“I’m not turning back on God ‘- Anambra Priest dumps Catholic Church to embrace traditional religion
Dr. Echezona Obiagbaosogu, a former Roman Catholic Church priest of 17 years in the faith, has announced his resignation from the priesthood to embrace African traditional religion.
Fr. Obiagbaosogu, who is also a lecturer in African Traditional Religion at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, recently completed a PhD dissertation titled Rainmaking and Control in Igbo African Medicine: A Case Study of Isieke in Ihiala Local Government Area, Anambra State.
The former priest cited a deep-seated passion for ancestral spiritual practices, particularly the art of rainmaking, as the inspiration behind his decision.
The priest has spent years apprenticing under a renowned native doctor, in Anambra state. Obiagbaosogu’s research is an effort to rediscover and preserve African traditions that were largely eroded during the colonial era.
According to Obiagbaosogu, his journey into African spirituality is deeply personal. He shared that his upbringing, which straddled both Christian and traditionalist influences, played a significant role in shaping his worldview.
His father, though a Christian, valued traditional medicine and nature’s offerings, while his maternal grandfather upheld traditional spiritual practices.
In his words, “Everything about this research stems from my curiosity about nature and God,” Obiagbaosogu explained.
“As a priest, I had the opportunity to work in health sectors, which deepened my understanding of spirituality and the nature of God. My goal has always been to recover the African values we have lost.“
In his research, Obiagbaosogu emphasized the intersection of science and African traditional practices, challenging misconceptions about African spirituality. He argued that many practices dismissed as “m@gic” are based on laws of nature that the Western world has codified as science.
“The white man was able to explore these magical laws, codify them, and call them science,” he noted. “We can also access these laws, which we call African m@gic or religion. It is not the African m@gic of Nollywood, which has been used to destroy our culture.”
Embracing a new living, he argued that, leaving the priesthood was a natural evolution rather than a rejection of faith.
He sees his decision as an embrace of the divine in a more authentic way, stating, “I am not turning my back on God. Instead, I am choosing to serve my people through the ancient traditions of our ancestors.”
