The Holy See has appointed Donatus Ogun as the Apostolic Administrator of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Benin City following the death of the Metropolitan Archbishop, Augustine Obiora Akubeze.
The appointment, approved by Pope Leo XIV, takes immediate effect and will remain in force until a substantive Archbishop of Benin City is appointed.
The development was conveyed in an official communication signed by the Apostolic Nuncio to Nigeria, Michael F. Crotty, who said the Dicastery for Evangelization, acting with the faculties granted by the Holy Father, made the appointment to ensure the smooth governance of the Archdiocese during the period of vacancy.
According to the notification, Bishop Ogun will oversee the affairs of the Archdiocese of Benin City pending the appointment of a new Archbishop to succeed the late Archbishop Akubeze, whose sudden death created the vacancy.
The Apostolic Nuncio directed that the clergy of the Archdiocese be formally informed of the appointment upon receipt of the letter.
Crotty also renewed his condolences to the priests, religious and lay faithful of the Archdiocese, assuring them of his prayers during what he described as a period of mourning and loss.
The appointment marks the beginning of the canonical transition process for the Archdiocese as the Catholic Church prepares for the eventual selection of a new Metropolitan Archbishop for Benin City.
