Nigeria elects Nicholas Orogodo Okoh as primate
Episcopal News Service. September 16, 2009 [091609-01]
ENS staff
The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) has elected Archbishop Nicholas Orogodo Okoh of Bendel province and bishop of the Diocese of Asaba to serve as its next primate.
Okoh, 57, will succeed Archbishop Peter Akinola, who has served as primate since March 2000 and will step down on March 25, 2010 after reaching the mandatory retirement age of 70.
The election took place at the Cathedral Church of St. Stephen's in Umuahia, Abia State, on September 15 during a meeting of the church's House of Bishops. Okoh was elected out of a field of three candidates after receiving the required two-thirds majority of votes cast.
According to a news release from the Church of Nigeria, Okoh attended Immanuel College of Theology in Ibadan, Oyo State, between 1976 and 1979. He was ordained a deacon in 1979, an archdeacon in 1991 and was elected bishop of Asaba in 2001, the release said.
Okoh was elected archbishop of Bendel province in July 2005. He has served in the Nigerian Army and retired as a Lieutenant Colonel in 2001 after his election as bishop of Asaba.
According to its website, the Church of Nigeria includes 142 dioceses spread over 11 internal provinces that serve more than 18.5 million Anglicans.