Diocese of Issele-Uku Dioecesis Isseleukuanus | |
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Location | |
Country | Nigeria |
Territory | Aniocha North and Aniocha South, Ika North East and Ika South, Oshimili North and Oshimili South in Delta State |
Ecclesiastical province | Archdiocese of Benin City |
Metropolitan | Archbishop of Benin City |
Coordinates | 6°19′11.98″N6°28′36.65″E / 6.3199944°N 6.4768472°E |
Statistics | |
Area | 3,011 km2 (1,163 sq mi)Annuario Pontificio 2012 |
Population - Total - Catholics | (as of 2012) 1.153.000 364.000 (31.5%) |
Parishes | 64 |
Churches | 22 |
Schools | 42 |
Information | |
Denomination | Roman Catholic |
Rite | Latin Rite |
Established | July 5, 1973 |
Cathedral | Saint Paul Cathedral |
Patron saint | Our Lady Mother of Perpetual Help |
Current leadership | |
Pope | Francis |
Bishop | Most Rev. Dr. Michael Odogwu Elue |
Metropolitan Archbishop | Archbishop of Benin City |
Vicar General | Very Rev Fr. Peter Onyeka Mobuogwu |
Bishops emeritus | Most Rev. Emmanuel Otteh |
Map | |
Diocese of Issele-Uku is the northern portion of Delta State which is shown in red. | |
Website | |
www.Issele-UkuDiocese.org | |
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The Roman Catholic Diocese of Issele-Uku (Latin : Isseleukuan(us)) is a diocese located in the city of Issele-Uku, Delta State in the ecclesiastical province of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria. It lies on the west bank of the Niger River between Benin City to the west and Onitsha to the east. The diocese comprises six local government areas in the northern portion of Delta State. The Archdiocese of Onitsha borders it on the east and the Archdiocese of Benin City borders it on the west. The Diocese of Uromi is to its north and the Diocese of Warri borders it on the south.
The first Mass in the diocese was celebrated on March 5, 1888 and the first missionary was Fr. Carlo Zappa. The Diocese of Issele-Uku was created on July 5, 1973 from the territory which was once part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Benin City. It now covers the northern part of Delta State west of the River Niger and the state capital, Asaba including the following six Local Government Areas of Nigeria: Aniocha North and Aniocha South, Ika North East and Ika South, Oshimili North and Oshimili South, and has a land mass of 3,011 square Km. The diocese has grown from the initial eight parishes with which it began to 44 parishes and 18 independent stations in 2011.
The diocese at the end of the year 2006 had a population of 996,410 people, including 308,596 baptized Catholics, constituting 31% of the population. Statistics are taken from the Annuario Pontificio.
Year | Population | Priests | Deacons | Religious | Parishes | ||||||
baptised | total | % | number | secular | regular | baptised per priest | men | women | |||
1980 | 64.312 | 406.000 | 15,8 | 23 | 13 | 10 | 2.796 | 10 | 21 | 13 | |
1990 | 99.727 | 358.142 | 27,8 | 35 | 30 | 5 | 2.849 | 12 | 46 | 22 | |
1999 | 240.184 | 715.878 | 33,6 | 55 | 47 | 8 | 4.366 | 15 | 60 | 31 | |
2000 | 245.186 | 734.199 | 33,4 | 60 | 51 | 9 | 4.086 | 18 | 61 | 35 | |
2001 | 254.995 | 785.594 | 32,5 | 67 | 58 | 9 | 3.805 | 18 | 61 | 35 | |
2002 | 275.300 | 883.790 | 31,1 | 65 | 57 | 8 | 4.235 | 17 | 83 | 36 | |
2003 | 283.850 | 905.884 | 31,3 | 66 | 57 | 9 | 4.300 | 18 | 93 | 36 | |
2004 | 292.366 | 951.117 | 30,7 | 76 | 66 | 10 | 3.846 | 19 | 101 | 36 | |
2006 | 308.596 | 996.410 | 31,0 | 89 | 79 | 10 | 3.467 | 28 | 118 | 36 | |
2012 | 364.000 | 1.153.000 | 31,5 | 101 | 89 | 12 | 30 | 150 | 64 |
St. Paul Cathedral in Issele-Uku. See picture of cathedral:
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The diocese is located in the northern area of Delta State which is structured according to political divisions known as local government areas (L.G.A.s). There were in 1991 twelve LGAs, then nineteen and now there are 25 LGAs. The Diocese of Issele-Uku now covers six of the local government areas: Aniocha North and Aniocha South, Ika North East and Ika South, and Oshimili North and Oshimili South, and with a land mass of 3,011 square Km.
