History
Arrival of first missionaries and establishment of parishes
The history of the Catholic Church in Etsako - Afemai land or what is now the Diocese of Auchi dates back to the latter part of the 19th century - when the first Roman Catholic missionaries arrived at Agenebode in the present Etsako East Local Government Area of Edo State in Nigeria - and opened a mission station there. The team was led by Carlo Zappa who took over as the Prefect of the Upper Niger in 1894, with headquarters in Asaba.
As a Prefect, Zappa successfully gained access into the interior and established stations throughout the territory now known as Benin Ecclesiastical province.
In Etsako, he opened a parish station at Agenebode in 1897.
From the narratives of oral traditional history by our community elders, it was gathered that through the successful settlement of the Royal Niger Company - a trading foreign company which included the John Holt Brothers and early explorers like Richard Lander etc., the missionaries discovered that the Agenebode people were easily accessible through the River Niger and to some degree hospitable to foreigners. This, gave them confidence to pitch their tents among the people.
As a matter of fact, deductive reasoning and oral narratives, show that these white missionaries had already had contacts with the Agenebode indigenes as far back as 1884 - exploring the possibility of opening a parish church within the community. Prior to 1897, there has to be all kinds of logistics - preparations, negotiations and gathering of people before a church community starts. It took them about 13 years to build a base before a parish was finally birthed in 1897.
When Benin City diocese celebrated their 100 - centenary year at Agenebode on May 2, 1984; amid other ceremonies in other parts of the diocese, there were questions about the timing, but some living protégés of those missionaries testified that the timing was okay - because there were earlier contacts before a church community was birthed.
It was at Agenebode that the first parish station was opened in the Archdiocese of Benin City with Peter Pioten as the first parish priest. From Agenebode, other parish out stations were opened at Ivianokpodi, Iviukwe, Okpekpe and Apana.
In 1908, he established the first Major Seminary in Nigeria—St Martin's Seminary—at Ivianokpodi. The seminary was later transferred to Asaba in 1927 by Bishop Broderick. Among the seminarians who moved from Ivianokpodi to Asaba was Paul Emechete, the first Nigerian priest, and Joseph Agbodio Erameh, a native of Anegbette in south Uneme Clan in present Etsako Central Local Government Area of Edo State.
1933-1999
With the death of Bishop Broderick in 1933, Bishop Leo Taylor was appointed his successor in 1934. Bishop Taylor who came to Asaba-Benin Vicariate from Lagos where he was principal of St. Gregory's college, created Uzairue Parish in 1935, with J.J. Heeley as the first parish priest.
Bishop Taylor ordained the first Edo priest who was also the second indigenous priest of the Vicariate Apostolic of Western Nigeria in the person of Joseph Agbodio Erameh at Asaba, on December 20, 1936, and transferred the Major Seminary there to Benin in 1938. Bishop Taylor was succeeded in the Asaba-Benin Vicarite by Bishop Patrick Joseph Kelly in the same year.
The Catholic Church in Etsako, during the Episcopacy of P J Kelly established four secondary schools: Our Lady of Fatima college, Auchi, St. John's College Fugar, St. Angela's Girls Grammar School, Uzairue and St. Peter's College Agenebode which were taken over by Government in 1973.
In the same 1973, Bishop Kelly retired and handed over the Diocese of Benin City to Bishop Patrick Ebosele Ekpu (now Archbishop Emeritus). Conscious of the fact that the task of evangelizing the diocese was onerous, Archbishop Ekpu worked very hard to see that many more indigenous priests were ordained and new parishes were created.
21st century
As of December 30, 2002, there were 10 parishes in Auchi Diocese.
Archbishop Ekpu's repeated attempts to have the schools returned to the Catholic Mission foundered on the stony rock of the Nigerian Union of Teachers. They resisted fiercely. "NUT"'s opposition to Government's attempt to return the erstwhile Voluntary Agency schools to their owners somehow derailed progress. However, there are very few private Catholic schools scattered all over Auchi diocese, serving the educational needs of the people.
Hospitals
The early Missionaries in collaboration with some Irish nuns established two major medical facilities. These include Notre Dame Hospital at Uzairue and the Medical Health Centre at Agenebode respectively - serving the medical needs of our people.
The "sisters of Notre Dame De Namur" are managing these hospitals today. They have been working hard to keep these hospitals open, so that many people - Catholics and non Catholics - especially the poor, can have access to quality health care within Afemai territory over the years.
Akoko-Edo and Owan
The history of the Catholic Church in the diocese will not be complete without accounts of its spread to Akoko-Edo and Owan Local Government Areas of the Diocese, which with Etsako constitute the geographical areas comprising the Diocese.
In contrast to the warm welcome which the early Catholic Missionaries received in Etsako, their experience in Akoko-Edo and Owan Local Government Areas was one of initial resistance, if not down-right hostility, by the Church Missionary Society (the Anglicans) which was the first Christian Mission to establish its presence in the areas. The relatively slow pace of conversion to the Catholic faith and of vocation to the Catholic Priesthood in the areas up to date can be attributed, in part to this historical fact.
