Bagobiri: El-Rufai Yet To Make Condolence Statement
Loading ...…burial ceremony kicks off with colloquium.
โฆ Bishop Kukah to deliver homily before 10,000 congregations
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By Luka Binniyat
KAFANCHAN: Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna state was yet to make any condolence statement two weeks after the passing away of Bishop Joseph Danlami Bagobori – the out spoken Catholic Bishop of Kafanchan Diocese –ย ย said an official of the diocese.
Bagobiri died in Kaduna at the resident of the Arch-Bishop of Kaduna Arch-Diocese, on the 7thย of March. He had been suffering from renal failure and had been on dialysis.
Meanwhile activities marking the burial ceremony of Bagobiri, regarded by his flock, as the โpeoples Bishopโ kicked offย on Tuesdayย with a colloquium in his honour.
Also, not less than 10,000 Christians of all denominations, all Nigeria Catholic Bishops and most of their counterparts from other denomination and an array of VIPS are expected at the burial mass of the 61 year old priest from Kagoma, Jemaa Local Government Area, (LGA), in Southern part of Kaduna state.
Fielding questions from our correspondent in Kafanchan on Wednesday, the Coordinator, Media and Publicity of the Burial Ceremony, Rev. Father Mark Chetmun said that as at last Tuesday, two weeks after the demise of Bishop Bagobiri, Kaduna state governor, Mallam Nasir el-Rufa norย the state government were yet to issue a condolence message on death of the Bishop
Bagobiri isย known for his strong position against what he termed, the โanti-peopleโ policies of Mallam Nasir el-Rufai.
โI can confidently tell you that we have not heard nor received any condolence message from the government of Kaduna state. Unless that happened yesterday evening or this morning. You can go and check our condolence register; there is no one from Kaduna state government that has come to register any message on behalf of the government.
โI am aware that Jemaa LGA administrator came to commiserate over the death of our leader,ย not the state government, that is what is what I can tell you,โ he said.
It could be recalled thatย governor el-Rufai had in a Television interview on Channels TV inย ย ย 2016 threatened to arrest and prosecute some vocal Christian clerics from Southern Kaduna who hadย accused both the federal and Kaduna state government ofย not doing enough to stop the killings of southern Kaduna natives and the destruction of their communities by alleged armed herdsmen. He accused them of being โbigotsโ and โconflict entrepreneurs,โย though he did not show any evidence. Bogobiri, who represented the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) at the 2014 confab, was believed to be top on the list.
At theย Tuesdayย Colloquium, which took place at the Cathedral of St Peter Hall, Kafanchan, Vice Chancellor, Albertin Institute, Kagoma, founded by Bishop Bagobir, said of the late Bishop: โThis spirit filled, diligent and exemplary Southern Kaduna cleric never forgot his root for one day, even while serving the country at the global community. He was a voice of hope, a voice of reason and a voice of the masses. A strong and eloquent voice indeed we at the 2014 National Conference where he led the CAN Team, Unfortunately, the peoples Bishop is gone now,โ she lamented.
Speaking on the topic: โBishop Bagobiri: Birth, Early Life, Education and Journey the Priesthood,โ Rev. Fr. Professor Peter Bauna Tanko made light the sombre mood when he spoke of the late Bishopโs days as a seminarian.
โHe belonged to the Charismatic Renewal groupย in the Seminary. That group led a pious life and they saw us the non-members as lesser mortals. They saw themselves as having spiritual advantage over us. He would call me and tellย that some of the things I was doing were wrong and I will tell him to please pray for me. He prayed, but he failed to change me. . . Thank God I have now changed,โ he said.
โHe played football, badminton and Lawn Tennis and he hated defeat.ย ย Once his team lost by three or more goals, he would stand akimbo and look on with utter despair. Then he would simply walked away to avoid any quarrel,โ he said.
Rev, Fadaย ย Willaims Kaura Abba, the lead speaker, praised the courage, intellectual acumen ofย ย Bagobiri, saying he started the Kafanchan diocese from scratch and within a decade, it surpassed some much older Diocese in number of priests, parishes, schools and other facilities.
Barrister Mark Jacob, former Kaduna stateย Attorney General and Commissioner ofย Justice, who spoke on the topic: โBishop Bagobiri and the Socio-Political Development of Southern Kaduna and Nigeria,โ told the audience that Bagobiri feared God, but was not afraid to speak truth to power.
On the final burial rites, Father Mark Chetmun had this to say to our reporter:ย โWe are expecting at least a 10,000 strong congregation. They will include all the Catholic Bishops of Nigeria or their representatives. Other high ranking clerics from other denomination will also come. There will be many VIPsย also.
โThe Funeral mass will be led by the Catholic Arch Bishop of Kaduna Arch Diocese, Arch Bishopย ย Mathew Man-oso Ndagoso. The homily will be delivered by Bishop Mathew Hassan Kukah, Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese. The mass will start byย 10amย prompt,โ he said.
Our correspondent who was at the Kafanchan new Stadium, reported that workers were seen putting final touches to the alter, and installingย electronic ย gadgets . He also saw the tomb, inside the main church of Cathedral of St. Peter, Kafanchan, the final resting place of the Bishop.
