Benin City, Nigeria|Jan. 2, 2026|Fr. Dr. Okhueleigbe Osemhantie Ãmos
When the Te Deum had barely faded on New Year’s Eve and the year 2026 broke with its familiar blend of hope and uncertainty, an event unfolded that quietly but decisively lifted the night beyond routine liturgical observance. It was a moment when faith reached into conscience, and the spoken Word altered the course of public action.
In Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, at Sacred Heart Parish, Aka, the New Year Cross-Over Mass drew the faithful in large numbers. The homily was preached by Very Revd Fr. Donatus Udoette, Parish Priest of Sacred Heart Parish, Aka, and Vicar-General of the Catholic Diocese of Uyo. With calm authority and spiritual depth, he spoke on forgiveness, the burden of unresolved anger, and the danger of carrying grudges across the threshold of a new year. It was a sermon without names, yet it named hearts.
Among the faithful was Senator Godswill Obot Akpabio, President of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. At the end of the Mass, in a moment entirely unscripted, the Senate President took the microphone and addressed the congregation. His words were direct and disarming:
“I had almost nine cases in court against some individuals who defamed me, who lied against me, who slandered my name. But as I listened to the priest, I suddenly realised he was talking to me. Therefore, I hereby direct my solicitors to withdraw all the lawsuits against them.”
With that statement, Akpabio publicly announced the withdrawal of all nine defamation suits he had instituted in the course of 2025.
While only the suit involving Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan was widely documented with full court details, Akpabio’s declaration made clear that all nine cases without exception, were terminated.
The moment bore an unmistakable echo of the biblical account of Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1–10), where a public figure, confronted by truth rather than accusation, altered course and made a visible decision for reconciliation. In a political climate often defined by escalation and retaliation, the gesture stood out for its restraint.
This account is not intended as political advocacy or image laundering. It rests on a simple moral premise: when public officials err, they should be called out; when they act rightly, the same public conscience must acknowledge it. Religion, when authentic, does not flatter power—it forms it.
As the nation reflected on this unexpected act of letting go, news emerged from Agbor, Delta State, that lent the New Year a solemn counterpoint. During the New Year’s Day Mass at St. Joseph Catholic Church, Agbor, the parish priest, Revd Fr. Steve Chukwuma, collapsed at the pulpit while preaching and died shortly afterwards. He was 63 years old and had spent 35 years in priestly ministry.
Born on 5 June 1962, in Agbor, Fr. Chukwuma’s life was marked by quiet pastoral dedication, serving parishes, forming consciences, and accompanying his people with gentleness and fidelity. That his life ended in the very act of proclaiming the Word invested his death with a profound sacramental gravity. His death reminds all who witnessed the news that ministry is both a gift and a sacrifice, an offering of self in service of God’s people.
Fr. Dr. Okhueleigbe Osemhantie Ãmos is a priest of the Catholic Diocese of Uromi & a Lecturer at CIWA, Port Harcourt, Nigeria
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