Inasmuch as this writer does not believe in press sycophancy, honour should be given to whom it is due. It is on this ground that we congratulate the Most Reverend (Dr) Felix Alaba Job, the Archbishop Emeritus of the Catholic Archdiocese of Ibadan.
His Grace, Felix Alaba Job, from Ijebu Esure, Ogun State was born on the 24th of June, 1938. He was ordained into the Catholic Priesthood at Esure, Ijebu-Imusin by His Grace Archbishop J. K. Aggey (of blessed memory) of Lagos Catholic Archdiocese.
He worked in Egbado area of Ogun State notably in Ado-Odo and Ajilete. He was once the Rector of Saint Theresa’s Catholic Minor Seminary, Oke-Are, Ibadan, before he was elevated to episcopacy as the auxillary Bishop of the then Ibadan Catholic Diocese on July 4, 1971.
At the end of the 30-month-old Nigerian Civil War, the Federal Government of that time began an indigenisation policy which also affected the church hierarchy. It was a period when many worthy indigenous priests were elevated to the post of bishopric.
According to His Grace, Most Reverend Felix Alaba Job, he reluctantly accepted the appointment. He was the youngest African to be appointed as a bishop. His enthronement attracted the attention of many foreign church dignitaries and media practitioners to St Mary’s Catholic Cathedral, Oke-Padi, Ibadan.
This writer was a witness to his episcopacy as a young student. He later became a full-fledged Bishop of the then Ibadan Catholic Diocese in February 1975, upon the retirement of his predecessor, Late Bishop Richard Finn, S.M.A. His Grace, Felix Alaba Job later became the first Archbishop of Ibadan Catholic Archdiocese when six additional ecclesiastic provinces were created from the then three provinces in Nigeria. Ibadan Diocese became the headquarters of the newly-carved ecclesiastic province.
Archbishop Felix Alaba Job inherited only two indigenous Catholic priests – Reverend Fathers Anastatius Kehinde Bank-Silva and Felix Adedoyin Adeigbo, both of blessed memory. As of the time of his retirement in 2014, the Catholic Archdiocese of Ibadan could boast nearly a hundred indigenous priests.
Archbishop Felix Alaba Job can be described as a perfect orator when it comes to delivery of homilies, putting his travel experience in focus.
Archbishop Felix Alaba Job can also be described as a meticulous priest of Canon Law; an investor; a lover of music, a strong preacher, a man of God, a man of many parts – driver, typist, learner of many foreign languages, computer literate, building on all skills that he came across in the performance of his duty.
He is a leader with great talents who made friends across the globe without discrimination.
Archbishop Felix Alaba Job has great intellect in Church history and readily disseminated it to the younger generation.
He is hardworking and very industrious; a leader with high regard for African values and virtues.
Archbishop Job can be described as an excellent manager of both human and material resources, as he delegates and coordinates assignments.
He can be described as an uncompromising priest in liturgy. He is a priest with a unique virtue of exemplary character, with special passion for the weak and the oppressed in the society.
His leadership qualities include
excellent inter-personal relationship; a personality who frowns on evil and controls his emotion. He is a lover of children at all times. He is a prolific writer.
He is a highly-talented teacher of teachers. He is a good shepherd who cares and recognises the members of his church. He is also a good shepherd with high regard for Holy Orders. He is a very careful and diplomatic leader while responding to questions and reacting to matters.
In the area of agriculture, he is a practical farmer with interest in poultry and horticulture.
In the area of spirituality, Archbishop Emeritus Felix Alaba Job is a clergyman with absolute trust in prayer, high regard for the church hierarchy cum strong desire for his followers to live the rather gospel than mere quoting the gospel.
Archbishop Emeritus Felix Alaba Job believes in all the various Orders of the Catholic Church and tries to establish them in the Archdiocese.
He is a leader with interest in Laity organisations and Laity participation in the church activities as par Vatican 2 and other documents of the church.
He is also a shepherd who encourages his followers to belong to the various church societies.
He is widely travelled and uses his experience in the homilies.
In conclusion, he is an experienced automobile driver, lover of nature and a good church administrator who believes in continuity of projects.
He has excellent inter-personal relations with religious leaders of both other Christian denominations and non-Christians, in order to foster peaceful co-existence in the entire Catholic Archdiocese of Ibadan. That is why there was not much religious conflict in Oyo State during his tenure as the Catholic Archbishop of Ibadan.
We felicitate Archbishop Emeritus Felix Alaba Job as he clocks 50 years in his Episcopal Ordination.
- Adeigbo sent this piece from Ibadan.
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