Ubah Duly Acknowledged At Nnewi Catholic Cathedral, Diocese Insists

THE Catholic Diocese of Nnewi, Anambra State, has dismissed the allegation that late Senator Ifeanyi Ubah was not recognised during the church service and dedication brochure.
Recall that following the commissioning ceremony, attendees claimed the name and contributions of the late senator were not mentioned throughout the event, despite belief that he practically funded the project.
Ubah’s political associate and supporter, Victor Chigozie Eneh, accused the Catholic Diocese of Nnewi and its Bishop, Jonas Benson Okoye, of a “wicked and deliberate exclusion of a man who single handedly started and nearly completed the building of the Cathedral in Nnewi.”
He stated: “Ubah had funded and overseen as much as 85 per cent of the Cathedral’s construction before the current Bishop of Nnewi was transferred to the Catholic Diocese of Nnewi.
“Upon his assuming of office, the Bishop halted Ubah’s continued involvement in the project, despite its advanced level of completion.
“Initially, when Ubah involvement in the project was halted, while he was still alive, some of us did not suspect any foul play or know there was any ulterior motive until this deliberate and wicked refusal to mention his name in any level of the commissioning of the Cathedral.
“We, therefore, see this action of excluding his name as troubling, and every true and honest Catholic must question the rationale behind this attempt to downplay Ubah’s contributions to a landmark religious project he started and almost completed in Nnewi.
“It is disheartening and condemnable that members of Ubah’s family were neither invited to the Cathedral’s commissioning nor late Ubah’s name publicly acknowledged during the ceremony.
“Is there anything the late senator did to the Bishop that the public does not know? The Bishop must have to clarify why the family of a major benefactor to the Cathedral construction was excluded and why the project was stalled before the senator’s death.”
He said Ubah’s role must be publicly racknowledged, warning that any attempt to erase Ubah’s legacy would be resisted by his family and associates.
More drama was added to the confusion when when a Catholic Knight, Sir James Louis Okoye, popularly known as Ebube Anaedo (Pride of Nnewi), angrily walked out of the ceremony and publicly renounced his membership of the Catholic Church and Christianity in protest.
Okoye told journalists and worshippers that the late senator volunteered to single-handedly build the cathedral and was stopped only when the project had reached the roofing stage.
“This cathedral was first started by the late Ubah, who volunteered to build it for the church and had worked on the project to about 85 per cent completion before a new Bishop, Jonas-Benson Okoye, was posted to Nnewi in 2022, when he ordered Ubah to hands off the cathedral.
“Some of us didn’t know the reason for that order for the late senator to hands off the project he started during the time of amiable, good and friendly former Catholic Bishop of Nnewi, Hilary Odili Okeke, until this wicked exclusion of his name from the entire program of the cathedral commissioning.
“This is wicked and must be condemned by anybody who is a true Christian.”
Okoye added: “Ifeanyi Ubah sorry, Ifeany Ubah sorry, this is unfair. Is this the way the spirit of Ifeanyi Ubah will rest in peace?
“This is wicked; I have never seen this kind of wickedness in my life, not even in the brochure or orally was Ubah acknowledged as a contributor to the cathedral he started and almost completed before he was ordered to hands off.”
However, in his reaction, Chairman of the Media and Publicity Committee of the Cathedral Dedication of Our Lady of Assumption, Hygi Aghaulor, dismissed the allegations as false.
He told journalists on Thursday, January 15, at St. Michael’s Catholic Church, Ugwuoye-Ozubulu in Ekwusigo Local Council, that Ubah, like other contributors, was duly acknowledged during the Dedication Mass.
The cleric insisted that the senator’s contributions were documented on Page 10 of the Cathedral Dedication Brochure, and adding that beyond the dedication ceremony, the Diocese’s 147 Parishes had been offering prayers for the repose of his soul for over seven months.
Aghaulor explained that project construction had earlier faced technical and structural challenges, noting: “Progress was stalled and it was at that moment that Ubah, who would later become a major benefactor, offered his assistance to the then Bishop, Hiary Odili Okeke, to ensure the completion of the cathedral.
“Ubah assumed responsibility for the project amid a number of difficulties, especially with installation of the steel trusses. The first set of trusses had to be removed and the initial engineer withdrew cooperation, despite having been paid.
“A new committee, which included experts, was, therefore, constituted to restore direction and technical order.”
He stated that Ubah engaged a new contractor and advanced funds even before the committee concluded its work, prompting the committee to insist on proper technical standards.
“There was no time Ubah was removed from building the cathedral. This was the state of the project when Jonas Benson Okoye was appointed Bishop, and he continued correspondence with Ubah and several meetings were held to review progress.”
On Okoye’s public renunciation of faith, Aghaulor described the action as hasty and unfounded, adding: “Sir James Louis Okoye has committed apostasy. For somebody to publicly reject his faith is apostasy. It is an offence in the Cannon law on Page 194, paragraph 1 to 2.
“Also in the Cannon law, Page 751, somebody that committed apostasy is capable to lose his title. James was too hasty in his action and it is unfortunate he behaved the way he did.
“The Bishop is not a dictator, as claimed in some quarters, he cannot be a dictator, because the church will not tolerate that behaviour.”