NIGERIA’S OLDEST CATHOLIC PRELATE, BISHOP ANTHONY GBUJI, MARKS HISTORIC 53RD EPISCOPAL ORDINATION ANNIVERSARY

ENUGU, NIGERIA — The Catholic Church in Nigeria is giving thanks for the life and enduring ministry of Most Rev. Anthony Okonkwo Gbuji, Bishop Emeritus of Enugu, who celebrated his 53rd episcopal ordination anniversary on September 30, 2026.

​At 95 years old, Bishop Gbuji holds the distinction of being the oldest Catholic prelate in Nigeria. His milestone anniversary offers a moment of national reflection on more than five decades of episcopal service and over 67 years in the Catholic priesthood.

​Born on October 29, 1931, Bishop Gbuji received his early priestly formation at St. Theresa Minor Seminary in Oke-Are, Ibadan, and St. Paul’s Major Seminary in Benin City. He was ordained to the priesthood in Rome on November 23, 1958, where he subsequently earned advanced degrees in Theology and Canon Law, alongside additional studies in French and Education.

​Upon returning to Nigeria, his early ministry was defined by academic leadership and post-civil war reconstruction. He served as both teacher and Principal at St. Thomas Teachers’ Training College in Ibusa, while playing a key role in refugee relief and the restoration of educational infrastructure following the Nigerian Civil War.

​On July 5, 1973, Pope Paul VI established the Diocese of Issele-Uku and named then-Father Gbuji as its pioneer shepherd. Following his episcopal ordination on September 30, 1973, Bishop Gbuji spent over two decades building the foundation of the newly created diocese from the ground up despite initial resource constraints.

​In 1996, he was reassigned to the Diocese of Enugu and officially installed as Bishop of Enugu on February 8, 1997. His tenure in Enugu was marked by significant advancements in evangelization, higher education, and seminary formation. Notably, he founded the St. Paul International Institute of Evangelization in 2001, an institution that has since evolved into the Faculty of Religious Studies at Godfrey Okoye University, Enugu.

​Following his retirement as Bishop of Enugu in 2009, he was called back into administrative service by the Vatican, serving as the Apostolic Administrator of the Archdiocese of Benin City from 2010 to 2011.

​In a tribute commemorating the milestone, Rev. Fr. Ugochukwu Ugwoke, ISch, commended the venerable prelate for a lifetime defined by scholarship, perseverance, and unwavering devotion to the Church and the Nigerian populace.

​Clergy and faithful across the country continue to offer prayers for the health, strength, and preservation of the revered Bishop Emeritus as he marks 53 years in the episcopacy.