The ‘terrible experiences’ of an Anglican Bishop, His Lordship, Right Ephraim Okechukwu Ikeakor (JP) , Bishop of Amichi diocese which is the 144th diocese of the Church of Nigeria , Anglican Communion . He spoke with The Authority Newspaper South-East Acting Editor ,Odogwu Emeka Odogwu, on a wide range of issues. Enjoy:
Looking at what is going on in the country, it appears the Church is sleeping. Do you think if the church will pray, there couldn’t be a turn around?
I will start by saying that the Church is praying. But the question is; are we praying our right? Because one thing is to pray, another thing is to pray correctly. Jesus said whatever you ask according to my Will, I will answer.
Secondly, it is not all about prayer. I think the church has abandoned its major mandate of raising disciples. We are now raising solution and miracle seekers. People have to be contented or content with what they have. How can someone be teaching young ones that they will be a millionaire if they are serving a living God. The thing has gone into the church. But from 70s and 80s backward, did you ever hear that a Pastor, Priest or Bishop was kidnapped? What did you think is causing it now? When you lay wrong emphasis, wrong things will happen. Young people come to church to learn about God but we are teaching them money. We teach them poverty is a course. Not how to manage adversity. The church should teach people how to manage adversity; how to part-time their lives when things are not moving well. The church should start teaching righteousness. We are no longer spiritual pastors but structural builders. God answers prayer of righteous people. We are competing on who will have biggest cathedral, air-conditioned, televisions, etc. If the church could retract her steps and return to the biblical teachings of Godliness, steadfastness…living our Christian lives the ways they ought, all will be well. You see those coming to church today, if you follow most of them to their houses or offices you will notice that are not sincere. You come to work 9 o’clock and signed 7 AM. Some dismiss from church before time and rush to their businesses. And they are praying that God should change Nigeria. It is not possible. If we do the right thing and pray the right way that is only when God will answer our prayers. But if we shout from here till next year without taking the due process in our Christian life, God is not interested.
My lord, looking at the pinnacle of Bishop Ikeakor, it might be difficult to know the background. Can you tell us those things you like while growing up as a person?
Actually, it was, (if I can use the word) ‘a terrible experience’. I was born in a very poor (if you like) wretched family background. My father and mother were very poor and illiterate. My father was a casual worker in a factory at Port Harcourt. My mother was very simple local petty trader. She just had small chores in the front of our house. And we are eight in number. And catering for us was a mere impossible task. That accounted for why many of my siblings did not go to school. So, our background was that of poverty, illiteracy, hunger and deprivation, (and if you like) ridicule and caricature. We did not have anybody to run to. I also grew up in what I can call a hostile extended family environment.
My father married the first wife which gave birth to nine children. And because of the hostility they told me about and diabolic nature of some of his relations, these children began to die mysteriously one after the other until nine of them died. Eventually, suddenly, unceremoniously, without being sick, the wife also died. So that gives you the view of the kind of environment I grew up with. My mother also died such mysterious death. It was at my age of four months that my mother died.
My grandmother sensed danger about our life and whisked us away to our maternal home. And there I remained, and only got to my father’s home during my ordination. In fact, it is now they are hearing my name as a preacher they knew my surname is Ikeakor. In all my life, my towns and my contemporary believed and taught my surname was Umenze, my maternal home’s surname because they took me as a lastborn and brought me up in a right way.
It has been an experience of ups and down, but in all things I give credence to my grandmother. She really grew me in diligence of hard work. That is why I can survive in any environment and situation. I can do any kind of menial job to survive. I did all kinds of things to survive. When I was in Secondary School, I was a farmer. Our people were hiring me to cultivate their farms. I was going to help people in their local oil palm factories to pound palm seeds so as to extract palm oil. I was doing a lot of things to survive even when I was in the university. I was a photographer when I was in the university. I was also a photographer when I was in Theological school so that I can make both ends meet. I don’t know where to start to tell you the story of my family background. My family background was very poor, humanly hopeless and tortuous beginning but God has brought us where we are today.
Looking back, are there any particular incidence that defined or highlighted the whole things you just narrated to us?
They are many but I will tell you three major ones…I am saying it because God has made us to overcome them.
