Auxiliary Bishop of Nigeria’s Awka Diocese Transferred to Nnewi Diocese as Local Ordinary

Before his appointment and episcopal ordination in 2014, Bishop Okoye served as a Parish Priest, Judicial Vicar for the Catholic Diocese of Awka and a Judge in the Onitsha Inter-Diocesan Ecclesiastical Tribunal. 

He was also a member of the Awka Diocesan College of Consultors, the Canon Law and Seminary Formation Committees at the Secretariat of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN).

The Titular Bishop of Masclianae was the 2009 recipient of the Henry Dunant Gold Merit Award, the highest recognition from the International Committee of the Red Cross Society. He was also the recipient of the 2012 Vocational Excellence Award from the Rotary Club of Nigeria.

The Nigerian Bishop has authored some books, including: Abortion and Euthanasia - The Crime of our Day Equality of Spouses in Can.1135 published in 1987, and A Colloquium of Service which was published in 1997. 

Once installed, Bishop Okoye is expected to serve as the second Local Ordinary of the Diocese that is part of the Ecclesiastical Province of Onitsha. It measures 1,160 km² and has a population of about 576,280 Catholics as per 2019 statistics.

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Magdalene Kahiu is a Kenyan journalist with passion in Church communication. She holds a Degree in Social Communications from the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA). Currently, she works as a journalist for ACI Africa.