President Muhammadu Buhari has sent a personally signed goodwill message to Ignatius Kaigama, as he gets formally installed today as Catholic Archbishop of Abuja.
The President rejoiced with the Archbishop, and wished him well in his new spiritual assignment.
“I rejoice with you on your appointment as the Archbishop of Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja by the Catholic Pontiff, Pope Francis.
“With your pedigree as a priest and administrator, I have no doubt that you will make an impressive success of your new office. Your background as immediate past President of Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria, former Archbishop of Jos, former President of Episcopal Conference of West Africa Catholic Bishops, and former Chairman, Plateau State Inter-religious Committee for Peace, among others, will stand you in good stead in the new assignment.
“You have always promoted peace, inter-faith dialogue, and mutual understanding between religions. I wish you great success and higher strides as the Catholic Archbishop of Abuja.
“Accept my best wishes,” the President said in a statement signed by his spokesperson, Femi Adesina on Thursday.
Archbishop Kaigama succeeds Cardinal John Onaiyekan, who has since retired, after turning 75.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
