• Home
• Columnist
• Videos
• Artist
  • Musicians
  • Actors
  • Comedians
• Notable Nigerians
• Legend Dies
• Articles
  • Nigeria Articles
• Photos
• Submit Article

Anthony Olubunmi Okogie (born 16 June 1936) is a Nigerian Cardinal Priest and formerly Archbishop of Lagos in the Roman Catholic Church.

Born in Lagos, Nigeria, Okogie was born to a royal family of Uromi in Edo State. His father was Esan and his mother was Yoruba. Okogie was ordained as a priest on 11 December 1966. He holds a licentiate in sacred theology, and had planned to study in Rome, but was called to Nigeria where he was a pastoral assistant at the Holy Cross Cathedral. He was drafted into the Nigerian army, and served there as a chaplain. After another period of service at Holy Cross Cathedral, he was an instructor at King's College.

In 1971, he was ordained titular Bishop of Mascula and Auxiliary of Oyo, and in 1973 named Archbishop. As Archbishop, Okogie was the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, and, from 1994 to 2000, headed the Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria.

Cardinal Okogie volunteered to die in place of a Muslim woman who had been condemned to death by stoning by an Islamic court for adultery.

He was proclaimed Cardinal by Pope John Paul II in the consistory of 21 October 2003, and holds the title of Cardinal Priest of Santa Maria del Monte Carmelo a Mostacciano (or in English Blessed Virgin Mary of Mt. Carmel of Mostacciano). During his cardinalate, Okogie was one of the cardinal electors who participated in the 2005 papal conclave that selected Pope Benedict XVI.

His resignation from the pastoral governance of the see of Lagos because of having reached the age limit of 75 years was accepted on 25 May 2012.

Condoms

In 2007, he condemned the government approval of a condom factory.

Celibacy

Cardinal Okogie has defended the Catholic Church's laws on celibacy for Catholic priests.

American culture

Okogie has been critical of American culture, especially as it relates to priestly vocations. He said “those people there, in the US, they don’t value anything any more. And how do you want priests to come from a place like that?”