Date Published: 10/20/09

FR Finucane: A priest as a warrior and humanist by Maximus Uba

FR Finucane

Between the years 1996-1975, Uli the sleepy town sandwiched between Onitsha, the commercial capital of Anambra state and Owerri, the capital of Imo State had been like a home to my family even though we hailed from Mbaise. While my father taught in nearby school, my mother a health officer employed by the Eastern Nigeria Government was placed in charge of what today constitutes Anambra south senatorial zone. Directly opposite where we lived was St Theresa Catholic Church where as practicing Catholics we worshipped and on this very sunday which was the first in January 1970 and few days after the hostilities between Nigeria and Biafra ended, the church was unusually quiet, the priest whom we all call “Father” appeared as if something was disturbing him but managed to end the service which in my estimation could not have lasted forty five minutes. My parents had thereafter herded us the kids home and in company of Rev. Sr. Agbasiere headed to the parish priest residence staying over two hours in all. Arriving back home, my dad also an ex Biafran Soldier like many of his mates at the time had exclaimed loudly “Is it not enough that we have surrendered, is not enough that they have starved us nearly 36months, now why don’t leave us alone, what is the meaning of asking this man to leave Nigeria and in 24hrs, I thought they said the war was over and that there was no victor no vanquished”. Thirty eight years later and shortly before he joined the saints triumphant in 2008, I had stumbled on a disused diary where my father put down some memories and one of the pieces I read was about a certain Aengus Finucane, a white catholic priest who had worked under the Onitsha diocese before the Nigeria Civil war. He had then regaled me stories of a man he saw as extra ordinary whiteman who loved blacks, who loved humanity so much so that he took risk enough to cost him his life. Hear my father” I had met this man sometime in 1966, while I taught at the Catholic school nearby, he was the priest in charge of St. Theresa Catholic Church Uli, he exhuded charm, aura, strength and felt at home in Nigeria, I didn’t see him so much of a priest, I saw him more of liberator, a man who hated injustice, a man who lived for the oppressed even before the Nigerian civil war a man who was known all over Eastern Nigeria as a friend of Biafra yes he ensured food supplies, medicines and clothing found their way to the remotest part of Ibo land. Besides he made frequent journey from makeshift airstrip in Uli to Gabon and several other places like Tanzania, Sao Tome, soliciting for food, clothing and medicine for beleaguered Ibo People. At the end of the hostilities continues my father, the government of Yakubu Gowon expelled the priest demanding he leave Nigeria in 24 hrs and as we speak the last information about him which was about 1972 is that he was back to Dublin his home country”. Last week, a friend of mine who lives in Dublin had sent me an email about the death of a certain Catholic priest who lived a better part of his life ensuring that millions of Biafra children did not starve to death during the hostilities between her and Nigeria and name matched that of the same priest that my father had told me about. I had then logged on the web and the two names fitted ie it is the same Rev. Fr. Aengur Finucane who was expelled by the Gowon led administration for his support of Biafra. Expectedly, the priest did not stop his humanitarian work when he was expelled as on arrival in Dublin in 1970 joined “CONCERN”, a charity organization with headquarters in Dublin. Two years after and that was in 1972, he had moved on to Bangladesh which had just gotten independence from Pakistan and together with Mother Theresa ensured continual delivery of food medicine, clothing to a famine ravaged Bangladesh. He then took time off to study first picking a Diploma in developmental studies from Swansea University and then an MA in third world poverty studies. He was thereafter invited by the United National High Commission Refugee (UNHCR) to lead a survey of displaced people in South East Asia. Much Later he was reputed to have set up a concern operating on the Thai/Kampucha border to deal with continuing fallout from the Khemer Rouge regime and in Uganda in response to the famine in the Karamoja Province. He was also involved in charity worth’s in Ethiopia, Rwanda, Sudan, Somalia in response in crushing famines in the countries working with over 800 volunteers to ensure humanity was saved. Born as Aengus Finucane on April 26 1932 in Limerick, Finucane entered spiritual order on leaving school in 1950 and later read philosophy at the University College Dublin. After his theological studies, he was ordained priest in 1958 and almost immediately sent to work in Nigeria in 1959 which at that time was still a colony of Britain.

Regrettably death which Ernest Che Guvera, a writer described as spineless creature visited the amiable catholic priest in his home in Dublin placing its cold miserable hands on him leaving him breathless. Fr Finucane will be most remembered by defenceless/hunger ravaged people of Biafra, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Sudan, Somalia and other places where he devoted much of his youthful energies to ensure they oppressed lived. He will be mostly remembered by this writer and several other kids in Eastern Nigeria who though never met him physically but heard of his exploit as a priest, a benefactor, humanist, a teacher as a warrior who gave his life for others. Adieu “Father Nwabekee” your good humanitarian works across continents will no doubt continue to speak for itself now and in the future. Adieu Rev. Fr. Aengus Finucane ,continue to rest in the bossom of the lord.

Maximus Uba, a journalist lives in Mbaise, Nigeria