The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has extolled the exemplary virtues of the late Emeritus Archbishop of Benin City Catholic Archdiocese, Archbishop Patrick Ebosele Ekpu, hailing his contributions to the development of the State’s education sector.

Obaseki who led a delegation of government officials on a condolence visit to the Archbishop of Benin Catholic Archdiocese, Archbishop Augustine Akubeze, in Benin City, the Edo State capital, described the late emeritus archbishop as a lover of education and great ambassador of the Catholic faith.

The governor was accompanied on the visit by the Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Blessing Agbebaku; Deputy Speaker of the Assembly, Hon. Maria Edeko, and other members of the Assembly; Secretary to the State Government, Joseph Eboigbe; serving Commissioners and heads of Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs), among others.

Obaseki stated, “We are here to pay condolence to you and the Catholic community in the State on the passing of our late father, His Grace Most Rev. Dr. Patrick Ebosele Ekpu, the Archbishop of Metropolitan See of Benin City.

“He was the Bishop we knew growing up in Edo. He was a father to us all. What stood him out and will always be remembered for was his interest and love for education and how he made the Catholic Church the proprietor of choices in terms of the way he rebuilt the Catholic schools.

“He has worked so hard in the vineyard of God. We thank God for his life and we are here to commiserate with you and thank God he was able to make a difference in his lifetime in our society and life.”

He added, “We celebrate his achievements and even though we will miss him, we will always remember the good he did for us in the State and the Catholic community and mankind.”

In his response, Archbishop Akubeze thanked the governor for the visit, reassuring him of the continued prayers of the church for the success of his administration.