Edo, officially known as Edo State, is a state in the South-South geopolitical zone of the federal republic of Nigeria. As of 2006 national population census, the state was ranked as the 24th most populous state (3,233,366) in Nigeria. The estimated state population is around 4,777,000 in 2022. Edo State is the 22nd largest State by landmass in Nigeria. The state's capital and largest city, Benin City, is the fourth largest city in Nigeria, and the centre of the country's rubber industry. Created in 1991 from the former Bendel State, it is also known as the heart beat of the nation. Edo State borders Kogi State to the north for 133 km and across the Niger River for 81 km to the northeast, Anambra State to the east for about four km across the Niger River, Delta State to the southeast and south for 350 km, and Ondo State to the west.
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Uromi in Uromi, Edo State, Nigeria was created on December 14, 2005, when it was split off from the Archdiocese of Benin City. It is a suffragan diocese of the Archdiocese of Benin City. Its first bishop was Augustine Obiora Akubeze. The St Anthony of Padua church in Uromi was selected to be its cathedral. The canonical erection of the diocese and the episcopal ordination of the bishop took place on Saturday, February 25, 2006.
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Benin City is the Metropolitan See for the ecclesiastical province of Benin City in Nigeria.
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kaduna {Kadunaën(sis) in Latin} is the Metropolitan See for the ecclesiastical province of Kaduna in Nigeria.
The Afemai, also spelled Afenmai, are an ethnic group living in the northern part of Edo State, South-South geopolitical zone of Nigeria. Afemai people occupy six local government areas of Edo state: Etsako West, with headquarters in Auchi, Etsako Central, with the headquarters in Fugar, Etsako East, with the headquarters in Agenebode, Owan East with Afuze as the headquarters, Owan West with Sabongida-Ora as the headquarters and Akoko Edo,Igara being the headquarters. These make up the Edo-North Senatorial District.
Agenebode is a historical water-side town located by the banks of the Niger River in Edo State, South South part of Nigeria. It is the headquarters of Etsako-East local Government Area, the host of the local council and the traditional capital of Weppa Wanno Clan/Kingdom.
The Etsakọ people are the majority ethnic group in the northern region of Edo State, Nigeria. They are historically linked to the ancient Benin kingdom. Administratively, they presently occupy three local government areas of Edo State. These are: Etsako East, Etsako West and Etsako Central, with Agenebode, Auchi, and Fugar as their administrative headquarters respectively.
Weppa Wanno is a Kingdom in present-day Etsako East local government area, in the South- South geopolitical zone of Nigeria. It is the homeland of Uwano people in the Etsako East local council administrative authority. Today, the people are traditionally ruled by two different clan kingship, the Weppa clan kingship and the Uwanno clan kingship. However, all the people of Weppa Wanno speak the same version of Etsako languages called Uwano dialect.
Jattu is a town in Edo state Nigeria. It is the headquarters of Uzairue Clan in Etsako West council of Edo state. Uzairue Clan consist of twenty-one (21) villages, namely Jattu, Afowa, Elele, Iyamho, Ogbido, Uluoke, Ayaoghena, Ayua, Iyuku, Imeke, Afashio, Iyora, Apana, Imonikhe, Yelwa, Ozor, Ikabigbo, Idatto, Ugbenor, Irekpai, and Ayogwiri. Jattu is bounded by Auchi, Afashio, Elele/Iviamho, Ayua, and South Ibie.
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Etsako West is a Local Government Area of Edo State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Auchi. Etsako West is made up of six clans: Uzairue, Auchi, South Ibie, Anwain, Jagbe and Aviele.
Owan East is a Local Government Area of Edo State, Nigeria. The headquarters is in the town of Afuze. The Owan East Local Government Area comprises 69 towns/villages made up of eight clans.
Auchi is a city in Edo State, Nigeria.
Okpekpe is a town in Etsako East Local Government Area of Edo State, Nigeria. It is located about 25 kilometres (16 mi) northeast of Auchi. It has a population of 3155 inhabitants. Its people belong to a homogeneous group of people, called the Afemai.
The Bendel Province is one of the fourteen ecclesiastical provinces of the Church of Nigeria. It comprises thirteen dioceses, each one headed by a bishop and it was created in 2002, when the current division into provinces was adopted. His headquarters are located in Asaba. The first Archbishop of the Bendel Province was Albert Agbaje, who died in 2005. He was succeeded by Nicholas Okoh, latter replaced upon his election as Primate of Nigeria by Friday John Imaekhai in 2010. In 2020 Cyril Odutemu became Archbishop of Bendel.
Francis Asekhame Alimikhena is a former Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria from Edo State. He served in the Senate from 2015 to 2023, representing Edo North Senatorial District. He was first elected in 2015 and reelected to a second term in 2019. However, he lost his re-election bid in 2023. Senator Alimikhena was the vice-chairman, Senate Committee on Housing and also a member of the Senate committee on Constitutional Review.
Edo North senatorial district in Edo State comprises six local government areas which consist of Etsako West, Etsako East, Etsako Central, Owan West, Owan East and Akoko Edo. The headquarters of Edo North is Auchi in Etsako West LGA. The current representative of Edo North is comr. Adams Aliu Oshiomole of the All Progressives Congress, APC.
Unuedegor is a community located along the banks of the Niger River in Etsako East local government area of Edo State in Nigeria. It is about eight kilometers north of Agenebode, where the Etsako East local government headquarters are located. Bordered on the east by Idah in Kogi State, with the River Niger in the middle of both communities, it is bordered on the west by Egor-Na-Ugeh along the Nigerian Railways tracks that run from Ajaokuta to Warri in Delta State, and in the north by Uzanu Community of the Uneme Kingdom.
Nigeria 