The Catholic Church in Nigeria is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope, the curia in Rome, and the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria (CBCN).
Delta State is a state in the South-South geopolitical zone of Nigeria. Named after the Niger Delta—a large part of which is in the state—the state was formed from the former Bendel State, on 27 August 1991. Bordered on the north by Edo State, the east by Anambra and Rivers states, and that south by Bayelsa State while to the west is the Bight of Benin which covers about 160 kilometres of the state's coastline. The state was initially created with 12 local government areas in 1991, but was later expanded to 19 and now has 25 local government areas. Its capital city is Asaba which is located along the River Niger on the northeastern end of the state, while the state's economic center is the city of Warri on the southwestern coastline.
Peter Konyegwachie was a Nigerian boxer. He hails from Ogwashi-Uku. The town that also produced another sport (football) great, Austin "Jay Jay" Okocha. The town is the headquarters of Aniocha South Local Government Area of Delta State, Nigeria. He attended Adaigbo Secondary School. At the 1984 Summer Olympics he won Nigeria's first ever silver medal in the men's Featherweight (54–57 kg) category.
The Anioma people are a subgroup of the Igbo people predominantly indigenous to present day Delta State, Nigeria, along with communities in Edo State. The Anioma people encompass and are native to the nine northeastern Local Government Areas of Delta State and the Ika-Igbo communities of Edo State. Politically, the Anioma occupy the Delta North Senatorial District where they are the majority group.
Nwazuluwa Onuekwuke "Zulu" Sofola was the first published female Nigerian playwright and dramatist. Sofola was also a university teacher and became the first female Professor of Theater Arts in Africa.
Igbuzo is an Igbo community in Delta State, Nigeria, founded c. 1450. The community is in Oshimili North. It has an estimated population of 566,310 people in 2009. The people speak the Enuani dialect of the Igbo language. The name of the community is more commonly and officially known and written as Ibusa. The movements forming the process of Ibusa can be linked to the first and second waves of the movement of Igbo migrants into the West Bank of the Niger River. The first adventure was led by Edini from Nshi (Nri) and the second of the two waves of migrations was led by Umejei from Isu resulting in the formation of Igbuzo.
Enuani is an Igbo dialect spoken in Nigeria by the Anioma people of Delta State, Onitsha, Obosi and Ogbaru in Anambra State, Mgbidi in Imo State, Ndoni in Rivers State and some parts of Ibaji in Delta state. Enuani is tonal like the rest of Anioma dialects and is particularly related to the standard Igbo pronunciation in many regards. The Enuani dialect is the dominant Anioma dialect in Delta State.
The Ekumeku Movement consisted of a series of uprisings against the rising power of the Royal Niger Company of the British Empire by Anioma people in present-day Delta State. The British penetration of Nigeria met with various forms of resistance throughout the country. In the south, the British had to fight many wars, in particular the wars against the Aro of Eastern Igboland in 1901–1902, and from 1883 to 1914, the Anioma in Western Igboland.
Aniocha North is a Local Government Area of Delta State, Nigeria, with its headquarters in Issele Uku. It comprises the subgroup of Anioma and towns. The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) permanent orientation camp for Delta state is located at Issele Ukwu town.
Aniocha South is a Local Government Area of Delta State, Nigeria. Its headquarters is in the town of Ogwashi-Uku. The communities that make up the Local Government Area are Abah Unor, Adonte, Ashama, Egbudu-Akah, Ejeme-Aniogor, Ejeme-Unor, Ewulu, Isheagu, Ogwashi Uku, Nsukwa, Ubulu-Okiti, Ubulu-Ukwu, Ubulu-Unor, Ukwu-Oba and Umute.
