NIGERIA (Oyo) - The new Catholic Archbishop of Ibadan Archdiocese and the Metropolitan of Ibadan Ecclesiastical Province, Most Rev. Dr. Gabriel Ojeleke Adesiji Abegunrin, shall be officially installed today, January 24, 2014, during a Solemn High Mass which would hold at SS Peter and Paul Catholic Major Seminary, Bodija, Ibadan.

This is coming after the Holy Father Pope Francis had approved the retirement of Archbishop Emeritus Felix Alaba Adeosin Job, who reached the official canonical age of retirement, 75.

The Archbishop Emeritus was enthroned as the Catholic Auxiliary Bishop of Ibadan on July 4, 1971, but took over the reign of the diocese in 1974 following the retirement of Bishop Richards Finn SMA, the first Bishop of the Diocese.

Since then, Catholic faith in Ibadan has grown from the status of an Acorn to a big Oak tree with over 43 parishes, 92 priests, various institutions spread across the Archdiocese, hospitals, just to mention but few.

Under his leadership, Ibadan was raised to the level of an Archdiocese with Oyo, Osogbo, Ekiti, Ondo, and later Ilorin Dioceses as its suffrages.

Today, Archbishop Abegunrin will be installed as the second Archbishop of Ibadan Archdiocese. He would be its third Bishop since inception with Richard Finn S.M.A as the first and Alaba Job as the second Bishops respectively.

The events preceding the installation began on Wednesday, January 22, 2014 with the welcoming of the new Archbishop at the Ibadan-Ife Expressway by Catholic Faithful in Ibadan Archdiocese before proceeding to St. Mary’s Cathedral, Oke-Padi, Ibadan, where he was received by his predecessor, Archbishop Emeritus Job.

On Thursday, January 23, 2014, both Archbishops received the representative of Pope Francis in Nigeria (Papal Nuncio) Archbishop Augustine Kasujja at the Alakia Airport before preceding to the palace of the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Samuel Odulana Odugade I , who welcomed the new Archbishop to Ibadan.

The train left for the Office of the Executive Governor of Oyo State, Senator Abiola Ajimobi who received them at the Executive Chamber of the Office. The Governor expressed his readiness to always cooperate with the church in Ibadan and he commended the efforts of Archbishop Emeritus Job, whom he described as a vibrant individual that has made lots of impacts in the country.

On the same day, there was dinner held in honour of the Outgoing and the Incoming Archbishops at Rev. Fr. Dolan Hall, St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, Oke-Ado, Ibadan at 7.pm.

The event which was chaired by a prominent Ibadan Politician, Senator Olu Alabi, witnessed the premiere of the docudrama which gave insights into the past and present periods of the new Archbishop. The docudrama which was produced by CEOAFRICA online media, the official media partner for the Installation ceremony, was unveiled by Her Excellency, the Wife of the Executive Governor of Oyo State, Chief (Mrs) Florence Abiola Ajimobi.

Present at the occasion were the Representative of Pope Francis in Nigeria (Papal Nuncio) Archbishop Augustine Kasujja, Catholic Archbishops and Bishops from various parts of the country led by the President, Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria, who is also the Archbishop of Jos Archdiocese, Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama, eminent personalities and other crème de la crème in Ibadan Catholic Archdiocese.

In his remark, the new Archbishop, Gabriel ‘Leke Abegunrin thanked his predecessor, Archbishop Emeritus Job for wonderful works which he did in the Archdiocese of Ibadan for about 43 years.

He promised to build on the solid foundation laid by his predecessor and asked for the cooperation of the Catholic faithful in Ibadan to be successful.