His Grace, Rev Dr Ignatius Ayau Kaigama, a Nigerian prelate of the Catholic Church, less than three months after assuming office as the Coadjutor of the Archdiocese of Abuja, has been confirm by The Holy Father, Pope Francis, as the Local Ordinary of the Archdiocese to succeed His Eminence, John Cardinal Onaiyekan who retires at the mandatory age of 75. Until his new office, His Grace was the Archbishop of the Metropolitan See of Jos.

He becomes the third to occupy that office after the pioneer, His Eminence, Dominic Cardinal Ekandem and his immediate predecessor, John Cardinal Onaiyekan. His choice is not altogether surprising given the fact that the federal capital city’s strategic location as the nation’s political capital rubs off on the office of the Archbishop who is perceived as the leader of millions of Catholic faithful in Nigeria. To some extent, whoever occupies that office in the church in Nigeria is expected to interface with the government on issues that are likely to affect the church and its members.

Archbishop Kaigama, before Jos and now Abuja, had garnered episcopal experience at Jalingo where he shepherded the Catholic flock from 1995-2000. That part of the country is a hotbed of communal clashes and he is known to have played key roles in bringing about peace. It is the kind of role Onaiyekan played in the heady days of the emergence of Boko Haram. He was involved in promoting mutual understanding between Christians and Muslims. After the riots in Jos in January 2010, he calmed the situation and clarified the conflict in the international press.

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That pacific credential may have influenced his choice. However, that is not to remove anything from his vocational abilities and competences which had held him in good stead all of 38 years in the Lord’s vineyard, 24 of which were in episcopal capacity.

Archbishop Kaigama was, at various times, the president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria, president of the Episcopal Conference of West African Catholic Bishops as well as the chairman of the Plateau State-convened Interreligious Committee for Peace. On July 25, 2012, Pope Benedict XVI named Archbishop Kaigama a member of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelisation.

In 2014, the Catholic Bishops Conference in Nigeria under his presidency supported the legislation to make same-sex marriage a crime. The Conference described the move as a “courageous act” and a “step in the right direction”. The Archbishop argued then that the action was “in line with the moral and ethical values of Nigerian and African cultures.

Also, he has been unequivocal in his condemnation of foreign aid programmes that place a disproportionate emphasis on contraception. Consistently, the Archbishop has pricked the conscience of those donor agencies who design a policy of quid pro quo which demands that Africa decreases her population as a condition for further aid. Archbishop Kaigama has not hidden his disgust at those foreign policies which are not satisfied with the calamity of children dying in infancy, in inter-tribal wars and diseases, and pushing for a decrease in African population as a condition for economic help. Lamenting, he said, “We want food, we want education, we want good roads, healthcare. We are being given the wrong things and we are being asked to accept, simply because we are poor.”

Such is the outspokenness of the new Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, the ability to speak truth to power.

Archbishop Kaigama was born in Kona, Taraba, on July 31, 1958. He studied for the priesthood at St. Augustine’s Seminary in Jos and was ordained a priest on June 6, 1981. At the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, he earned a doctorate in theology in 1991.

Pope John Paul II appointed him bishop of the newly established Roman Catholic Diocese of Jalingo on February 3 1994. He was consecrated on April 23, 1995. On May 18, 2000, Pope John Paul “named then Bishop Kaigama to succeed His Grace, Rev. Dr Gabriel Gonsum Ganaka as Archbishop of Jos. Pope Francis named him Archbishop Coadjutor of Abuja on March 11, 2019 and he became Archbishop of Abuja when Pope Francis accepted the retirement of his predecessor, Cardinal Onaiyekan on November 9, 2019 after years of quality religious leadership in the country.

As His Grace, Rev Dr Ignatius Kaigama assumes office, this newspaper joins his flock in praying for him because many look up to him for spiritual guidance in these troubled times. We are gratified that with his experience over the years, he is immensely endowed to deliver on his mandate of leading God’s people home safely.