There were three Polytechnics in Delta State, Nigeria, all established on 12 November 2002, located in Ogwashi-Uku, Ozoro, and Otefe-Oghara, Oghara. However, the Polytechnic that was in Ozoro has been transformed into a University by the state government. The Government of Delta State reached an understanding with the University of Westminster, London to assist in management and technical support for the institutions. The institutions are centres of excellence in Agriculture, Computing and Information Technology, Fashion Design and Arts and Sports. Besides their primary areas of specialization, all students are trained in Computing and Information Technology as well as business and entrepreneurship.
Victor Ochei Onyekachi is a former member of the Nigerian House of Assembly from Ogbekenu in Onicha Olona, Delta State. He was a former Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly on 6 June 2011, representing the Aniocha North constituency, marking the commencement of the Fifth Assembly of the Delta State Legislature. He held the position of Primus Inter Pares of the Delta State Assembly for two years and nine months before his resignation on 18 March 2014.
Ogwashi Ukwu, sometimes spelt as Ogwashi-Uku, is an Igbo town in Delta State, Nigeria. Located west of the state capital Asaba, it is the headquarters for the Local Government Area, Aniocha South. The population of Ogwashi-Ukwu is about 50,234.. However, its number has increased vastly and keeps increasing. It is an Anioma region of Delta State which is home to the Igbo-speaking people of Delta State. Its natives are the Enuani people, who are predominantly farmers and fishers. The villages in Ogwashi-Ukwu include Ikelike, Umu Dei, Azungwu, Agidiase, Agidiehe, Ogbe Akwu, Ishekpe, Ogbe Onicha, Ogbe Ubu, Ogbe Ani and Umu-okwe.
Issele-uku is a town in Nigeria's Delta State and headquarters for the Local Government Area of Aniocha North. It is also the Episcopal See of the Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Issele-Uku. It has its own post office and is served by the nearby new Asaba International Airport.
Idumuje Unor is a town situated in the Aniocha North Local Government Area of Delta State, Nigeria, lying between 6020’ 01.4’’ N and 60 22’ 06.5’’ N and between 60 25’ 01.4’’ E and 60 27’ 06.6’’ E. It is located 5 kilometers from Issele-Uku, the headquarters of Aniocha North and has a growing land area of 16sq km and current estimated population of about 20,000 inhabitants. It is bordered to the west by Onicha-Ugbo, to the North by Idumuje-Ugboko and Ewohinmi in Edo State, to the East by Onicha-Uku and Ugbodu and to the south by Issele-Uku. The name Idumuje in the Esan language could be translated to mean; Idumu - Community/Quarters and Oje - King/Royal. In other words, Idumuje means Royal Quarters or Kings' Quarter. Worthy to note: Another Idumuje named location could be found at present in Benin. The suffix "Unor" is an inclusion to the town's name so as to differentiate it from the breakaway community Idumuje -Ugboko; by a man called Nwoko and his supporters some 300 years ago. Ugboko is translated to mean "Ugbo" - Farm & "Oko" - a shortening of the name Nwoko.
Joan Onyemaechi Mrakpor is a Nigerian Christian evangelist and politician of Anioma heritage. She is a member of the People's Democratic Party and has since 2015 represented Aniocha North-Aniocha South-Oshimili North-Oshimili South in the House of Representatives. Prior to her election into national level politics, Onyemaechi served as a member of the Delta State House of Assembly for Aniocha South from 2007 to 2015.
The Delta State Polytechnic, Ogwashi-Uku is one of the three polytechnics in Delta State, Located in Ogwashi-Uku, Nigeria. The polytechnic offers National Diplomas and Higher National Diplomas in Art and Design, Business, Engineering and Applied Sciences.
Kingsley Chukwukamadu Obuh, at Ubulu-Uku, is the Bishop of Asaba Diocese in the Anglican Communion. He was consecrated Bishop of Asaba in 2022. He has been married to Comfort Obuh.
Anthony Okonkwo Gbuji is a retired Catholic prelate who was bishop of Enugu Diocese from 1997 to 2009. He was ordained priest on 23 November 1958 at Propaganda Fidei Chapel, Rome by Pietro Cardinal Agaginian the Prefect of the Congregation. Gbuji is a doctor of Canon Law.