Pope appoints Kaigama bishop of Abuja archdiocese

Doosuur Iwambe, Abuja

His Holiness, Pope Francis, has appointed His Grace, Archbishop Ignatius Ayau Kaigama as the Catholic Bishop of Abuja Archdiocese.

Kaigama has been appointed to take over from His Eminence, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, who reached the retirement age of 75 years on January 29.

The representative of Pope Francis, Apostolic Nuncio to Nigeria, His Grace, Archbishop Antonio Guido Filipazzi, made the announcement on Monday in Abuja, during the opening ceremony of the first plenary meeting of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria.

Filipazzi, who congratulated Kaigama on behalf of the pope said that even though the task is not an easy one, he cannot run away from the call of God.

“We congratulate and pray for Archbishop Kaigama. I know that it is not easy for him. But, I told him like Abraham, go out of your land to the land God will show you and God will bless you and make you the father of many people,” Filipazzi said.

Until his appointment, Kaigama was the apostolic administrator of the Archdiocese of Jos and immediate past president of the CBCN. The new Catholic bishop of Abuja Diocese is a priest of Jukun origin from Taraba state.

Born on July 31, 1958, Kaigama studied for the priesthood at St. Augustine’s Major Seminary in Jos and Rome respectively.

He was ordained a catholic priest on June 6, 1981 and was appointed Bishop of Jalingo Diocese by Pope John Paul II, now Saint Pope John Paul, and later consecrated as bishop on April 23, 1995.

In 2000, Kaigama was again appointed by Pope John Paul II to succeed the late Archbishop Gabriel Ganaka as archbishop of Jos.