By Joshua Chibuzo Andrew| Owerri
The spiritual director of the Okunerere Adoration Ministry, Nsukka, Rev. Fr (Prof.) Paul Obayi popularly called Fr Okunerere has reeled out accusations against his bishop, the Catholic bishop of Nsukka Diocese, Bishop Godfrey I. Onah.
The spiritual priest revealed that the church have been oppressing him.
According to Okunerere, his latest oppression came as the bishop and other fellow priests want to take away his land by force.
Here are some of the things Okunerere said in the about 30 minutes video circulated on the the internet platforms.
“The church is my vineyard, I love the church, I love my Nsukka (Catholic) church, I love the bishop, I love the priests, I love them, but they are oppressing me.
“I was looking for a land where I will conduct my adoration but couldn’t find. I rented a place behind Queens College Nsukka and started my adoration there. Bishop Onah chased me out of the place, saying I was causing noise and distracting the Students of Queens.
“The past governor of Enugu State, Gburugburu gave me this piece of land I’m staying in now. I told the bishop that I have a land and I took him there to see the land. When he came, he then said that the land is fine to be used to build the Marian Shrine. I told him it’s my adoration ministry I want to start here and not Marian Shrine. He said I shouldn’t talk about it again. It is the same land that the bishop gave out to the church without consulting me, without any discussion.
“I give everything to the church, yet the church wants to strangle me to death. But it can’t happen!
“I bought and installed the best transformer in the cathedral of Nsukka Diocese which they’re using till today.
“Bishop Onah mandated me to build a museum where I would keep the deities I remove from villages. I spent 2.8m to build the museum upstairs inside the cathedral and reported to my bishop. The only ‘thank you’ I got from my bishop was that he asked me where did I get the money to build it when he has banned me from selling olive oil. Yet, I endured it.
“At Obimo, I got a land to build my adoration ministry. It’s a mountain. I spent more than 50m to level the place and create roads, then built a 30 room self con house there. The church collected it from me and I surrendered it. Kidnappers are using that building today to keep their victims because the church isn’t using it till today after collecting it from me. Bishop Onah said he wants to use the place as Nsukka Diocesan Pilgrimage Centre.
“I was posted to Obollo where I spent 10 million to build a church. Bishop Onah came to dedicate it and on the day of the dedication, everybody present was acknowledged but they refused to acknowledge me, Fr Obayi who built the church. Just after 2 months of dedicating the church, the bishop transfered me to Ikem, where everybody knows that the roads there are filled with kidnappers.
“I was an associate professor but no one in the Diocese ever announced me as associate professor, but those priests who became associate professors yesterday are recognized by the Diocese but I was ignored till today.
“It got to the point that fellow priests broke my gate just to take my land, they said they were sent.
“On bishop Onah’s Episcopal ordination, I supplied drinking water free to everybody in attendance.
“The oppression is too much. Priests are avoiding coming to my adoration because if they see any priest in my adoration, during posting, they will post the priest in a far away village beyond Adani in Uzo Uwani LGA.
“I have been inviting the bishop to my adoration but he refused coming, saying he doesn’t understand what we are doing here.
“If Charismatic draft a programme and include my name as a guest priest, when they take it to the Diocese for approval, the authorities will tear the programme on seeing my name there. They would ask the Charismatic why should they invite Fr Okunerere. For 10 years now, I have not attended any charismatic programme because the church authorities won’t permit me.
“Bishop Onah stopped me from going to London to preach, saying that I would go there to preach heresy. I asked him, before you became my bishop, I had attended 10 different programmes in London where I preached. Is it now you’re my bishop that I will preach heresy?
“The church refused to give me land for my adoration, and the one given to me by the government, the church wants to collect it from me.
“Since the church doesn’t want me again, I am leaving the Catholic church any moment from now. I can’t kill myself”.
