ABUJA, MARCH 12, 2019 (CISA)-Pope Francis has appointed Archbishop Ignatius Ayau Kaigama as Co-adjutor Archbishop of the Catholic archdiocese of Abuja.
The appointment was announced March 11, by the Apostolic Nuncio to Nigeria, Archbishop Antonio Guido Fillipazzi, in Abuja during the opening of the first plenary meeting of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria.
“We congratulate and pray for Archbishop Kaigama. I know it is not easy for him, but I told him like Abraham, go out of your land to the land God will show you and God will bless you and make you the father of nations,” Archbishop Fillipazzi said.
This follows the retirement of Cardinal John Onaiyekan who clocked the retirement age of 75 in January 2019.
Until his appointment to Abuja, Archbishop Kaigama was the Archbishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Jos and still is the chairperson of the Regional Episcopal Conference of West Africa (RECOES-CERAO) since 2015.
He was also a member of the Pontifical Council for the promotion of the New Evangelization since 2012.
Archbishop Kaigama was born July 31 1958, in Kona in the catholic diocese of Jalingo, Nigeria and ordained priest on June 6, 1981 in the Catholic diocese of Yola.
He previously served as bishop of the catholic diocese of Jalingo and Archbishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Jos.