One, I will never forget a particular day that we did not took our breakfast. There was no lunch in sight. No hope for dinner. But around 1.30PM, our father called us together, and gave each of us cooked palm seeds, four each. And asked us to eat the palm seed or palm nut. After eating it he told us to drink large quantity of water. We did that without knowing where he was coming from or going to. But at a point when we were waiting for the main meal, he said; ‘children, that is the food for the day. There is nothing anywhere’. We cried. We wept but there was no help forthcoming to us.
Number two, one of my uncles when we were with our father…I am just sharing these experiences because he is Late. That is not an indictment at all because everyone knew him too well. Magnanimously, he gave my father one room in his house because my father had none in the village. The single room was managed by my mother, father and we-the children, although we were still small, eight of us managed the one room. The man gave us one rule that I will not forget which is that wherever we are, we should not bother coming back to the house whenever its 6PM. So, our movement should be from 8AM to 6PM every day. There was this particular day, one of our eldest sister came back from Primary School and ran to fetch water in one very far stream as used to be practiced then in the olden days.
She ran to fetch water after cooking lunch and while she was running trying to meet the deadline of don’t come back home once it is 6PM, she was at the gate of the compound when it was about 3 or 4 minutes to 6PM, my uncle locked the gate and prevented her from coming in. My father, and all of us came out, knelt and wept profusely and pleaded for him to open the gate for my sister but he refused. Then, my mother was no more. So, we wept to fiasco but he never listened. My sister stood outside from 6PM till 8PM when the children of the man, who went out for strolling returned back 5 minutes after 8PM. The gate was opened for them. They came in and the gate was again locked against my sister. My father then instructed her to go my maternal home to sleep. That was a very terrible experience from us.
The man said “well, the person that is being pressed will first visit the toilet or restroom before others that wish to assist him will accompany him from behind. (Onye nsi na-akpa na ebu uzo, ndi ozo ejidere ya oku). What it means is that my father should pay the first school fees. The other kindred members advised him to pay because they knew my father cannot afford to pay it, and that is why they have gathered to help him out.
He said, ‘well, I will help out only when the next school fees come. But this first one, I will not pay. He should pay’. My father should pay it if indeed he wants his son to go to school. Then, the other kindred said they are outsiders committed to the project, and can do nothing since the main person in the project said he cannot help out. That was how my elder brother did not go to school, and whenever I remember that experience and many others, it is painful. They are many but God has done us marvelous things.
Away from your family background, in your early days, did you ever dreamt of becoming a Priest?
It was never in my vocabulary. I never thought, I never dreamt or imaging myself becoming a Priest.
And most of your teenage associates, who knew they would never associate you with the Bible let alone Bishop, So, what was the turning point of your life?
I grew up how other young people do. Not that I was dreaming of becoming a Priest but I wasn’t going to Church as a young man. Those of them that knew me at Fegge, Onitsha remember what we called government field then. That is where the Onitsha South Local Government Headquarters now stand.
As at 7AM every Sunday we play football till at about 11 or 12 noon we return to our various homes, took our bathe and went out as young people, partying and drinking. We continued that way until something happened very concrete in my life.
On the 20th of March, 1986 one of my eldest sisters—the one directly older than me came home from Onitsha and said they have a programme in the Church. That was when one popular programme in the Anglican Church called ‘operation Timothy’ was happening everywhere. It was a well known revival. She came home and saw me when I came back from school. She told me that she want me to follow them to crusade. And I asked her, what is a crusade? She said, ‘where they preach the gospel’, and I asked her, ‘why did you think my name and crusade tarry. Do they go together?’ I was their lastborn but I was troublesome, but extremely quiet. Everything I will do is in my heart. I hardly talk. So, she said, ‘No! I want you to join us nothing is there’. And I told her to pay me. ‘If you want me to go to crusade, then pay me’. She taught I was joking and asked me how much. I told her I can manage N200. When I call N200 now you can laugh but I remember the Ladies Machine 675 that was reigning those days, my uncle bought it for me at N400, tier leather. That time, 504 salon or wagon was at N5000 tier leather. So, it was a very huge amount of money. So, my sister shouted, ‘how on earth do you want me to get that kind of money?’ I said, ‘why do you need a convert?’ She now said ‘let me see what I can get from my bag’. She turned her handbag upside down in our maternal home (where we were leaving then), and began to pick up the money which were her transport fare to Onitsha, including her offering and tithe. She collected N120 and said, ‘my brother, I don’t know how to get back to Onitsha after this crusade because this is all I have. But if you insist I must pay you take this. This is all I have’. And I said, ‘only N120, let me manage it’. I collected the whole money—remember I said that offering and tithe were there. So, I ate God’s money.
