Rev. Fr. Prof. John Okoro Egbulefu, CCE, was born in 1950 at Ohuru, Aba, in southeastern Nigeria. He was ordained to the Catholic priesthood in 1976. He subsequently pursued advanced studies in theology and philosophy in Europe, obtaining a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) from the University of Innsbruck, Austria, in 1979, followed by a Doctor of Theology (Dr. theol.) from the University of Münster, Germany, in 1982. 

In 1983, Prof. John Egbulefu founded the Congregation of Christ Emmanuel (CCE) at Ohuru, Nigeria, as a priestly missionary Religious Institute of Consecrated Life. In connection with the establishment and development of the Congregation, he composed its Regulae Vitae (Rules of Life). He himself subsequently made profession as a religious member of the Congregation in 2002. In 2023, he became its first Moderator General. Members of the Congregation are known as Emmanuelites, whose particular apostolate includes Theotechnological Research and Teaching. 

Prof. Egbulefu has had an extensive academic career in the field of Dogmatic Theology. He taught Dogmatic Theology at the Pontifical Urbaniana University in Rome for thirty consecutive academic years, from 1989 to 2020. Prior to his appointment in Rome, he taught the same discipline at the Catholic Institute of West Africa (CIWA), Port Harcourt, Nigeria, during the academic years 1983–1984 and 1987–1988.  In addition to his academic work, Prof. Egbulefu has undertaken a number of significant ecclesiastical and theological responsibilities. In 1990, he served as a Theological Expert at the General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops devoted to Priestly Formation. In 1994, he served in the same capacity at the Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops. He was appointed Consultor to the Dicastery for Dialogue with Non-Believers in 1992 and subsequently served as a Member of the International Theological Commission from 1995 to 2000. In 2001, he served as Delegate President of the First Synod of the Diocese of Aba. Prof. Egbulefu's career reflects a sustained engagement with Catholic theological scholarship, priestly formation, ecclesial service, and the development of Theotechnological Research and Teaching.