By UZOMA ODUIGWE, Editorial Consultant

Nigeria is long overdue for a serving Cardinal of the Catholic faith persuasion. This is as a result of the near depletion of the number of currently serving Cardinals in the country, owing to retirement due to old age.

As at the date and time of this report, the country has just four (4) cardinals out of which three (3) of them have reached the over 80-years age brackets ? ranging between 92 and 80 years, have retired, with the 4th one among them, the youngest and recently elevated to that position being 62 years old.

This call to service was made recently by the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) in a recent release dated Sunday May 11, 2025 from their Onitsha, Anambra State, Eastern Nigeria base and signed by the trio of the body's officers ? Emeka Umeagbalasi, Criminologist, Conflict and Peace Studies Scholar/Lead Researcher/Group Head, Intersociety; Chinwe Umeche, Esq. Human Rights Lawyer/Head, Democracy and Good Governance and Ekene Bede Umeagu, Head, Religious Freedom and Human Rights.

The group consequently pinpointed and suggested His Lordship, Bishop Wilfred Chikpa Anagbe of the Catholic Diocese of Makurdi, Benue State to the Papacy for the position.

According to Intersociety, "the country is presently with four Cardinals, out of which three have retired and reached over 80 years of age, including Francis Cardinal Arinze (92), Anthony Cardinal Okogie (88) and John Cardinal Onaiyekan (81). In other words, Nigeria with second largest population of Catholics in Africa after the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is too big to be left with one serving Cardinal in the person of Peter Cardinal Okpaleke who is 62 years of age and was elevated to cardinal on August 27, 2022, by Late Pope Francis."

In the release, Intersociety argues that "since part of the criteria for the bestowment of a Cardinal involves several considerations including bravery, fearlessness, selflessness and full dedication to the work of God including untiring defense of Christian Faith, the new Pope Robert Francis Prevost (Pope Leo XIV) and his Distinguished College of Cardinals should evaluate the person and character of His Lordship, Bishop Wilfred Chikpa Anagbe of the Catholic Diocese of Makurdi, Benue State."

Continuing, the body said: "His Lordship, Bishop Wilfred Anagbe should be elevated as "Nigeria's second serving Cardinal... Father Wilfred Chikpa Anagbe is also found to be within the energetic age of 60, having been born in 1965," they suggested.

It would be recalled that the Prelate was in the international news some months ago during which he bravely spoke out about the massacre of Christians by Fulani Jihadists in Benue State, informing that his life and the dignity of the human person are under threat; in addition to his rights to personal liberty and freedom of movement, assembly, thought, conscience, religion and expression facing serious infringement and attacks.

Not only that he is facing serious threat and persecution from the State and radical Islamists groups, he hinted that "his Diocese of Makurdi has lost more than 14 parishes to Fulani Jihadists in recent times."

Based on the above, Intersociety demands that Rev Father Remigius Ihyula of the Catholic Diocese of Makurdi and Parish Priest of St Mary's Genade in Benue State; another courageous Catholic cleric be made a Monsignor, or possibly consecrated a Bishop.

"The Papacy of Pope Leo XIV will remarkably be remembered in Nigeria if many Catholic Bishops and Priests are detached from dirty waters of the country's politics and materialistic evangelism through transactional pulpit sermons and materialistic evangelical ministrations.

"The above is so bad that a greater number of Bishops and Priests in the country are so attached to legislative and executive political office holders particularly governors and federal lawmakers that they hardly are able to bare their independent minds or rise in strong condemnation of attacks against the Church of Jesus Christ and its followers," Intersociety noted, calling upon the Pope to be weary of what it calls "Papal Knighthood seekers" from Nigeria's South-East regions where four out of the Region's five serving governors belong to the Catholic faith, but have been found in Intersociety's recent reports to be more loyal to enemies of the Church and Christian faith than their professed denomination; to the extent that ministries of lands under their gubernatorial midwifery are found to be granting reckless approvals for procurement of lands for the colony and settlement of Islamic Jihadists from where widespread attacks and other forms of religious violence are unleashed on native Christians and their properties including dwelling houses, farmlands and sacred places of worship and learning.

"For purpose of seeking to govern their states for four or eight years, they go to the extent of mortgaging the faith, territory, personal and property security and safety of their citizens; yet they turn around and wangle their way to the Vatican with stashed away public funds, with which they use and procure "Papal Knighthood" from the same Church they conspiratorially work tirelessly to destroy," Intersociety lamented.