Among men whose sterling characters transcend the constituencies of religion, politics, and profession and are venerated as role models to society at large, Anthony Cardinal Olubunmi Okogie stands tall like a colossus. The Catholic Archbishop Emeritus of the Metropolitan See of Lagos, a towering religious figure of our time, has been a force of positive change whose contributions to religious harmony and social justice is unrivalled and unprecedented to date. Hence, it is a token of appreciation to celebrate his life and times on June 16, and especially so this year on the occasion of his 86th birthday and 51st episcopal ordination anniversary. The path he took to priesthood remains an inspiration to generations of Catholics and Christians in general.
His Eminence, born on June 16, 1936, into the royal family of King Ogbidi Okogie of Uromi, Edo State, had from childhood aspired to priesthood. Were he to have his way, his father, Prince Michael Okogie, would prefer his son choose a career in one of the professions regarded by society as more honourable, such as a medical doctor or a mechanical engineer. But Anthony Cardinal Okogie held onto his childhood ambition and in 1953, while a Class Three pupil at St. Gregory’s College, Obalende, Lagos, proceeded to St. Theresa Minor Seminary, Oke-Are, Ibadan. Without looking back, he went on to earn his bachelor degree in Divinity at the Urban University in Rome in 1963. Ordained a priest on December 11, 1966, he began his priesthood at the age of 30 years as a Pastoral Assistant at the Holy Cross Cathedral, Lagos. By 1967, in the thick of the Nigerian Civil War, Rev. Fr. Anthony Okogie, newly ordained, was drafted into the Nigerian Army as Chaplain and sent to the war front in Port Harcourt. After the war, he continued his pastoral service at the Holy Cross Cathedral, while also serving as the Catholic Religious Instructor and Chaplain in King’s College.
For his hard work and conscientious service, he was at 34, consecrated Titular Bishop of Mascula and ordained Auxiliary Bishop of Oyo Diocese in 1971, and in 1973, at 36 years, he was ordained the Archbishop of the Holy See in Lagos. Proclaimed Cardinal Priest of Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel of Mostacciano (Santa Maria del Monte Carmelo a Mostacciano) by Pope John Paul II on October 21, 2003, at the age of 67 years and nine months, the Prince of the Church in subsequent years had discharged some papal duties, principally as one of the cardinal electors in the 2005 papal conclave that selected Pope Benedict XVI and also again as one of the cardinal electors who participated in the 2013 papal conclave that elected Pope Francis. On May 25, 2012, His Eminence resigned from the pastoral governance of the See of Lagos having reached the age limit of 75 years. For 39 years that he served as the Archbishop of Lagos (April 13, 1973 to May 25, 2012), he blazed the trail for the Church with his indefatigable strides and unrelenting passion for planting new parishes. At the time of his appointment as Archbishop, the Lagos Metropolitan See had 15 parishes. At the time of his retirement, the number of parishes under the Lagos Archdiocese had grown to 100.
Yet, he was not interested only in multiplying the parishes, he was keenly interested in guiding the Church along the path of light. He worked hard to ensure the sanctity of the Catholic way of worship, impressing on the cleric and the lay faithful, the importance of keeping the liturgy in conformity with the Catholic faith, without the infusion of the Pentecostal mode of worship. He made his stewardship of the Catholic count with personal visits to the parishes to get first-hand reports of the state of the Church. And to the Church in general, he was a defending voice during the dark years of military rule.
As President of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (1988–1994), Anthony Cardinal Okogie was vehement and vociferous in his opposition to the taking over of mission schools by the military government. At a time when human rights were trampled under the boots of the military government, he was a voice against anti-people policies of the government. As President of the Christian Association of Nigeria from 1994 to 2000, and President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), he was very vocal in his condemnation of government’s excesses. His outspokenness ensured protection for the interest of the Church and all Christians in Nigeria at a time when being critical of the military government was at personal risk of life when a killer squad was running amok and working overtly to silence voices that spoke against the dictatorial tendencies of the government. He has maintained his habit of writing open letters to governments about the state of aff airs.
His recent open letter was on February 4, 2021, in which he noted the increasing atrocities of Boko Haram and then charged the government to be up and doing rather than deluding the country that the terrorist group had been defeated. “Any government spokesman, presidential media assistant or service chief, who says that Boko Haram has been defeated, will be answerable to God for every life that Boko Haram has destroyed,” the Archbishop Emeritus wrote. A man of informed views, his position on national and contemporary issues gets the listening ears of all people, irrespective of ethnic, religious or social differences because while highlighting deficiencies in the system, he also balances such with impactful advice to those in authority. His Eminence also stands out as a great social crusader who made the betterment of societies marginalized, helpless, and poor a priority. It is because of his relentless pursuit of this duty that he came to be universally acknowledged as the voice for the voiceless. At various times and circumstances, he had remained an unwavering advocate of the oppressed masses from one successive government to another. One example was when he formally volunteered to die in place of Safi ya Hussaini Tungar-tudu, a Muslim woman condemned to death by stoning in Sokoto by an Islamic court. Hussaini, a divorced nursing mother of a one-year-old baby, was convicted of an illicit sexual affair.
The case had generated an international outcry, and Anthony Cardinal Okogie, writing an open letter, had called on the religious leaders who were vested with the responsibility of interpreting and administering the Islamic legal code to temper such with fear of God, humility and considerations for human nature. The mother of five was subsequently freed. The Church celebrates him as one of her great visioners. Anthony Cardinal Okogie had given impetus to the growth of the Church with his divine foresight that sowed the seeds of many developments. He saw to the establishment of several institutions in the Archdiocese of Lagos, including, Augustine University, the Catholic premier tertiary institution in Nigeria and St. Raphael Divine Mercy Hospital, where lately, his efforts had respectively made possible the completion and launch of a water plant as well as a worldclass dialysis centre. The Cardinal has since1973 promoted educational development in the Archdiocese. This led to the establishment of many primary and secondary schools.
In a bid to foster qualitative higher education, he saw to the establishment of St. Augustine’s College of Education, Akoka, Yaba, Lagos; the fi rst privately-owned College of Education in Nigeria. In furtherance to this, Augustine University was established. Very much admired for his humane and charming nature, he is also known for his drive for perfection and his zero tolerance for mediocrity. To fully appreciate his selfl ess service to humanity, it is important to understand his motivation for becoming a priest. According to him: “Like every other endeavour one wants to pursue in life, you watch those that you think can be a role model. When we were young we used to watch priests when they say Mass and I was an altar server.
Then gradually, we saw how they prayed, how they led the service and finally when I grew up, went to Holy Cross School, St. Gregory’s College and these people were still doing the same thing, so I said alright since these men of God can teach and do anything and even better than the layperson, why not try and to see if I can be one of them. So that is all – Good example.” And indeed, that is what he has been all his life: Good example. At 86 years, Okogie has been a priest for 55 years, a bishop for 51, and a cardinal for 18 years. “I don’t know how I became a cardinal, but as I said, those who see you know you better than yourself, they can assess you,” he said during an interview. To the Church, the clergy and the lay faithful, his life is an exemplary one. For Anthony Cardinal Okogie, it is a life of glorious service in the Lord’s vineyard; service in pursuit of a glorious life for humanity. Th at is why he is worthy to be celebrated on the occasion of these great milestones.
