{"id":8130,"date":"2013-08-11T03:39:46","date_gmt":"2013-08-11T03:39:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/disnaija.com\/nigerian-newspapers\/stormy-times-for-benin-archbishop\/"},"modified":"2013-08-11T03:39:46","modified_gmt":"2013-08-11T03:39:46","slug":"stormy-times-for-benin-archbishop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/disnaija.com\/stormy-times-for-benin-archbishop\/","title":{"rendered":"Stormy times for Benin Archbishop"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\u2026as indigenes want him sacked for not conducting Mass in local language<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

This is not the best of times for the Archbishop of Catholic Diocese, Benin Metropolitan See, Augustine Akubeze. The unassuming religious leader of unarguably the largest Christian and by extension any religious flock in Edo State is undoubtedly in the eye of the storm, judging from the strident calls by Bini natives and leaders on the Catholic Missionary to sack him immediately from office.<\/p>\n

While the call was initially championed by ordinary disgruntled church members mostly made up of Bini ethnic descent, it has since gone higher after the demand was hijacked by a group of foundation church leaders, known as Edo Liturgical Group, which comprisees members and leaders of the church of highly placed Benin Traditional Kingdom chiefs and traditionalists. The grouse of those calling for Akubeze\u2019s sack is that he has refused to conduct the church\u2019s Mass in Bini Language.<\/p>\n

Addressing the media last month in Benin City, the group reiterated its demand for the conduct of the majority of the church\u2019s Mass in its local language.<\/p>\n

The group stated, \u201cIn less than two years of Archbishop Akubeze\u2019s coming, there appears to be a design by him to replace our people; priests and laity in the Catholic Church. The Edo Liturgical Group visited him on more than four occasions to find the way forward. Among the issues raised were one Edo Mass for parishes at primetime in the entire diocese; that copies of Edo Bible and Missal be made available for the diocese to learn and to celebrate Mass in Edo Language, etc.\u201d<\/p>\n

Although the Diocese presently conducts 12 Mass out of a total of 832 for the year in Bini Language, Akubeze\u2019s alleged refusal to yield to the pressure of the people to increase the local language Mass in accordance with the huge population of the people has not gone down well. They have therefore labelled Akubeze\u2019s refusal as disrespectful to the Benin Monarch, Omo N\u2019Oba N\u2019Edo, Uku Akpolokpolo, Oba Erediauwa, after His Royal Majesty had passionately urged the Archbishop to act with a human face and increase local language Mass during his time.<\/p>\n

Indeed, the issue has been as old as Akubeze has spent in Benin Metropolitan See, where he was said to have been reminded of the issue that had undeniably accounted for the removal of his predecessor during his first visitation to the traditional palace. The height of the matter saw youths and adults loyal to the natives embarking on a protest through the streets of Benin City as a way of drawing the attention of the state government and public to their plight.<\/p>\n

The protesting youths carried placards with various inscriptions describing Akubeze\u2019s behaviour in different uncomplimentary terms and calling for his sack and replacement by a Bini Catholic priest. They had visited the palace of the Benin Traditional Kingdom, and some other notable places, including the Edo State secretariat of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, to express their displeasure.<\/p>\n

Openly canvassing for the installation of a Bini Catholic priest in place of Akubeze, an Igbo man, spokesperson of the group, Chief Sam Igbe, the Iyasere of Benin Kingdom stated that Bini people could no longer tolerate a \u201ctribal\u201d missionary priest that was hell bent on implementing an Igbo agenda to the detriment of Benin people and Bini Language. Igbe\u2019s unambiguous statement had also received the support of some notable Bini sons and daughters such as a former lawmaker of Edo South Senatorial District in the Senate and a leader of the People\u2019s Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State, Senator Roland Owie.<\/p>\n

The group berated Akubeze for allegedly orchestrating policies aimed at displacing their people from training and ordination as priests. Igbe further accused Akubeze of refusal to give pastoral attention to Ovia and Orhionmwom Local Government Areas, both of which constituted half of the geographical area of the archdiocese. Specifically, the group alleged that of the 832 weekday masses in a year, only a paltry 12 were conducted in Edo Language.<\/p>\n

Igbe threatened, \u201cWe have come to the inevitable decision that Akubeze cannot justifiably continue to remain as a shepherd of the Catholic Church in Benin, a people he was forced upon and from whom he has so effectively distanced himself in a manner akin to the attitude of a maximum ruler. Our people want him transferred immediately from Benin and until the church heeds this advice, it would amount to self deception to continue to believe that they can effectively prelate in Benin.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Posted in Nigerian Newspapers. <\/a>A DisNaija.Com<\/a> network.<\/p>\n

Source: National Mirror Newspaper<\/p>\n

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