A Knight of the Catholic Church, Sir James Louise, popularly known as Ebube Anaedo, has publicly renounced Christianity, accusing the Church of failing to acknowledge the contributions of the late Senator Ifeanyi Ubah to the construction of the Our Lady of Assumption Cathedral in Nnewi, Anambra State.
The cathedral, described as a massive and impressive edifice, was officially inaugurated on Tuesday, attracting prominent personalities from across the state and beyond.
The project was reportedly initiated by the late Senator Ubah, who volunteered to build the cathedral and had completed about 85 per cent of the work before a new bishop, Dr Jonas-Benson Okoye, was posted to the Nnewi Diocese in 2022. Following his arrival, the bishop allegedly directed the senator to step aside from the project.
Nigerian Newssphere gathered that the directive triggered disagreements, with many insisting that Ubah, who reportedly invested heavily in the project, deserved recognition for his role in the construction of the cathedral.
However, during the inauguration ceremony on Wednesday, Sir James Louise openly protested, describing it as unfair that Ubah’s name was neither mentioned during the event nor included in the official brochure.
In a video that has since gone viral on social media, the visibly emotional knight was seen breaking down in tears after Mass, lamenting what he described as a deliberate omission of the late senator’s contributions. He was also seen removing his shoes and cap—symbols of his knighthood—while declaring his decision to leave the Christian faith.
“This is my last day as a Christian. I’m done. This is awful,” he said.
“How could anyone believe that this cathedral, which Ifeanyi Ubah laboured to build, could be inaugurated without mentioning his name? This is wrong. I’m done with Christianity.”
The video has generated widespread reactions online, with many social media users criticising the Catholic Church for allegedly failing to acknowledge the late senator’s efforts.
As of the time of filing this report, the Catholic Diocese of Nnewi had yet to issue an official statement or explanation regarding the controversy.
