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From Uchenna Inya, Abakaliki
The atmosphere in Ebonyi State was very interesting on May 13, when the remains of late Peter Nworie Chukwu, the Catholic bishop of Abakaliki diocese was committed to the mother earth.
It was a day of mourning for the catholic faithful and the entire Ebonyi State and a day of reunion for political leaders in the South East who attended the burial ceremony held at the St. Theresa cathedral in Abakaliki, the state capital, to bid the deceased farewell.
Among the South East leaders that attended the ceremony is the National Democratic Party (NDC) 2027 presidential consensus candidate, Peter Obi, Governor Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi State and his Enugu State counterpart, Peter Mbah.
Others are former Senate President and former Secretary to the Government of the federation(SGF), Anyim Pius Anyim, former deputy governors within and outside the state, senators, House of Representatives members and many other government officials in the south east.
Obi, who arrived in the state for the burial ceremony at about 10am, was almost mobbed by the mammoth crowd when they noticed his presence at the ceremony but for the church security officials who were alive to their duties throughout the ceremony.
After the body of the late bishop was lowered to the grave inside the St. Theresa cathedral building, Obi, Nwifuru and Anyim, who escorted the body to the grave after the funeral service, were seen exchanging pleasantries and cracking jokes to the admiration of the crowd.
Pope Leo XIV, represented by the Papal Nuncio in Nigeria, Archbishop Michael Grotty, who was saddened by the death of the late bishop, condoled the clergy, religious and laity of the diocese of Abakaliki.
He said the years of the episcopal ministry of the late bishop was marked by pastoral outreach, formation of laity in the social doctrine of the church and strengthening of diocesan institutions.
According to him, the Pope said he was touched by the passing of the late bishop and prayed to God to repose his soul.
In his homily, the Catholic Archbishop of Owerri Ecclesiastical province, Luscious Ugorj, described Chukwu as a shepherd that was very close to his flock who left no one in doubt that he was a bishop with a listening ear and a heart that beats for his flock.
He further described the late bishop as an empathic pastor who made the joy and hope, the grief and anguish of his flock his own joy and hope, grief and anguish.
He stated: “To his work, Bishop Chukwu brought intelligence and wisdom, the spirit of enterprise and resourcefulness as well as his gifts of gentleness and good humour, a tireless prophetic voice, a strong voice of the voiceless, and active crusader for social justice.
“Bishop Chukwu also brought to his ministry courage, always fearlessly speaking truth to power in condemnation of social injustice, greed and graft.
“Above and beyond, he brought to his ministry, faith and love, humility and commitment, he lived true to his motto- ‘I’m totally yours,’ which is an expression of Marian spirituality and resolve to serve God and his flock with total dedication.
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“The spirit of total dedication was a driving force of his entire pastoral ministry as a bishop.”
In his tribute, the President Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), Most Rev. Mathew Man-Oso Ndagoso, described Chukwu, who until his death was Assistant Secretary of the Conference, as a true servant who embraced his pastoral duties with extraordinary blend of humility, courage and unwavering faith.
He said within the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria, the late bishop was a cherished voice of wisdom and fraternal charity which led to his election as the Assistant Secretary of the Conference.
Ndagoso said the Conference will miss Chukwu’s gentility, patience and timely words of encouragement.
“He never sought spotlight but his quiet, calm, competence and spirituality made him a pillar amongst us .The conference has indeed, lost a faithful collaborator,” he stated.
In his own tribute, Gov. Nwifuru lamented that Chukwu died when the state and Nigeria urgently yearn for leaders of his moral stature, spiritual depth and fearless disposition and a time when society battles erosion of value and morals, insecurity, economic uncertainties and weakening value systems. He said the late bishop represented an icon of hope, integrity and moral rebirth and that his departure was very painful and difficult to comprehend.
Nwifuru said: “Bishop Chukwu lived not for comfort, but for conviction. I say this because he was one of those rare servants of God whose voices echoed beyond the altar into the conscience of society.
“Our late Bishop stood for truth even when truth became unpopular. He defended justice even when injustice appeared powerful. And he remained courageous even when fear had become fashionable. The late Bishop was also a stickler for excellence and discipline.
“He never pretended to be neutral where morality and societal conscience were concerned, but carried the burden of spiritual leadership with uncommon sincerity and discharged his episcopal responsibilities with conviction, intellectual versatility, charisma and candour.
“In an era where many leaders have chosen silence in the face of moral decline and social uncertainties, our late Bishop Chukwu chose the difficult path of truth. He reminded us that the Church must never surrender its prophetic voice and that leadership must always be anchored on justice, accountability and the fear of God.
“Today, as we commit his remains to mother earth, one painful question echoes in our hearts: why did death strike at a time when Ebonyi State and Nigeria urgently yearn for leaders of his moral stature, spiritual depth and fearless disposition?
“At a time when society battles erosion of value and morals, insecurity, economic uncertainties and weakening value systems, our Bishop represented an icon of hope, integrity and moral rebirth. His departure at this critical period is painful and difficult to comprehend.
“Yet, as Christians, we are comforted by the eternal promises of God. Apostle Paul through The Holy Scriptures reminds us in the book of 2 Timothy 4:7: “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith_.”
“Without doubt, the late Bishop fought the good fight of faith. He served God with sincerity. He defended the weak. He strengthened the hopeless. He preached Christ with courage and dedicated his earthly journey to the advancement of God’s kingdom
“His episcopacy witnessed spiritual revival, expansion of evangelism, strengthening of Catholic institutions and deepening of moral consciousness within our dear Ebonyi State. He was not merely a preacher on the pulpit, but a shepherd among his flock, a father to the vulnerable and a moral compass to leaders.”
Forty-two members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) and Catholic Archbishops in the country also attended the funeral service of the late bishop. The late Chukwu died on Friday, 10th April, 2026 in health-related issues at 60.
Chukwu was born on November 5, 1965 in Ededeagu Umuezekohoha, Ezza North local government area of the state. After attending the Seat of Wisdom Seminary in Owerri, where he completed his philosophical studies (1985-1989), he completed his theological studies (1990-1993) at the Bigard Memorial Major Seminary in Enugu.
Subsequently he studied at the Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio (2000-2001) and at the Marquette University in Milwaukee, in the United States of America (USA), obtaining a Doctorate in Philosophy (2002-2007). He was ordained a priest on July 3,1993, incardinating himself in the Diocese of Abakaliki.
