…..Bishop Ezeokafor at Maiden Archbishop A.K. Obiefuna Memorial Lecture
By Amarachukwu Opkunobi
To keep alive the legacies laid down by the former Bishop of Awka Diocese, the late Archbishop Albert Kanenechukwu Obiefuna, the Catholic Bishop of Awka Diocese, Most Rev Paulinus Ezeokafor, in collaboration with Awka Diocesan Priest Lecturers organized the maiden Archbishop A.K. Obiefuna memorial lecture. The lecture themed: “Archbishop A.K. Obiefuna in the Dynamics of Church and Culture”, which recorded in attendance the timber and caliber in and around Nigeria, was held on Saturday 9th November, 2024 at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Awka, Anambra State.
The lecture kicked off with the grand opening of the event by Most Rev Paulinus Ezeokafor. In his keynote address, the prelate who also doubled as the chief host, highlighted the objectives of organizing the lecture. He said the gathering was to explore the dynamics of the Church and culture in the pastoral engagement of the late Archbishop A.K. Obiefuna.

Welcoming the guests, he specially thanked the Awka Diocesan priest lecturers in secular and tertiary institutions, who, he said, had seen the need to fan into an undying flame the legacies of the late Archbishop by conceiving and organizing the lecture.
Bishop Ezeokafor described the event as an intellectual exercise that sought to keep open, the door for a deep rooted propagation of the gospel to the people, noting that it needed continuity.
He therefore called on men of goodwill to support the cause by making it an annual event.
Delivering his address of welcome, the chairman of the event, Prof. Sir Nkemdili Au Nnonyelu, who was a former Commissioner for Education in Anambra State, Dean of social Sciences, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, and currently the Director of Emeka Anyoku Institute for International Affairs and Diplomacy, as well as the Pro Chancellor and Chairman, Peter University, Achina, thanked the organizers of the event for giving him what he described as a rare privilege to preside over such a humongous event. This was just as he also acknowledged the social status of the attendees.
Nonyelu described the late Archbishop as a quintessential and exemplary Archbishop of no mean order, a pastor and shepherd of the flock.

Recalling how he was appointed a Bishop in 1977, the chairman of the event noted that the late Bishop brought to bear, a rapid transformation in the lives of the then Christians, which, he said, was also a reflection of the theme of the day; “Archbishop A.K. Obiefuna in the dynamics of Church and culture”.
He recalled the role of the late Archbishop in birthing oneness and unity in the ọzọ titleship of the Blacksmith City, Awka, which, he noted, further led to the conversion of many to the faith.
Nonyelu said the legacy still lived on, as it had recorded and still recording the effects of the positive impacts of the late Archbishop.
For his part, the thematic analyst who was also the host of the event, Very Rev. Fr. Prof. Boniface A.C. Obiefuna, President of Awka priest lecturers in secular and religious institutions, noted that the late Archbishop came to Awka and caused a transformative effect at a time when being on the path of Christianity seemed like being on a wavering path.
Prof. Obiefuna highlighted what he described as the remarkable strides brought by the late Archbishop such as laying the foundation of the then Retreat, Pastoral and conference Centre, Okpuno (REPACCO), which has now been renamed Archbishop A.K Obiefuna Retreat, Pastoral and Conference Centre, Okpuno, on the approval of Bishop Ezeokafor, the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Awka.

He called the Late Archbishop a pacesetter, academic juggernaut and a man with vision. He also added that the lecture was a continuity of the legacies of the late Archbishop which he already started while alive in his book titled, “The Church and Culture; A Case Study of Awka”.
The analyst said the pastoral and intellectual might of the ancestor of the Diocese, as he described the late Archbishop, was worthy of a memorial lecture as to recall, reevaluate and sustain the legacies of the colossus upon which the shoulders of the diocese stood.
In the same vein, the chairman of the planning Committe of the Memorial lecture, Rev. Fr. Dr. Jude Ezeanokwasa lauded Bishop Ezeokafor for his unwavering support by not only seeing the importance of keeping the legacies of the Late Archbishop alive, but also ensuring that those legacies were taught from generation to generation by speedily approving the lecture.
The keynote Lecturer, Rev. Fr. Prof Hyacinth E. Ichoku, the Vice Chancellor of Veritas University, Abuja, who was represented by the Vice Chancellor of Peter University, Achina, Very Rev. Fr. Prof Emmanuel Umezinwa, drove his points home as he taught the attendees the importance of harnessing the people’s culture and the Church’s doctrine.
Very Rev Fr. Umezinwa took the attendees down memory lane, recounting his various encounters with the late Archbishop during his lifetime on earth, saying that the missionary was confronted with many cultural/faith conflicts between traditional religionists and those who professed the Christian faith.
Appreciating the gift of the late Archbishop, the Archbishop of Onitsha, His Grace, Valerian Okeke, remarked that the qualities of the late missionary could not be exhausted in a day’s seminar and called on the organizers to ensure the continuity of the event.
The highlights of the event included the presentation of awards to Archbishop Valerian Okeke; Bishop Solomon Amatu, Catholic Bishop of Okigwe Diocese; Very Rev. Fr. Prof Hyacinth E. Ichoku, Vice Chancellor of Veritas University, Abuja; Prof Sir. Nkemdili Au Nnonyelu, chairman of the occasion; panel discussion anchored by Rev. Fr. Prof. Umezinwa; and unveiling and launch of the book, “Cultural Dynamics: the Legacies of Archbishop A. K. Obiefuna”, edited by B.A.C. Obiefuna.