CBCN HONOURS VERY REV. FR. MICHAEL NSIKAK UMOH FOR ‘HISTORIC AND TRANSFORMATIVE SERVICE’

By Vincent Njoku

During the Second Plenary Meeting of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) in Osogbo, Osun State, the Catholic hierarchy paused to pay a glowing tribute to Very Rev. Fr. Dr. Michael Nsikak Umoh for his ground-breaking six-year tenure as the National Director of Social Communications at the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria (CSN), Abuja.

Speaking on behalf of the Conference, Most Rev. David Ajang, Bishop of Lafia and former CBCN Chairman for Social Communications, captured the sentiments of the episcopate when he described Fr. Umoh’s leadership as “both historic and transformative”. Bishop Ajang noted that Fr. Umoh successfully ushered the Church’s communication apparatus out of the analogue era into the digital age, establishing a dynamic online presence that amplified the Catholic voice across Nigeria and beyond through rich, value-driven media content.

The formal Episcopal Chairman highlighted key milestones of Fr. Umoh’s stewardship, particularly his structural overhaul of all Catholic communication bodies in the country, including diocesan communication directors and the Catholic Media Practitioners Association of Nigeria (CAMPAN), aligning them seamlessly with the Church’s global vision as expressed in the new organogram he championed. The Bishops also commended Fr. Umoh for pioneering the evolution of World Communication Day into a weeklong, parish-based media literacy programme known as Communications Week (ComWEEK), backed by rich educational literature that has earned Vatican and other international acclaim.

On behalf of the CBCN, Bishop Ajang expressed deep appreciation to Most Rev. Alfred Adewale Martins, Archbishop of Lagos, for generously releasing Fr. Umoh for six years of national assignment. In his concluding remarks, the Bishop prayed that the high bar and standard set by the outgoing director would be maintained and built upon, while also wishing Fr. Umoh God’s abundant blessings and success as he returns to the Archdiocese of Lagos for his next pastoral assignment. Fr. Umoh has since disengaged from the CSN office, handing over the leadership of the Directorate to Very Rev. Fr. Dr. Leonard Ozoemelam Ehiemere, a priest of the Diocese of Umuahia.