Joseph Edra Ukpo

"I see a rosy future with regard to evangelisation in Calabar archdiocese, in fact vocations are flourishing and our local Catholic community is vivacious and active. Interreligious relations are not a problem. There is a small community of Muslims in Calabar with whom we have a good understanding. At the level of ecumenism, we have a large Pentecostal community with which we have dialogue, it is not always easy but we persevere."

"Reconciliation brings about the personal healing of survivors, the reparation of past injustices, the building or rebuilding of non-violent relationships between individuals and communities, and the acceptance by the parties to a conflict of a common vision and understanding of the past. In practice such all-encompassing reconciliation is not easy to realize. The experience of a brutal past makes the search for peaceful coexistence a delicate and intricate operation."

"You may have your own wisdom but that wisdom is nothing compared to the wisdom of God who appointed you as the King over his people therefore you need to call on him before you take any decision that affect the people."

"Archbishop Ukpo was a self-sacrificing shepherd, a caring father, a mentor, a wise counsellor, a generous benefactor, a passionate crusader of human rights, a peace maker and a white head patriarch who stood out as a legendary figure."