Emmanuel Onwubiko
ROMAN Catholicism is deeply rooted in southern Kaduna state which is the mainstay of Christianity in Kaduna state.The catholic church from the word go right from the earliest interactions with the locals during the days of colonization and decolonization of Nigeria, has been a household name in much of southern Kaduna notably for been strong in the area of running efficient schools and hospitals.
The entire southern Kaduna comes under the guidance of the diocese of Kafanchan which is found in Jema’a local government area of Kaduna state and home to millions of people of divergent ethnic origins.
The indigenous natives of southern Kaduna have also embraced the Roman catholic church because of its holistic liberating tendencies in the areas of mass but qualitative education of the locals at minimal or no cost and affordable quality hospital services. The Roman Catholic Church has also made massive constructive impacts in the area of vocational skills training for the rural youths. The Church seems to have realized on time that it is better to teach the poor man how to fish than to give him fish. Almost all the mission schools have well equipped vocational training departments to make the beneficiaries to become creators of wealth and not just gainfully employed but to become employers of labour.
When yours faithfully grew up in Kafanchan, there were numerous schools and hospitals which were established by the Roman catholic church just as we came to realize that some of these iconic schools such as the Saint Peter Clever school and many other missionary schools which were set up by the catholic church at huge costs were taken over by the government. Most of us however drank from the fountains of wisdom erected by the Roman Catholic Church through its foray into the education sector.
By all accounts, Kafanchan and southern Kaduna are strategic in the annals of our national history just as these towns in southern Kaduna such as Kafanchan, Kwoi, Kagoro, Zango Kataf, Saminaka, Kachia and numerous others have been home to millions of Nigerians from mostly the southern parts of the country and from the far north of Nigeria because of the remarkable virtue of hospitality of the indigenous natives. Many persons from far flung towns have had the privileges of gaining qualitative but virtually free primary and post primary education in southern Kaduna.
The combination of the triple social services of education, health and evangelization adopted and enforced and reinforced by the Roman catholic church are to be applauded because it is a fact that a healthy mind can only be attained through very conscious efforts to thoroughly educate the young minds and provide qualitative healthcare to the population because only the living can praise God.
The above summarizes the symbolic and strategic value of the event that had only just taken place in Kafanchan few days back which is the inauguration of the second ever head of the Roman Catholic Church in Kafanchan diocese. It would seem that the Holy See took a whole lot of time in search of a capable hand to step into the phenomenal shoe of the first bishop of Kafanchan who died only about two years back by name Bishop Joseph Bagobiri.
Bagobiri who was the first bishop of Kafanchan left a lot of milestones and it would appear that the late bishop embraced educational empowerment of his people as his primary mission which explains the successes he recorded in the establishment of many top quality schools of both primary and post primary. Another remarkable achievement of the late bishop Bagobiri of Kafanchan was the monumental investments he made in the area of spiritual and academic upgrading of his pastors which is why Kafanchan diocese can be likened to the academic capital of the Roman Catholic Church in Northern Nigeria.
Bishop Bagobiri of the blessed memory was also very outspoken and was always there to speak for social justice; security and sustainable development of the people of southern Kaduna. His death brought huge pains to millions of people and for a ling time this powerful voice that echoes social justice as an essential ingredient for social peace will be missed. The good thing however is that the thorough search for the next bishop of Kafanchan has yielded a very big result in such a way that Kafanchan diocese now has a good shepherd who is capable of defending his people and leading them to the path of righteousness.
The election of Monsignor Julius Yakubu Kundi, my classmate at the Kafanchan Teacher’s College as the new bishop of Kafanchan diocese did not come as a shock to people going by his formidable profile that he has built over the years for himself. That he even wore a papal title of a Monsignor before his elevation to the Bishopric is a testament to his high level of passion for the gospels of Christ Jesus and his undying zeal and dedication to evangelize the people of God and lead them towards the path of goodness in all realms of human pursuits. The soft spoken bishop has a very wonderful objective which goes as follows: “To win snore souls for Christ as his minister by demonstrating pastoral excellence and moral uprightness in my vocation in order to achieve this goal.” These are the qualities that every Bishop should have in a rapidly evolving World. Born on February 15th 1968 (a day after Saint Valentine’s Day), in Kubau local government area of Kaduna state, he became a deacon on September 21st 1996 and was ordained a priest on June 14th 1997 at the Saint Joseph cathedral Kaduna by Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano.
In August 2005 – June 2006: he was educated at the Catholic Institute of West Africa Port Harcourt, (STL, Moral Theology, CIWA, PORT HARCOURT) and in August 2003 – June 2005: he was at the Catholic Institute of West Africa, Port Harcourt.(M.TH, Moral Theology, UNICAL). In August 1992 – June 1996: he enrolled at the St. Augustine’s Major Seminary, Jos. (DIP. REL. STUDIES, UNIBADAN, B.TH. ,UNIJOS) and between August 1988 – 1991: be was at the St. Thomas Aquinas Major Seminary, Makurdi (Internal Dip. in Philosophy). His projects/long essays include Biblical Fundamentalism: Challenges and Dangers In Christendom; Thesis submitted, Jos, 1996; The Impact of Ion Christian families in Zaria Diocese, Nigeria: A Moral Evaluation.
Onwubiko is the Head of the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria