The Catholic Archdiocese of Owerri has moved swiftly to “put the facts straight” following what it describes as “misrepresentation of facts and/or outright falsehood” circulating online about the presence of former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, at this year’s Archdiocesan Day/Odenigbo Lecture. In a statement signed by the Archdiocesan Chancellor, Rev. Fr. Patrick C. Mbarah, the Church clarified that “Mallam Nasir El-Rufai was not invited by the Archdiocese to deliver any lecture or speech at the event” and that the annual lecture tradition remains reserved for a single guest lecturer of Igbo extraction.
This year’s lecture, delivered entirely in Igbo, was presented by Rev. Sr. (Prof.) Evangeline Oparaocha of the Federal University of Technology, Owerri. The Archdiocese condemned the disruption caused by “hired placardcarrying thugs” who stormed the Maria Assumpta Cathedral back gate, chanting against both Peter Obi and El-Rufai. While Obi has been a regular guest in past years, the statement confirmed he was absent this year. Calling the intrusion “a big mistake by the sponsors of the misguided protesters,” the Archdiocese urged security agencies to identify and prosecute those responsible, stressing that Imo State remains “a peace-loving state known for her hospitality to guests and visitors.
