Pope Francis has appointed former Catholic Bishop of Umuahia and Apostolic Administrator of Ahiara Diocese, Most Rev. Fr. Lucius Ugorji, as the Catholic Archbishop of Owerri Diocese in Imo State.

The appointment was disclosed by Archbishop Antonio Filipazzi, the representative of the Pope in Nigeria during the ongoing first plenary meeting of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) in Abuja on Sunday.

With the appointment, Ugorji replaced Archbishop Anthony l Obinna, who has been in that position since March 26, 1994.

The new Archbishop of Owerri was born on January 13, 1952.

He was ordained a priest at the age of 25 before he was appointed as a Bishop by Pope John Paul II at the age of 38.

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His resignation as Chairman, Governing Council of Imo State University, Owerri, was said to have come as a shock to many, especially the governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodinma.

He was said to have severally approached the governor on the proper funding of the university with the request that the state-owned tertiary institution cannot run or fund itself.

Ugorji reportedly said he could not understand how Uzodinma expected him to preside over an underfunded and stagnant university as a man of God.

The cleric was said to have observed that IMSU was not being run as an institution of higher learning deserving of Imo State University status and that in order to avoid dabbling into any mess, he opted to resign.

The Star