{"id":139606,"date":"2019-05-17T10:28:19","date_gmt":"2019-05-17T10:28:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gouni.edu.ng\/?p=139606"},"modified":"2019-07-02T12:22:54","modified_gmt":"2019-07-02T12:22:54","slug":"godfrey-okoye-university-welcomes-the-bishop-of-the-catholic-diocese-of-nsukka-most-revd-prof-dr-godfrey-igwebuike-onah","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gouni.edu.ng\/new\/godfrey-okoye-university-welcomes-the-bishop-of-the-catholic-diocese-of-nsukka-most-revd-prof-dr-godfrey-igwebuike-onah\/","title":{"rendered":"Godfrey Okoye University welcomes the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Nsukka, Most Revd. Prof Dr. Godfrey Igwebuike Onah"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

To continue activities\nlined up to mark its tenth anniversary, Godfrey Okoye University welcomes the\nCatholic Bishop of Nsukka Diocese, Most Revd. Prof Dr. Godfrey Igwebuike Onah for\nan interactive session with the University community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

To formally declare the\nsession open, the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Prof D.E Onyeneje presents a brief\nbut impressive profile of the Bishop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From the start, the Bishop\u2019s\ndelight to be in Godfrey Okoye University is evident while commending the University.\nHe expresses pleasant surprise to discover that the University is only ten years\nold, According to him, the University\u2019s reputation exceeds ten years. He\ndescribes the serenity of the University in the midst of chaos that the society\nhas become, as a source of hope and encouragement. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Pointing out his\naffiliation with the university, his longstanding personal relationships with Late\nBishop Godfrey Mary-Paul Okoye, who the university is was named after, Revd. Father\nIkechukwu Ani, Revd. Father Edward Kanibe who he describes as his encourager\nand great inspirator of over forty years and many other members of staff and\nstudent with whom he has close relationships at home and abroad. On a light\nnote, the Bishop makes a joke as to how GO University could easily become\nGodfrey Onah University.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Bishop\u2019s message is\ncentered on the enormity of the responsibility of students and staff of the University,\nin the wake of challenges facing the community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Giving a detailed history\nof the evolution of the University and the ancient tradition of gathering young\npeople to influence the society, to the time of the Greek Plato. He credits the\nAcademy of Plato as the source of modern University. Emphasizing that the Academy\nwas not established for the sake of preparing young people to get jobs after\ngraduation but to be fundamentally involved in the society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Bishop alludes the\npassion and vision of the Church in training children to St. Augustine who\ndeclared the Church has no business birthing children if she can\u2019t educate them\nin truth. The Bishop stresses this has been the Churches main objective in\nestablishing universities since the Twelfth century: to train minds under Popes\nand Bishops be able to research about the world, our relationship with other\nhuman beings and the relationship with God, guided by the principle of truth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the\nBishop, the greatest problem of modern society and especially Nigeria, \u201cis lack\nof critical thinking clearly manifested in Politics and Religion.\u201d Stating that\nrationality of Religion has been jettisoned in favor of irrationality. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also decries the\ncurrent state of Democracy, defining it as the \u201cmanipulation of the poor, by\nthe powerful, for the rich\u201d, an aberration of Abraham Lincoln\u2019s definition, the\nanomalies of a party system instead of an individual pattern of voting and\nimpunity and violence of politicians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 He further extends his Theory of\nThoughtlessness to Life and Consumerism, insisting that even the poorest among\nus possess ten times more than we need because of societal pressure and\nmaterialism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To provide lasting\nsolution to the challenges facing the world, the Bishop asserts that the enormity\nof the responsibility is to disabuse our minds of the notion that education is\nsolely for the purpose of employment, but to make a difference and to be a repository\nof values, which he defines as that which makes a thing to be desirable and\ngood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Summarizing his insistence\non value, he calls on the members of the University to bear in mind what values\nare being internalized and what values are taken out to the society to\ntransform the society from within, else time being spent in the University\nmight be wasted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Defining culture as the\nsummary of the values of the society, the Bishop believes the Nigerian culture\nis in crisis citing Nollywood as a culprit. The Bishop portrays the worst\naspects of our public and private life in Africa to the world as factual and\nthe \u201cokada syndrome\u201d which he says has given rise to laziness, the want for quick\nmoney, robbery, kidnapping, accidents, and indecency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Bishop gives\ninstances of developed countries and their technological advancements, he is of\nthe opinion that if placed in the same context with foreign counterparts, there\nis a high probability to excel and exceed their achievements and make same\nimpact. He challenges the University not be passive victim of its present\ncontext but to labor actively to change the context. Urging all to adopt the\nprinciple to question the norm and change the narrative to make a difference in\nthe society and all aspects of life, especially in science where there is\nincreasing belief that whatever is scientifically possible is morally\npermissible. The Bishop is optimistic it is possible, stating that Godfrey\nOkoye University is producing those who will change the context, presently and\nin the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Bishop then gives\nroom for interactions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q: As Bishop of Nsukka\nDiocese, in terms of Leadership, What have you done currently in schools to\nchange the status quo of education in Nigeria?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A: It is not enough to\ncite what is wrong but to proffer solutions. The focus is on recruitment of\nteachers and supervision of their work.  Also,\ninsistence that Priests should get some education in basic tenets of education\nas being good and honest is not enough for management. Basic principles of\nschool management are necessary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Governor has also\nasked for help in cleaning up Education system, a challenge that has been\naccepted. A Law was proposed by the Governor to return schools forcefully taken\naway from the Church at least in managerial capacity, and it has been passed\nfor over a year although we have experienced some challenges in implementation.\nThis is due to the fact that the moral veins have of the system has collapsed\nand it will take some time to revive. Structures are useless, if there is no\nfaith that influences our moral life. This is a call to Priests to revive the\nmoral consciousness of an immoral society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If convinced Christians\nare in the Civil Service as products of the Christian system, then there is\nhope for the Nation. Heresy and bad Governance need each other to survive. If Jobs,\nGood Healthcare Systems etc. are in place, there won\u2019t be need for false\nmiracles and making mockery of the sacrament to access basic amenities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The effect of\nformulating policies and trying to implement may take some time due to the\nlevel of decadence but it will be visible in the long run. [EDITED]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the interactions,\nDeputy Vice Chancellor, Prof. Onyeneje gives the concluding remarks, he thanks\nthe Bishop for giving a clear picture of the narrative of the growth of the University,\nand speaking to from a least expected angle. He emphasizes the Bishops call to\nremember our culture and values. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He advises young\nscholars to think critically in order to tell good from bad. He asks them to\nbear in mind that the Certificate issued after studies, is to find them worthy\nin character and learning. As only a change in character can beget a better\nsociety. Expressing his gratitude to the Bishop, the DVC acknowledges his\ncontributions to reengineer society, morally, academically, spiritually and in\nfact all ramifications. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Bishop is called\nupon to give the Closing Prayer and Blessings, he uses the opportunity to make\nsome clarification about titles in the Church because of an apparent confusion\nas to how to properly address him. He states that Ecclesiastical titles are\nconventional and linked to Feudalism. The Bishop says titles like \u201cMy lord\u201d or\n\u201cLordship\u201d has nothing to do with the church but were inherited at the point\nwhen Bishops were part of the political powers. After separation, the church\ndecided to reevaluate some adopted practices .In this spirit, he asks to be\nsimply referred to as Bishop or Father Bishop for cultural and spiritual\nreasons. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

