Between Two Bishops: Onah and Agbo
Valentine Obienyem
One is Most Rev. Prof. Godfrey Igwebuike Onah, the Catholic Bishop of Nsukka Diocese; the other is Rt. Revd. Dr. Aloysius Agbo, the Anglican Bishop of Nsukka Diocese. What shines brightest between these two gentlemen is their warmth, deep friendship, and mutual respect. I have often watched them grace each other’s functions with genuine affection.
The immediate inspiration for this reflection was Mr. Peter Obi’s visit yesterday to Bishop Agbo, during which he donated ₦10 million to support the Faith School of Nursing Sciences. What makes the gesture particularly remarkable, however, is the story behind it. During a routine visit to Bishop Onah, it was the Catholic prelate himself who drew Obi’s attention to the pressing needs of his Anglican brother and encouraged him to extend his philanthropic support to the Anglican Diocese.
Mr. Obi embraced the appeal without hesitation—not only out of respect for Bishop Onah, but also because it aligned seamlessly with his philosophy of supporting institutions that contribute to societal development, regardless of denomination. The same principle has informed his support for Muslim communities and institutions.
This act of inter-denominational solidarity brings to mind a story Mr. Obi once shared about his parish priest in London. The Catholic priest frequently visited his nearby Anglican counterpart and his family for dinner. With characteristic humour, he would joke that, as a bachelor, it was simply the easiest way to get a hot meal.
In both instances, we encounter something deeper than denominational labels: a shared humanity and a brotherhood that refuses to be imprisoned by historical divisions.
When I contemplate those historical divisions, my own line of thought leans towards Erasmus of Rotterdam. Erasmus was one of the great intellectual figures whose writings helped prepare the soil for the Reformation. Indeed, he is often associated with the famous image of having “laid the egg that Luther hatched.” Yet Erasmus himself preferred reform and renewal from within the Church. He criticised abuses and called for change, but was deeply wary of the rupture of Christian unity.
Luther, by contrast, took a more radical path. What began as a demand for reform eventually contributed to a profound fracture in Western Christianity, with consequences that extended far beyond the theological disputes that initially provoked it.
I find Erasmus’s approach more compelling: reform does not always require rupture, and correction does not necessarily require destruction. There is profound wisdom in seeking to repair an institution from within – preserving what is sacred and valuable while confronting what is wrong.
In their own modest but powerful way, Bishops Onah and Agbo embody this Erasmian spirit today. Centuries after the Reformation divided Western Christianity, these two Christian leaders choose to see each other not as rivals, but as co-labourers in the same vineyard.
Their friendship reminds us that history may divide institutions, but it need not divide human beings. Denominations may have different traditions, structures and theological emphases, yet the Christian calling to love, serve and uplift humanity remains common to all.
Perhaps this is the greater lesson of their friendship. Christian unity does not necessarily mean pretending that our differences do not exist. It means refusing to allow those differences to become barriers to love, cooperation and service.
And when I speak of such Christian brotherhood, I am not referring to those who have emptied the faith of its essence by turning it into a marketplace. I mean leaders like these two bishops, whose lives remind us that faith, at its best, is not merely about what we profess with our lips. It is about what we do for one another.
In Bishop Onah and Bishop Agbo, Nsukka offers us a beautiful picture of Christianity beyond denominational boundaries: two bishops, two traditions, one brotherhood – and a shared commitment to serving humanity.
