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The elevation of Peter Ebere Okpaleke, the Catholic Bishop of Ekwulobia Diocese, in Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State, to a cardinal is very significant in so many ways. We also acknowledge its symbolism. It is a typical example of a rejected stone becoming the cornerstone of the house. It is also a confirmation of the saying that God’s time is the best. As soon as the Catholic Pontiff, Pope Francis, swore him and 20 other new cardinals in, at St Peter’s Square in Rome on August 27, 2022, the joy that trailed it reverberated across Anambra State, the South East region and the entire country. Among the new cardinals, only two are from Africa. Okpaleke is the only Nigerian.
Born on March 1, 1963, at Amesi in Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State, Okpaleke went to Uga Boys’ Secondary School, Uga in Anambra State. He later studied Philosophy at Bigard Memorial Seminary, now St. Joseph Major Seminary, Ikot Ekpene, between 1983 and 1987. He also attended Bigard Memorial Seminary Enugu where he studied Theology between 1988 and 1992. He also studied Canon Law at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome. He was ordained a priest on August 22, 1992. He was parish priest of different parishes, Awka Diocesan chancellor and finance administrator as well as the chaplain of St. Joseph the Worker Chaplaincy, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka. He was first appointed the Bishop of Ahiara Diocese in Mbaise, Imo State, in December 2012 and consecrated in May 2013.
Unfortunately, both the clergy and the lay faithful in the Ahiara Diocese vehemently rejected him simply because he is not an indigene of the area and cannot speak the Mbaise dialect of Igbo language. Beyond these mundane considerations and aggression, they locked him out of the cathedral and left him utterly stranded. This alarmed many Catholic faithful across the country who expressed concern over the strange development which was hitherto unknown in the church. Despite the humiliation and undue attacks on his person, Peter Okpaleke persevered and was not known to have publicly expressed any ill-feeling against his traducers. When the hostility became unbearable, he resigned as the Bishop of Ahiara Diocese in February 2018. Pope Francis accepted his resignation and later appointed him the first Bishop of the newly created Diocese of Ekwulobia in 2020.
Okpaleke’s appointment as a cardinal has made him one of the four living privileged Nigerians to reach that height. In fact, he remains the youngest and only active Cardinal in Nigeria. Cardinal Francis Arinze is almost 90 and is not based in Nigeria. The other cardinals are retired. They are Cardinals Anthony Okogie and John Onaiyekan. The first Nigerian Cardinal, Dominic Ekandem, died in 1995.
Okpaleke’s elevation is a product of humility, patience, perseverance and can-do spirit. He is quite brilliant, humble and exceptional. As a cardinal, he is among those who will elect a new Pope at the end of the reign of the current Pontiff. He too can also be elected a Pope. The lesson for other men of God and indeed other Nigerian leaders is to be humble and steadfast in whatever they do. They should be truthful to the people they lead and love every section of the country equally despite the odds.
For many Nigerians, Okpaleke’s elevation is good news amidst the plethora of crisis bedevilling the country. Hence, it has been commendation galore for him. Anambra State Governor, Professor Chukwuma Charles Soludo, who led a delegation of some Anambra citizens to the occasion, extolled the virtues of the cardinal. He expressed joy that His Eminence is from Anambra and prayed God to grant him more strength, sound health and wisdom to excel in his new assignment in the vineyard of God.
The Apex Igbo socio-cultural group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, also spoke highly of Okpaleke. Describing his elevation as a big lesson to humanity, the group, in a statement by the National President of Ohanaeze Youth Council, Okwu Nnabuike, said they were happy because his elevation was one that came with huge moral lessons to everyone who followed the crisis that trailed his Episcopal ordination and posting to Ahiara Diocese.
“While we may not dwell on that controversy, we are concerned with the moral lesson therein, which is that man’s rejection does not represent God’s plan,” the group said. They added that Okpaleke’s elevation should serve as a source of encouragement to every Igbo man aspiring to achieve one thing or the other in life.
While Nigerians expect so much from the new cardinal, we join other well-meaning Nigerians to congratulate him on his elevation. He should continue to stand on the pedestal of truth, love and justice for all. We wish him well and urge him to use his position to bring positive changes to the faith and to Nigeria.
