Catholic Bishops Appoint New Visitor, Council Chairman for Veritas University

Abuja — The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) has announced new appointments to oversee Veritas University, following the expiration of the previous officers’ tenure.

Under the new leadership, the Archbishop of Kaduna, Most Rev. Matthew Man-Oso Ndagoso, who was recently elected CBCN president, has been named the university’s Visitor. He succeeds Archbishop Lucius Ugorji of Owerri Archdiocese, who completed a four-year tenure as CBCN president. Similarly, the Bishop of Aba Diocese, Most Rev. Augustine Echema, has been appointed Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council, taking over from Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah of Sokoto Diocese, who also served for four years.

According to Ben Agande, head of Corporate Affairs and Communications, the appointees bring extensive experience in both religious and academic spheres.

Archbishop Ndagoso, Metropolitan Archbishop of Kaduna, previously served as Bishop of Maiduguri before his elevation to Kaduna in 2007. He studied Philosophy and Theology at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas and was ordained a priest on October 4, 1986.

Bishop Echema, born on December 28, 1958, is noted for his expertise in Liturgical Theology. He earned a Doctorate in Theology from the Philosophisch-Theologische Hochschule Sankt Georgen in Frankfurt, Germany, and served on the faculty of the Catholic Institute of West Africa (CIWA) in Port Harcourt, where he rose to the rank of Professor of Liturgy. His academic work is widely cited in journals of African Theology.

Veritas University Vice-Chancellor, Rev. Fr. Prof. Hyacinth Ichoku, expressed gratitude to the CBCN for the appointments, pledging the university’s full support to achieve the vision and mission set by its founders.