Kevin Joseph Aje (25 April 1934 – 27 May 2019) was a Nigerian Catholic prelate, who served as the

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto,

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

, from 1985 to 2011.

Early life and education

Kevin Joseph Aje was born on 25 April 1934 in Amper District in Pankshin Division (now Kanke Local Government Area of

Plateau state Plateau State is the twelfth-largest Nigerian state. It is in the centre of the country includes a range of hills surrounding the Jos Plateau, its capital, and the entire plateau itself. Plateau State is described as "The Home of Peace and To ...

). Aje received his elementary education in Amper, Pankshin, Kwa and Shendam respectively. He then trained as a local teacher and taught for a year before proceeding to study for the

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

priesthood. Aje studied for his Secondary School Certificate in St. Theresa's Minor Seminary, Oke-Are,

Ibadan Ibadan (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Oyo State, in Nigeria. It is the third-largest city by population in Nigeria after Lagos and Kano, with a total population of 3,649,000 as of 2021, and over 6 million people within its me ...

Priesthood

Aje studied Philosophy and Theology at Saints Peter and Paul Major Seminary, Bodija, Ibadan. On completion of his formation, he was ordained on 12 June 1966 in Jos by Bishop John J. Reddington, SMA for the Diocese of Jos. As a priest, Aje served as the Education Secretary of the Diocese of Jos, Coordinator of Justice and Peace, and the Diocesan Secretary. In civil society, he served as a member of the

Plateau State Plateau State is the twelfth-largest Nigerian state. It is in the centre of the country includes a range of hills surrounding the Jos Plateau, its capital, and the entire plateau itself. Plateau State is described as "The Home of Peace and To ...

Education Board and Plateau State Scholarship Board. From 1977 to 1983, he also served as a member of the Plateau State Teachers Service Commission.

Bishop

In 1977, Aje was appointed the Cathedral Administrator of Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Cathedral in Jos. In 1982, he was elected the Coadjutor Bishop of the Diocese of

Sokoto Sokoto is a major city located in extreme northwestern Nigeria, near the confluence of the Sokoto River and the Rima River. As of 2006 it has a population of over 427,760. Sokoto is the modern-day capital of Sokoto State and was previously the c ...

. He was ordained to the episcopate by

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

on 6 January 1983 in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

to succeed Bishop

Michael James Dempsey Michael James Dempsey, OP (February 12, 1912 – March 19, 1996) was an American-born bishop of the Catholic Church. He served as the bishop of the Diocese of Sokoto in Nigeria from 1967-1984. Early life and education James Edward Dempsey was bo ...

OP. He was officially installed as Bishop of the

Diocese of Sokoto The Roman Catholic Diocese of Sokoto ( la, Sokotoën(sis)) is a diocese located in the city of Sokoto in the Ecclesiastical province of Kaduna in Nigeria. Its territory includes the states of Sokoto, Zamfara, Kebbi, and Katsina. History * Jun ...

on 28 April 1985, becoming the third bishop and first native Nigerian bishop of Sokoto. On 11 December 1988 during a Catholic conference in Sokoto, Aje launched a "Mobilaity Programme", encouraging Catholic laypersons to take a more active role in their pursuit of religious salvation. During Aje's episcopacy, Nigeria regained democracy and elected its first Muslim president. Prior to the Nigerian general election in 2007, Aje and other Christian leaders urged Nigerians to vote "for a president willing to accommodate all shades of religious views against the diverse background and ethnic composition of Africa's biggest nation". Aje encountered difficulties in trying to build new churches in a predominantly Muslim state, but was enthusiastic about

's desire for the

Legion of Christ The Congregation of the Legionaries of Christ ( la, Congregatio Legionariorum Christi; abbreviated LC; also Legion of Christ) is a Roman Catholic clerical religious order made up of priests and candidates for the priesthood established by Marci ...

to make a special effort in Europe to recover the faith that had done so much good elsewhere. Throughout his tenure he appealed without success to the Sokoto and Zamfara state governments for a land grant that would allow the Catholic Church to construct a hospital.

Retirement

Aje served as Bishop of Sokoto for twenty-six years before his retirement in 2011, serving as the Chairman of

Christian Association of Nigeria The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) is an umbrella organisation containing numerous Christian denominations in Nigeria. History The Christian Association of Nigeria was founded in 1976, and originally only contained the Catholic Church an ...

(CAN), Sokoto State Chapter for ten years. On 8 September 2011, Aje was succeeded by

Matthew Hassan Kukah Matthew Hassan Kukah (born 31 August 1952) is the current bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sokoto. In December 2020, Pope Francis appointed him as a member of the Dicastery on Integral Human Development. Early life and education Bishop ...

References

Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Aje, Kevin Joseph 1934 births 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Nigeria 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in Nigeria 2019 deaths People from Plateau State Nigerian Roman Catholics Roman Catholic bishops of Sokoto