BY REV. FR. GERALD NWAFOR
I speak not as an editor, a freelance writer, a journalist, a student of history, or an outsider. Rather, I write as a son, a brother, a python (Nwadiani), a friend, and a beneficiary of unlimited love. I did a video already, as requested by Rev. Fr. Nnnamdi Okpalaugo (Fada Ndi Nga), where I explained in clear terms my relationship with the Archbishop, who the Archbishop is, and his position in my life as a person. I may go into unnecessary repetition here because it is allowed by virtue of what the bird (Nwanza) said when he was overfed and was overjoyed.
And when the consequence of his statement was called to action his simple reply was adrem and to the point. For the sake of the international audience and the non-Igbo speakers: The bird, after being fed and nourished by the Creator, challenged the Creator to a wrestling match. When the Creator appeared for the wrestling match, the bird realized the consequence of what he had challenged, and he withdrew the statement and asked the Creator if it is impossible for well-fed, well-nourished, well-taken-care-of, well-loved, and well-blessed not to make misspeak, and mis-talk? So, if I say something that did not sit well with you in this piece, just understand that I have been well-fed, well-loved, well-taken-care-of, well-nourished, and well-blessed. I do not claim this favor alone, there was an army of sons and daughters who have benefited in the benevolence of the Archbishop.
If this were a Facebook post, thousands, if not millions, would be sharing and liking it. But let us start the epilogue.The Archbishop told us in the seminary, “The measure of love is to love without measure.” From 1996 to 2002, he served as our rector in the Bigard Memorial Seminary Enugu, where he mentored thousands of priests into the Holy Orders of the Catholic priesthood. Although he joined Bigard Seminary in 1991 as a Professor of Moral Theology and Ethics, I could not put down all his achievements in the seminary because he was the Dean of the Theology faculty before holding the office of the rector. Those people who were opportune to work with him in the Dean’s office cannot exhaust the story of his magnanimity and benevolence whenever we congregate as Bigard alumni.
We who enjoyed the benevolence from a family point of view, onto the priestly point of view, student point of view, and official point of view had more to say but we tend to keep quiet because we do not want anyone to accuse us of Nepotism. I worked in his office, I worked in his room, and I worked in his circle. I have enough data to share but this paper will not carry all the content. I do not need a witness because he has been in the public service as a priest in the Lord’s Vineyard since 1981. Therefore, res ipsa loquitur, your work speaks for itself.
I will not conclude without a personal story that will bring a human touch to this little account of the person we are celebrating.In the seminary, we play sports. Bigard was the most successful team during his tenure as the rector. When he became the rector in February 1996, he jumped into action, visiting our sports camp daily.
There was no financial capital left in the wallet of the seminary. Some people suggested that we should close the seminary and tell the bishops that there was no money. Our sports camp, made up of young, bright, and ebullient kids, was roaring to go. He said that not under his watch should the Bigard seminary be absent during the all-seminary games.
With his personal resources and encouragement and the dictum to love without measure, we went to Jos (the host of 1996 all major seminary games) and returned with the victor-ludorum. We won the mother of all sports (soccer).
Nobody could tell the financial challenges the seminary was going through. We were well-fed when we returned from the games. Gifts of cash and customized t-shirts and beverages were showered upon us. Let me not fast forward to 1998 when he hosted the all-seminary games.
Bigard was the shining star. Everyone confessed that it was the most successful of all seminary games they had ever attended in their journey to the priesthood. In terms of organization, infrastructures, feeding arrangements, time for programs, and the planning that made the then governor of Enugu State, Cornel Abdulrahman, request that our sports arena be used for the World Cup in 1999.
Do I need to say more?Before Fr. Val became the rector, we used to chase the tanker driver to fetch water. Thank God nobody was crushed by the lorry in the name of fetching water for showers or washing clothes. By 1997 he constructed a dam and provided Bigard with a forever water supply.
The dam was constructed by the Ave Maria construction company. The vision to use local contractors was made manifest to him a long time ago. But if I say that it was Israeli engineers who came and inspected the local river behind Bigard, took the water, and went back to Israel to make a case study if the river will be drinkable?
The sampling was done more than twice before they came back with the final plan on how to construct the dam and how to build the treatment tanks. The age-long water phenomenon was solved in 1997. We were the privileged beneficiaries of this project. There was no kitchen because the makeshift kitchen built after the Civil War for a hundred or fewer seminarians could no longer accommodate a thousand plus.
A new kitchen was constructed with state-of-the-art equipment. Gas was introduced, and the domestic staff members were so happy and jubilant. CNN, yes, I mean CNN, was introduced into the break time when we went to the TV room to listen and watch cable news network.
A cyber café was built in St. John’s block, and computer classes were introduced into our curriculum. Let me conclude because if we attempt to scratch the surface of his service, the morning will come, the evening will come, and it will be the next day.Your Grace, Fr. Val, Maduka, Nnaochie, AB, you have enjoyed those nomenclatures in the course of your journey in Life. As you celebrate your 70th birthday I reflected on the day of your birth to see if I can pin it down to Eke, Oye, Afor, Nkwo.
All the great market days were in contention over who owned you because your gift cut across all their greatness. So, I concluded that you must have been born to be one-of-a-kind when the planets and the stars were completely aligned. When the four market days were in agreement.
And the world needed someone exactly like you to do all the wonderful things that you do, the goodness you share from your beautiful heart. Finally, in one of your homilies in Bigard, you told us not to enjoy this goodness and allow it to die with us. We must pass it on to the next generation; that a leader without a successor is a bad leader because all his achievements would be in vain when he must have departed the stage. Similarly, you have influenced many people positively.
You did not only preach, but you practiced what you preached. Funnily enough, you said to a seminarian in my presence, “ANYONE WHO DRINKS A LOT, SMOKES A LOT, TALKS A LOT: you can fill in the blank spaces.” Hence you concluded, “Virtue stands in the middle.” You gave us spiritual food, moral food, and material food in our sojourn with you all these years. Happy birthday, Your Grace, age gracefully.
