Auxiliary Bishop of Nigeria’s Awka Diocese Transferred to Nnewi Diocese as Local Ordinary

Nnewi, 09 November, 2021 / 8:43 PM

Bishop Jonas Benson Okoye who has been serving as the Auxiliary Bishop of Nigeria’s Awka Diocese has been transferred to the Diocese of Nnewi following his appointment as the Local Ordinary of the Episcopal See located in the Southeastern part of the country.

Bishop Okoye is expected to succeed Bishop Hilary Paul Odili Okeke who has been at the helm of the Anambra State-based Diocese since it was erected in November 2001. 

The administrative changes in the Nigerian Diocese were made public Tuesday, November 9 edition of the Holy See Press Office. 

Born within the Catholic Archdiocese of Kaduna in January 1963, Bishop Okoye was ordained a Priest of Awka Diocese in August 1992.

He graduated with a licentiate in Canon Law from St. Paul University in Ottawa, Canada. He also holds a doctorate degree in Canon Law from the Rome-based Lateran University. 

Before his appointment and episcopal ordination in 2014, Bishop Okoye served as a Parish Priest, Judicial Vicar for the Catholic Diocese of Awka and a Judge in the Onitsha Inter-Diocesan Ecclesiastical Tribunal. 

He was also a member of the Awka Diocesan College of Consultors, the Canon Law and Seminary Formation Committees at the Secretariat of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN).

The Titular Bishop of Masclianae was the 2009 recipient of the Henry Dunant Gold Merit Award, the highest recognition from the International Committee of the Red Cross Society. He was also the recipient of the 2012 Vocational Excellence Award from the Rotary Club of Nigeria.

The Nigerian Bishop has authored some books, including: Abortion and Euthanasia - The Crime of our Day Equality of Spouses in Can.1135 published in 1987, and A Colloquium of Service which was published in 1997. 

Once installed, Bishop Okoye is expected to serve as the second Local Ordinary of the Diocese that is part of the Ecclesiastical Province of Onitsha. It measures 1,160 km² and has a population of about 576,280 Catholics as per 2019 statistics.