However, in my traditional characteristic manner, I signaled my friends. You knew then we don’t have phone. I signaled them because they knew my maternal uncles were giving me money. They were rich. So, I signaled them and we went to a joint where we used to drink. At that time, 1 carton of Golden Guinea was N4. Immediately, I got there, I ordered for 10 cartons of Golden Guinea and 4 cartons of Premier. So, at a straight, thirteen cartons were served to us. We were about six boys around. We sat down and drank, drank and drank not thinking of attending the crusade. We drank from 5PM till 7.30PM and the turning point came.
At exactly 7.30PM, a voice…I didn’t say somebody came. But I heard a clear audible voice telling me ‘Ephraim’, that is why I remember whenever I read Acts Chapter 9 of how Apostle Paul heard a voice but those with him never heard the voice. These men were drinking there but I was the only person, who heard the voice. It said, ‘Ephraim, what you are doing is not good. You collected money from your sister. Just go there to show face at least and come back’. I kept quiet and said, ‘who is talking this rubbish. The voice called me again, ‘we are not saying you should go there but show face to justify the money you collected and come back’. But look at what happened. God is a Master Strategist. Why on earth should I go there and try to return back having paid for the whole drinks? I should have said keep on drinking I am coming back which means God knew I wasn’t coming back there. So I left them, but before then, I told the barman to serve them another three cartons if they finish the five remaining cartons before I return. I left and went into the crusade ground around 10 minutes to 8PM. Immediately I stopped my motorcycle, the preacher climbed to the rostrum. It was like a planned coup. He announced his topic as ‘a prodigal son’. I sat on top of my motorcycle listening. That place I gained my salvation is where God sent me back after my salvation, and told me to be holding crusade there so that people will also be saved like myself. The Preacher, Ralph Okafor, was not a Priest then but either secretary or so in the Scripture Union. Now he is the Bishop of Ihiala Diocese.
In the next twenty-five minutes for the first time in my life, I saw tears rolling down my eyes because my real life was revealed through the gospel. I now saw that what I thought was life was death. That I was hopeless heading to nowhere. So, I began to cry. I wiped the tears but it continued. At the point of struggling to control the tears, the man ended the sermon. And gave an alter call. It was a crusade of not less than 8,000 people because the open field was filled to the brim. I was the first person that came out and gave my life to Jesus. And something remarkable began to happen to me since then. I think that is now 30 years (1986—2016). That was the turning point of my life. My encounter with Jesus changed my life.
We want to know your major influences and their contributions to your life?
The number one of them is my grandmother. I owe a lot to that old woman. She was not educated but very intelligent. If you describe her as a disciplinarian, it is understatement. She was an extreme disciplinarian. This woman hated laziness with passion. Of all her grandchildren, I think I was the only person that survived being with her. Others ran away. She would tell me, ‘Ephraim, I won’t like you to be a failure in life. What I am doing now you people will not understand. Forget these wild monkeys (as she usually describe the runner always) they never like to work’. She never allowed me to embark on holidays. She would say, ‘remain with me here. For food, you will eat and satisfy. But you must be ready to work’.
In fact, I can’t forget one of my experiences with her. There was this Lenten week I said, ‘Nne’ as we used to address her, today is a day of obligation, “Uka soro olu (no work!) Our church said nobody should work today. She retorted, ‘Is that so?’ I said, ‘yes Nne’. She said, ‘no problem but there must be an agreement. If uka soru olu, oga-sokwa nri. As long as you don’t work for the days—either two, three or so, there will be no food for you. Agreed?
