By Fr. Dr. Okhueleigbe Osemhantie Amos
October 25, 2025
OND0, NIGERIA — The Nigerian Catholic Diocesan Priests Association (NCDPA) concluded a four-day Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Ondo State on Thursday, October 23, 2025, culminating in the election of a new national executive charged with deepening priestly communion, strengthening pastoral collaboration, and prioritising the welfare and formation of diocesan clergy across the country. The gathering, attended by delegates representing all arch/dioceses in the nine ecclesiastical provinces, met under the theme, *“The Church as a Sacrament of Hope in a Wounded World,”* and produced a robust set of resolutions aimed at renewing priestly witness in a challenging socio-political context.
The elective meeting, hosted by the Catholic Diocese of Ondo, blended spiritual renewal with sobre pastoral planning. Delegates joined the bishops’ call for a Church that is both a healing presence and a prophetic voice. After days of presentations, workshops, and prayer, members issued a clear set of commitments: a renewed emphasis on the Sacrament of Reconciliation practiced with compassion and sensitivity; a resolve to embrace simplicity and solidarity in clerical life; a categorical denunciation of all forms of exploitation; a renewed pledge to speak truth to power; a public commendation of constructive government-university dialogue in the ASUU suspension; a plea for intensified action against insecurity and terror; a programme of fraternal care for priests’ physical and mental wellbeing; and a call for responsible use of digital and social media for evangelisation while avoiding conduct that may scandalise or divide.
At the close of the assembly the association held its national election in accordance with its constitution and under the supervision of the Board of Trustees. In an outcome received with broad applause, Very Rev. Fr. Anthony Njoku (Owerri Province) was elected President. He will be assisted by Rev. Fr. Mathew Ogunyase (Vice President, Lagos Province), Rev. Fr. Boniface Opaluwa (Secretary, Abuja Province), Rev. Fr. Michael Ogbo (Assistant Secretary, Benin Province), Rev. Fr. Josephat Madubuonu (Finance Secretary, Onitsha Province), Rev. Fr. Vincent Ogwe (Public Relations Officer, Jos Province), Rev. Fr. Joseph Beba (Treasurer, Calabar Province), Rev. Fr. Benedict Nkom (Auditor I, Kaduna Province), and Rev. Fr. Samson Ojo (Auditor II, Ibadan Province). The officers begin a new triennium with a mandate to implement the AGM communique and to intensify priestly formation and welfare programmes nationwide. (Details of the elected team were made public by the NCDPA at the Ondo closing session.)
Very Rev. Fr. Anthony Njoku, in his acceptance remarks at the closing Mass, thanked his brother priests for their trust and pledged a ministry of service. He outlined priorities that include enhanced pastoral formation, an expanded programme of priestly welfare (medical support, retirement planning and counselling services), tighter collaboration with the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), and a targeted approach to youth and vocational promotion. Fr. Njoku also paid warm tribute to the outgoing executive led by Very Rev. Fr. Dr. Johnbosco Obeahon Ezehi, affirming that the past administration’s record of institutional visibility, welfare initiatives, and strengthened episcopal collaboration would be conscientiously built upon.
The host diocese under the pastoral oversight of Most Rev. Jude Ayodeji Arogundade provided liturgical hospitality and logistical coordination, with the closing Eucharist celebrated in a spirit of solemn commissioning for the new officers. Delegates noted the serene and prayerful ambience of Ondo as contributory to the reflective tone of the week. In keeping with NCDPA tradition, the meeting combined professional development sessions (on communications, mental health, and ethical use of technology) with opportunities for pilgrimage, confession and shared fraternity.
Looking ahead, the NCDPA announced that the next AGM will be hosted by the *Jos Ecclesiastical Province* in 2026, a choice hailed by delegates as providential for national outreach to the North-Central region. The outgoing executive, led by Very Rev. Fr. Dr. Johnbosco Obeahon Ezehi, formally handed over responsibilities at the closing ceremony, marking an orderly transition of leadership and a renewal of the association’s commitment to priestly fraternity.
The Ondo AGM’s blending of spiritual depth, professional formation and public engagement sends a clear message: the NCDPA intends to model a priesthood that is contemplative and critical, pastoral and prophetic, a Church-in-service to a wounded nation. As delegates dispersed, they carried with them not only new officers and resolutions, but a reinforced resolve to labour for the spiritual renewal of clergy and the evangelisation of communities in a Nigeria in need of hope.
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