The Catholic Church and faithful across Nigeria on Tuesday, September 23, 2025, gathered at St. Theresa’s Cathedral, Nsukka, to bid farewell to Bishop Francis Okobo, the pioneer Bishop of Nsukka Catholic Diocese, who died at 89. In a condolence message, Pope Leo XIV hailed Okobo as “an ambassador of Jesus Christ,” praising his devotion to God and humanity and his work in laying the foundation of the diocese.
“God will reward him with eternal life, having labored in His vineyard,” the Pope said. Presiding over the burial Mass, Archbishop Lucius Ugorji, President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, said the bishops were in Nsukka not to mourn but to thank God for Okobo’s life of service. He described him as a man of faith who surrendered to God to bring salvation to many.
Bishop Godfrey Onah, Okobo’s successor, called him the “founding father of the diocese” who gave himself wholly to God and the Church. Over 50 bishops, priests, religious, Governor Peter Mbah, and former Governor Peter Obi attended the burial, underscoring Okobo’s impact. Ordained in 1966, Okobo led Nsukka Diocese from 1990 until his retirement in 2013.
