Ebele Cardinal Okpaleke at 62: An Unpleasant Encounter with Him

As I looked at the attached picture, where I was taking an oath or being sworn in as one of the prefects by Mr. Ebele Okpaleke (now a Cardinal), I remembered the famous lines from Virgil’s “Georgics”: “fugit irreparabile tempus” – time flies irretrievably. How long ago it was – 1987 – 1988.

Yes, as a young Seminarian at St. John Bosco Seminary, Isuaniocha, he was one of our auxiliaries. Others were Mr. Jonas-Benson Okoye ( Now a Bishop) Mr. Greg Nwachukwu( now a priest) and Mr. Raph Maduchem, our choir master. In some of his actions, we discerned the qualities of true leadership. He had an uncanny ability to recognise potential in people and, while firm, knew how to temper justice with mercy in a calculated manner. At all times, he maintained dignified calmness.

I once had an unpleasant encounter with him. On that fateful day, the senior prefect, Mr. Fidelis Dimude, entered the pantry and caught me eating directly from the pot. I was promptly reported, and as he sent for me, I awaited the worst. As I made my way to his room, I walked with the burden of guilt, melancholic, almost scratching my head in perplexity – I was clearly out of my wits. When I arrived, he merely asked:

“Val, what did they say you did?”

“Sir, I ate from the students’ pot,” I admitted.

He fixed a long, disappointed gaze on me before muttering, almost to himself, “Even you.” I was essentially an “Okuko meru ife Ebolu Oke.”

At that moment, I felt like a Brutus who had betrayed his friend. I must have deeply disappointed him.

I am compelled to recall this because the past is the present unrolled for our understanding. It should serve as a reminder of who the Cardinal truly is.

That simple statement carried more weight than any punishment could have. It was deliberate, designed to inflict maximum psychological impact – and it did. For days afterward, I avoided passing by him, burdened by the silent reproach in his words.

The gentleman I speak of is none other than His Eminence, Ebele Cardinal Okpaleke. I am proud to have been under his tutelage. It was he who introduced Government as a subject at Isuaniocha and laid a solid foundation for it. I still recall the classroom settings, the way he masterfully taught us about separation of powers, the rule of law, and how he quoted Montesquieu, Bacon, and Fletcher with what seemed like reckless abandon.

I still remember his words because he was not just a great teacher but a perceptive one. He understood our likely weak points, reinforcing them in our memories with quips and puns.

We have followed the trajectory of his apostolate and are deeply gratified by his exemplary conduct -,conduct so outstanding that it caught the attention of the Holy Father himself.

Your Eminence possesses a subtle intelligence – one that patiently waits for the right moment and moves resolutely through difficult means to distant ends.

He understands that, as a pastor, his duty is to lead the Lord’s sheep to pasture, not to fleece them.

With all other Nigerian Cardinals now over 80, he remains the only one currently eligible to participate in a Papal Conclave.

As he turns 62 today, the road ahead is still long. Yet, I am confident that the Lord, who began this good work in him, will see it to completion.

Ad multos annos to our beloved, respected, and respectable Cardinal.