In response to the significant development in Katsina State, where the first Hausa Catholic Bishop, Rev. Fr Gerald Mamman Musa, was installed as the inaugural Bishop of the newly established Catholic Diocese of Katsina, Governor Dikko Umaru Radda expressed his reactions.
During a courtesy call by a team of Catholic Bishops, led by Bishop Hassan Mathew Kukah of Sokoto Diocese, Governor Radda extended his congratulations to the Christian leadership in the state for the establishment of the new Catholic Diocese.
The Governor commended the level of inter-religious harmony prevailing among adherents of Islam and Christianity in the region. He underscored the formal establishment of the Katsina Diocese and the appointment of Bishop Gerald Mamman Musa as indicative of the significant religious acceptance between the two faiths, fostering optimism for continued unity.
Bishop Kukah, the leader of the delegation, highlighted the historic nature of Bishop Musa’s appointment as the first Bishop of the Katsina Diocese and the first Hausa man to hold such a prestigious position within the Catholic Church. This development, according to him, marks a substantial advancement for the Catholic Church in northern Nigeria, granting the new Katsina Diocese autonomy from the Sokoto Catholic Diocese.
Expressing appreciation, Bishop Kukah thanked Governor Radda for his steadfast support of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the state.
Shuaibu Liti, the State Chairman of CAN, echoed the sentiment that the establishment of the Katsina Diocese would significantly contribute to the church’s expansion and the overall progress of the state.
Rev. Gerald Mamman Musa, who assumed the role of Bishop of the Katsina Diocese, had previously served as the Director of the Centre for Studies on African Culture and Communication (CESACC) at the Catholic Institute of West Africa (CIWA) in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, after becoming a priest on June 1, 1996.
