Pope Leo XIV has appointed the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Uromi, Most Rev. Donatus Ogun, O.S.A., as the Apostolic Administrator of the Catholic Archdiocese of Benin City, pending the appointment of a substantive Archbishop.
The appointment followed the recent death of the Metropolitan Archbishop of Benin City, Most Rev. Augustine Obiora Akubeze.
The decision was conveyed in a letter dated July 10, 2026, from the Apostolic Nunciature in Nigeria to the Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Benin City, Rev. Fr. Michael Oyanoafoh.
Signed by the Apostolic Nuncio to Nigeria, Archbishop Michael F. Crotty, the letter stated that the Dicastery for Evangelization, acting with faculties granted by Pope Leo XIV, approved the appointment to provide interim leadership for the Archdiocese during the vacancy.
According to the letter, Bishop Ogun’s appointment takes immediate effect, with the Chancellor directed to notify the clergy of the Archdiocese.
The Holy See said the interim appointment was necessary to ensure the continued governance of the Archdiocese while the process of appointing a new Metropolitan Archbishop is underway.
Archbishop Crotty also extended his condolences to the priests, religious and lay faithful of the Archdiocese of Benin City, assuring them of his prayers during the period of mourning following Archbishop Akubeze’s death.
