Callistus Valentine Merkle

Callistus Valentine Onaga, D.D., (born 29 September 1958) is the fifth Roman Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Enugu.

Early life and pastoral appointments

Callistus Valentine Onaga is the fifth child of Vincent and Victoria Onaga. His mother was the granddaughter of the Paramount Ruler Chief Chukwuani (died 1930) from Ozalla, Nkanu West Local Government Area, Enugu State, Nigeria. Onaga attended St Anthony's Primary School, Agbudu, Nigeria, from 1964 to 1972. He received his secondary education at the Sacred Heart Seminary in Nsude, Nigeria, from 1973 to 1975. He earned his Bachelor of Divinity degree in Sacred Theology from the Urban University in Rome in 1987, and was ordained to the priesthood on 8 August 1987. He was ordained as the Bishop of Enugu on 2 May 2009, by Archbishop Renzo Fratini. His principal co-consecrators were Archbishop Valerian Okeke and Bishop Gbuji. Later that same day, Onaga appointed Monsignor Luke Adike as the diocesan Vicar General, and Very Rev. Fr. Ambrose Chineme Agu as the Diocesan Secretary and Chancellor. He is a member of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria. At its first Plenary Meeting in 2009, this conference recognized his appointment as a diocesan bishop. As the diocesan bishop, Onaga is the legal holder of its microbank.

2010 visit to America Onaga was the guest speaker for the Igbo Catholic Community USA (ICCUSA) Eighth Annual Convention between 23 and 25 April 2010, held in Sacramento, California.