Posted by By DAVID ONWUCHEKWA, Nnewi on
The Nsukka Diocese of the Anglican Communion was agog recently when news filtered out that the House of Bishops who had gathered in Nnewi, Anambra State a couple of days ago had elected 21 bishops. One of the bishops-elect is Archdeacon Aloysius Agbo of Enugu-Ezike Missionary Archdeaconry.
* He prayed for others to become bishop, but the lot fell on him
The Nsukka Diocese of the Anglican Communion was agog recently when news filtered out that the House of Bishops who had gathered in Nnewi, Anambra State a couple of days ago had elected 21 bishops. One of the bishops-elect is Archdeacon Aloysius Agbo of Enugu-Ezike Missionary Archdeaconry.
Agbo is relatively unknown outside the praying and evangelical ministry of the Nsukka Anglican Diocese where big and experienced priests hold sway.
According to Daily Sun findings, what Agbo knows best is fasting and prayer such that he never wanted a pastoral job, but an evangelical mission.
He was said to have been in Ibadan, Oyo State for three months, fasting and praying for those who would be elected bishops, asking God to give Nsukka a David, the anointed servant, who will take over from the outgoing Bishop of Nsukka Diocese, Rt. Rev. Dr J.C. Ilonuba (JP). But he did not know that the lot would fall on him to become the new bishop.
The outgoing bishop confirmed this when he said: "While Alloy Agbo was praying for those who would emerge bishops, he himself got elected as one."
Out of the 21 bishops elected at the Nnewi Conference, Nsukka is said to be the only diocese that produced a home-made bishop, while the other 20 dioceses got their bishops from outside their diocese. And Agbo who is now 41 is said to be the youngest Anglican Bishop in the whole of South-East.
Daily Sun gathered that Agbo was the only nominee of the outgoing Bishop Ilonuba, who was accepted on merit by the House of Bishops and was a parting gift to the outgoing bishop generally adjudged as a gentleman and a godly one. Election of the "prayer warrior" as bishop is said to be a phenomenon in the Anglican Church, South-East and South-South, considering his age even as he has served less than a decade as a priest.
Commenting on the outcome of the election, the Diocesan Registrar and Deputy President of the Laity, Hon Justice F.N.N. Ngwu, said: "To most Christians, it is unethical to sniff into the proceedings because no one relays it without speculation. It is on this note that we have decided to restrict ourselves more on the factors that raised the bishop-elect than on the sacred reports of the House of Bishops."
"However, in view of the rumours and controversy trying to rear its ugly head in an otherwise glorious exercise, we have gone beyond the ordinary to fish out the facts."
According to Daily Sun investigation, certain factors are on Agbo's side. He is said to be an evangelical priest who never aspired to be anything in the mould of a bishop even as he is divinely connected through Bishop Ilonuba to other charismatic bishops.
Bishop Ilonuba, it is said, for over five years entrusted the bishop-elect to Bishop Akanya to mould him into an evangelical priest, among other things.
But certain factors are against him. He is too young and he knows nothing except fasting and praying and so lacks administrative experience, Daily Sun was told. Moreover, he has never pastured an archdeaconry and is not highly connected.
But he had an edge over his contenders who were said to have aspired or canvassed to be bishop. They were said to have sponsors who canvassed openly for them and that some of them engaged in do or die tactics, considering themselves heavy weights, timbers and irokos who succeeded in creating camps within the diocese.
Contrary to wide speculations, Daily Sun gathered that it was only the name of the bishop-elect that was sent to the House of Bishops. But a hitch was said to have cropped up when his updated curriculum vitae could not be retrieved from him without raising an alarm as he was busy in spiritual retreat for a new bishop of the diocese.
The outgoing bishop, a source said, reasoned that the bishop-elect would collapse and probably die if he had the inkling that his name had not only entered the race, but that he was the only candidate.
To achieve this, Daily Sun gathered that the registrar on the instruction of Bishop Ilonuba demanded the CV of the Archdeacon-elect (now Bishop-elect) as a condition for his collation early April this year. Agbo was said to have fallen for the trap without suspicion.
To cap it all, the outgoing priest, Bishop Ilonuba, in an interview told Daily Sun about his 14 years in office, the choice of Agbo as bishop-elect and his successor; and what he intends to do on retirement.
Hear him on his experience:
The Nsukka Diocese
The diocese was inaugurated in 1994 and I became the first bishop of the diocese and since then we have been working to see the progress of the diocese.
For the past 14 years, we have trained many pastors. At present, we have about 74 of them. When this diocese started, we had only two archdeaconries, but today, we have 11 of which two are missionary archdeaconries.
There is a constitution which says that when a bishop attains the age of 70 he should retire. By June this year I will be 70. But I'm happy that work in the diocese has progressed.
Because of this development, new bishops are being elected and they have to stay with the incumbent bishops for about three months before retirement.
Because of that, during the last standing committee of all the bishops across the nation, which took place in Nnewi in March this year, a new bishop was elected to succeed me when I retire in June.
I thank God for the way the election was conducted, very peacefully and the Holy Spirit actually directed the bishops. They elected Venerable Aloysius Eze Agbo as the new Bishop of Nsukka Diocese. And when the news came to the people everybody was happy.
Aloysius is somebody who has touched the lives of so many people. He is a prayer chaplain of the diocese. He trains missionaries who go to different areas for evangelism. He is a very committed pastor and this is why we think that such a person is okay to be elected to be the next bishop. To the glory of God we are happy that this happened in this way.
He is humble, honest and unassuming. He doesn't scramble for position. His election was a demonstration that God who looks at the heart, and human beings sees the body.
You remember when David was elected and anointed by Samuel. Jessy was asked to bring someone. He brought the strong ones and warriors until he was told to bring the small one which was David. Even though David was the youngest, he was taken. That is God's way. We thank God for him. He (Agbo) has my blessings. He is the most suitable and qualified person to take the post.
Those who lost
What I will say is that, you know people say that in a race in which many people compete, one person must win. What is expected is the spirit of fair competition, spirit of sportsmanship. I advise that people should give him the co-operation he needs to move the diocese forward.
Christianity is a spiritual thing and all Christian activities should be handled spiritually.
Life after retirement
I think I will have more time to myself and I will be able to write books.