I said how will I stay without food. So, uka soro olu stopped at that point. That shows you the kind of woman I hard as grandmother. She was a rich woman dealing on tobacco and snuff in large quantity. But to tell you the kind of influence she had on me that time people do go to engine to ground their tobacco into snuff but she prefers it pounded. She said the engine contaminate the soundness of snuffs. That I must pound it with my hand no matter its quantity. And that is why a lot of my friends never liked coming to my house. And once they come in and start hearing ‘gbim, gbim, gbim’ they will turn and run away knowing that the thing has started. So, that woman did a lot of thing in my life. That is why I told you I can do anything to survive if not that I am a Bishop, so far it is not sinful. That is why when I see the cars washed by my drivers; I come out and asked, ‘what is this. This is the spot you find out whether cars are been washed well or not.’ My uncles were so rich that I usually washed about 7 of their cars at weekends and as well I cook everything.
That woman influenced me a lot. I can’t remember someone that influenced me so much like her again except my Christian influence. That is why if not that death is inevitable, I would have prayed God to give her eternal life because she made me what I am today.
But if you bring it to my later days, another person that influenced my life is my wife. Before I married her, I was extremely quiet and reserved human being. I was very crude, too strict that if I won’t deny you taken my biro but my rule is that you must return it to the same particular point you picked it. Just make sure the biro is returned at exact point or angle where you earlier picked it. If not, you will be in trouble. So when I married, it was a great challenge because I thought I married a robot who I lay at any particular point I ordered her to.
It was a very critical moment for me that when I put a thing here only to return back to see it at another location. Once I run into the house, this woman will be running to keep food for me. But once I stepped in, I will start from checking if the table in my parlour is clean. On discovering that it is not clean, I will talk, although, I was a preacher. As this woman came into my life I will take some days before I react because of her influence. But earlier, it was operation fire to fire. If you do anything wrong I will react. She is such a cool soft spoken type. That she can rebuke you for one hour but you won’t hear her voice. But if I want to rebuke you, I will shout on you so seriously so that you will know how serious I am. I am trying to learn from her how to rebuke person and the person will cry without you hearing my voice. I am now a learner. I haven’t finished learning but I have gotten some at last.
Before my wife came into my life, I usually felt too bad on mothering Sundays for not having anyone to show love to as a mother. I didn’t know my mother. She never had picture so that I can tell how she looks or so. So, as this woman came into my life, I remembered what the bible said about Rebecca, ‘when the Rebecca came into the life of Isaac, Isaac was comforted because of the death of his mother’. My wife became my friend, my confidant, and my mother, and she became myself. I think she is the only woman that can marry me. What you see is somebody preaching because I am a very difficult person.
Do you have a mentor?
Yes! I told you my grandmother remains my mentor…
I mean, do you have somebody you look up to as you progress in life?
Yes! Why not? Every human being that must make progress must have somebody he/she looks up to. There are men I look up to. Number one is the man that ordained me, Rt. Revd. Okito Nweke Otubelu, the then Anglican Bishop of Enugu Diocese. In that man I see an epitome of what Christians should be. He was so humble, so cool, so contented with what he had. In fact, when Bishop Otubelu died nobody could move around and point a single plot of land he bought as a Bishop. Unlike now you will see some Bishops doing things in a very flamboyant way these days. Some of us move about in a convoy like politicians.
There was one incidence about this Bishop. Let me recount it, if you don’t mind. There were crises in one Church at Ngwo. Bishop Otubelu came for confirmation. As he finished dressing and was processing into the church, some of the mischievous members of the church have confused some youths of AYF members. As the Bishop was marching in, a member f AYF came and griped his cloak, and was shouting, ‘you can’t step into this church. You can’t step into this church’.
When other fellowship members saw this, they said what an atrocious and abominable act was that. They now came out heavily to kill that boy who was dragging the Bishop because they were infuriated. Do you know what Bishop Otubelu did? He said, ‘stop that! Stop that! Don’t you know that church members are sheep? Your sheep can misbehave. Don’t ever touch him. Don’t touch him. Sorry, sorry, sorry’, these he said in a cool manner, and began to plead on those given him two slaps to stop it that because they don’t know what they were doing. That marked the serious challenge to me.
I said, ