Anthony Cardinal Olubunmi Okogie ill, flown to India

LAGOS – There were indications that the 75-year old Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, Anthony Cardinal Okogie, has been flown abroad for medical treatment.
Sources close to the church said, Sunday, that the cleric was rushed out to India for an undisclosed ailment, but information available to Vanguard said he  could not  stand because his two legs were swollen.
All efforts to get his close associates to give details of Okogie’s health condition proved abortive, but an  insider  said the cardinal’s condition might not be unrelated to old age.
Okogie, a one-time President  of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, has been in and out of hospital over  age related medical conditions, while those who are close to him said  the Edo State-born cardinal does not eat regularly.

The current CAN president, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, last night, expressed shock at the news, saying the Nigerian Church must rally behind this illustrious son of the country whose voice had been golden on the side of the masses.
Oritsejafor said: “May the God of Heaven rise in his favour because the Nigerian Church and the Nigerian people still need his invaluable counsel and contribution to the development of the nation.”
According to him, Okogie’s voice has been a major source of encouragement to the younger generation of Nigerian Christians, adding: “He has over the years been a voice to the voiceless and my heartfelt prayers go to God to intervene at this moment of his travail.”
It also called on the security outfits to be more alive to their responsibilities which must be discharged professionally, efficiently and diligently, adding that the government should “motivate the officers and strongly support them with up-to-date equipment and regular retraining programmes.”

Culled from Vanguard