous celebration of Nigeria’s Golden Jubilee of her independence from Britain which he said he had participated in only a week earlier. He awarded Ahiara Diocese full marks for a wonderful organization of the funeral and a zero mark to the Nigerian government for the way she organized the Golden Jubilee celebration of her Independence Anniversary.

According to Archbishop Augustine Kasujja, the Nuncio, it could have done Nigeria a world of good if her leaders had recruited the people of Ahiara Diocese to help them organize the Golden Jubilee celebration of Nigeria’s Independence. The Nuncio said that the almost perfect organization of Bishop Chikwe’s funeral in Ahiara Diocese had kind of rescued the image of Nigeria in his mind from the disastrous organization that had marked the fiftieth anniversary of Nigeria’s Independence. He thanked the clergy and laity of Ahiara Diocese for recording such a feat.

On the reason why he had asked to meet with the various groups in Ahiara Diocese, Archbishop Augustine Kasujja said that he wanted to listen to the priests and lay people of the diocese on the type of a bishop they would want as a replacement for their dead bishop. According to him, it was important for him to get a first hand information from as many people as possible from Ahiara Diocese on the type of a bishop that would best suit the diocese following the sudden demise of Bishop Chikwe. He urged all the participants to speak freely to him on that topic.

As the Nuncio introduced the main topic for the meeting, many spoke freely on the type of a bishop that would best serve the diocese. There was consensus that Ahiara Diocese needed a bishop like their late bishop; a bishop that would continue the good work begun in her by Bishop Chikwe. Many speakers harped on the uniqueness of the diocese which they described as rural, homogenous and traditional in her attitude to Catholicism. Many spoke on the fact that what the diocese had needed was a simple and unassuming bishop who would treat the people humbly and charitably.

A few among the discussants at those meetings opined that since the late Bishop Chikwe shepherded the diocese for more than two decades, he had groomed Mbaise priests into his vision for the diocese. They insisted that it would be easier to find a bishop who would continue in the vision and philosophy of the late Bishop Chikwe from among the diocesan priests of Mbaise land than from elsewhere. As a result, the Nuncio was advised to look inwards in his recommendation to the Holy Father for a successor to Bishop Chikwe. He was informed that there were many capable priests in the diocese one of whom could be promoted to the rank of a bishop of the diocese. And it was such priests from within the diocese that would suit Ahiara Diocese more perfectly.

Over and over again, speaker after speaker urged the Nuncio to recognize the uniqueness of Ahiara Diocese and the talents that abounded in her so as to treat her accordingly. The whole thrust of the information given to the Nuncio on that day was to make sure that an Mbaise son was appointed the bishop of Ahiara Diocese to complete the great work begun by the late Bishop Chikwe.

Responding to the contributions the Nuncio said all the right things about making sure that whoever would be appointed the bishop of the diocese was the right person who could give the diocese what it needed most desperately, namely, humble and good leadership. He made firm promises to the effect that he would ensure that a priest from the Presbyterium of the diocese was made the new bishop of the diocese.

After meeting with the Presbyterium of Ahiara Diocese, the Nuncio would address both the Religious and the Laity of the diocese respectively. He would get the same demand for an indigenous bishop for Ahiara Diocese from the different groups he would speak to on that October 8 meetings. Every group harped on the need for the Nuncio to look inwards in his recommendation of a replacement for the late Bishop Chikwe. No group on that day had left him without adequate information on the type of a bishop Mbaise people would need in order to continue their stride towards progress that had been well begun by the industrious late Bishop Chikwe.

The Nuncio on his part gave assurances to the different groups that he had listened and understood the type of a bishop they would need for the diocese. Nearly everybody who had attended any of the meetings with the Nuncio came off with the impression that he understood perfectly the needs of the people along the line of appointing a new shepherd for the diocese. He on his part was very optimistic that a good bishop could be found from among Mbaise priests to fill the vacancy created by the death of Bishop Chikwe.

There was never any suggestion that he might eventually look beyond Mbaise in search of a bishop to replace Bishop Chikwe. That was almost unthinkable after that meeting. He assured and reassured everybody who attended that meeting that he was going to do the right thing for Ahiara Diocese. And the entire Ahiara Diocese left the meetings satisfied that they had made their point clear before the Nuncio who appeared to understand perfectly what their needs were.

To be continued…..