He also asks that this\nact should not be erroneously attributed to humility but a spiritual challenge\nas it easier to be a Lord than a Father. He urges Priests to behave like Fathers.\nTo buttress his point, the Bishop looks to Chinua Achebe\u2019s, \u201cThings fall apart.\u201d\nas he adapts Ogbuefi Ezeudu\u2019s message to Okonkwo on Ikemefuna\u2019s execution,\u201d that\nboy calls you father, have no hand is his death.\u201d  The bishop in turn admonishes Priests thus, \u201cthat\nboy, that girl, that man, that woman calls you father, have no hand in his\nspiritual death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On this thought\nprovoking and inspiring note, the Bishop brings the session to an end.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

To continue activities lined up to mark its tenth anniversary, Godfrey Okoye University welcomes the Catholic Bishop of Nsukka Diocese, Most Revd. Prof Dr. Godfrey Igwebuike Onah for an interactive session with the University community. To formally declare the session open, the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Prof D.E Onyeneje presents a brief but impressive profile of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":139787,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,552],"tags":[1619,1623,2358,2359,151,2356,972,2354,2355,2360,2361,15],"class_list":["post-139606","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academic","category-news","tag-anniversary","tag-bishop","tag-catholic-church","tag-diocese","tag-education","tag-godfrey-onah","tag-gouni","tag-interaction","tag-nsukka","tag-plato","tag-society","tag-university"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gouni.edu.ng\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139606","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gouni.edu.ng\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gouni.edu.ng\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gouni.edu.ng\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gouni.edu.ng\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=139606"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gouni.edu.ng\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139606\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gouni.edu.ng\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/139787"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gouni.edu.ng\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=139606"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gouni.edu.ng\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=139606"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gouni.edu.ng\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=139606"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}