Ignatius Ayau Kaigama is a Nigerian Bishop of the Catholic Church who has served in various states of the country as the first bishop of Jalingo from 1995 to 2000, archbishop of Jos from 2000 to 2019, coadjutor in Abuja for 11 months and currently archbishop of Abuja since 9 November 2019.
He was born in Kona, Taraba State on 31 July 1958.
His Educational Background
Ignatius Kaigama attended St. Augustine’s Seminary in Jos and was ordained a priest on 6 June 1981.
He later bagged a doctorate degree in theology in 1991 from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome.
Ignatius Kaigama’s Priesthood
Most Rev Ignatius Kaigama was vicar general of the Diocese of Yola and pastor of St. Augustine in Jalingo when Pope John Paul II appointed him bishop of the newly established Diocese of Jalingo on 3 February, 1995.
He was consecrated a bishop on 23 April 1995 by Bishop Patrick Francis Sheehan of Yola, with co-consecrators Bishops Gregory Obinna Ochiagha of Orlu and Athanasius Atule Usuh of Makurdi.
He worked in several parishes in Nigeria’s Yola Diocese (Adamawa State) and, in 1995, became the first bishop of the Diocese of Jalingo, the capital city of his home state of Taraba.
In 2000, he was installed as the Archbishop of Jos, capital of Plateau State.
In addition to his role as archbishop, Bishop Kaigama is the founder of the Dialogue, Reconciliation and Peace Centre; first vice president of the Regional Episcopal Conferences of West Africa (RECOWA); and president (serving his second three-year term) of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN).
The renowned Bishop has had various positions, including the Chairman of Plateau State Inter-Religious Council for Peace and Harmony and chair of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), in Plateau State.
Publications
Bishop Kaigama has authored several books. He is most noted for his Compilation of some of his peace efforts entitled Peace, Not War: A Decade of Interventions in the Plateau State Crises (2001-2011), Dialogue of Life: An Urgent Necessity for Nigerian Muslims and Christians and Peace, not War: A Decade of Interventions in the Plateau State Crises (2002 – 2011).
Other books written by the archbishop include being a founding member of Nigeria’s InterFaith Activity & Partnership for Peace (IFAPP) dedicated to providing “A Credible and Trusted Platform for Dialogue Between People of Different Faiths,” including efforts to “Work Out Modalities for Stemming the Rising Tension Between Christians and Muslims” and “Strategies For Combating the Boko Haram Challenge.”
In October 2015, Kaigama came up with what he described as the interreligious work which he and Muslim leader Emir Muhammadu Mohammed Muazu profiled in the Deutsche Welle article, “Nigeria: Religious Dialogue in Times of Terror.”
Most Rev Ignatius Kaigama has been an advocate of peace. After the outbreak of what appeared to be interreligious violence in Jos in 2010, he advised that it was superficial to see religion and ethnicity as the sources of conflict.
According to the renowned archbishop,
“there are “social, economic, political factors responsible for this recurring crisis which we have never got at”.
Ignatius Kaigama decried “political opportunists and ignorant religious preachers” who manipulate young people, especially the unemployed. He helped to calm the situation and clarified the nature of the conflict in the local and international press.
That same year, he founded the Interfaith Youth Vocational Training Centre in Bokkos, Plateau State, which brings together Muslim and Christian youths in the hope of curbing violence in the region.
In 2007 he founded the Female Catechists Formation Centre in Kwall, Plateau State and 2011, he founded the Dialogue, Reconciliation and Peace Centre in Jos.
In 25 July 2012, Kaigama was named a member of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelisation by Pope Benedict XVI.
Most Rev Ignatius Kaigama was president of the Nigerian Bishops Conference from 2012 to 2018 and president of the Reunion of Episcopal Conferences of West Africa from 2016 to 2022.
He has chaired various Interreligious Committee for Peace from 2005 to date, including the Christian Association of Nigeria in Plateau State between 2007 to 2010. Together with the Emir of Wase, Alhaji Haruna Abdullahi, he has been involved in promoting mutual understanding between Christians and Muslims.
In 2014, Bishop Kaigama emerged President of the Nigerian Bishops Conference. He signed a letter that commended the Nigerian legislation that abhorred same-sex marriage, a development he described as a courageous act and a bold step that upheld the dignity and sanctity of marriage even in the face of pressure from foreign nations.
The renowned clergy man has never been mute on the same-sex marriage. According to Kaigama at the Catholic Bishops Conference in 2015, he condemned the act, as he welcomed the legislation that contradicts “our cultural and religious norms of marriage”.
He went further to state that “Our commitment to providing justice to those whose rights are unfairly violated is unwavering”. This position has been largely misunderstood and misreported as “the Nigerian Catholic Bishops asking the government to jail people with different sexual orientations.”
He participated in the Synod on the Family in 2014 and 2015. Speaking at the October 2014 session, Kaigama condemned foreign aid programs that tend to entice Africans to accept their cultural values which are in essence contrary to our value system.
In the words of Kaigama, “we get international organizations, countries, and groups which tend to entice us to deviate from our cultural practices, traditions and even our religious beliefs. And this is because of their belief that their views should be our views. Their opinions and their concept of life should be ours”.
He objected to international organizations that promote population control when Africa needs food, education, reliable power supply and health care.
As president of the Nigerian Bishops Conference, he was the Visitor to Veritas University, Abuja. He has been the Chancellor of Godfrey Okoye University, Enugu since 4 October 2013.
As president of the Reunion of the Episcopal Conferences of West Africa, he was the grand Chancellor of L’université Catholique de l’Afrique de l’Ouest (UCAO) and Chancellor of the Catholic Institute of West Africa (CIWA), Port Harcourt and many more.
Archbishop of Abuja
March 11 2019, Pope Francis named him Coadjutor Archbishop of Abuja.
In 9 November 2019, he emerged Archbishop of Abuja when Pope Francis accepted the resignation of Cardinal John Onaiyekan. He was installed on 5 December in a ceremony attended by Nigerian Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and the Apostolic nuncio, Archbishop Antonio Filipazzi.
In August 2022, he criticized the Nigerian government and ruling class for the increasing insecurity Christians are currently facing. He told Aid to the Church in Need:
“There is subtle persecution, which is even more dangerous. It is done in such a way that you cannot say they are really killing Christians, they have not pushed the Christians away, but the way the Government carries on you can be sure the Christians are not favored. There is no equality. We are a country that is more or less 50-50 Christian-Muslim, so there should be equal distribution of resources, of opportunities, and people should feel included in sensitive political, economic or security positions”.
Awards and Recognition
Most Rev Kaigama has received various awards and recognition for his immeasurable contributions to peace, security and development of the country.
He was awarded two honorary doctorate degrees in Public Administration and Human Resource Management by Godfrey Okoye University, Enugu in 2015 and Madonna University in 2016 respectively.
Kaigama was also a recipient of an international award, the “Golden Doves Peace Award” from Italy in 2012.
In 2013, he received an award from the San Valentino Peace Award from the Diocese of Terni-Narni-Amelia, also in Italy.
In 2014, Kaigama received the Religious Award of a Turkish Non-Governmental Organization, the UFUK Dialogue Foundation and National Award from Nigerian government with the title of Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR) on October 11, 2022.
Kaigama’s Net Worth
Most Rev Ignatius Kaigama has an estimated net worth of about $1 million dollars. His wealth is however not through ill-gotten and unnecessary accumulation, but selfless service to humanity.
Most Rev Ignatius Kaigama has also been involved in human rights activism and efforts to promote democracy, good governance and justice in Nigeria. His works remain highly influential and relevant, addressing social, political and economic issues far beyond Nigeria and making him a prominent figure in both African and global community.
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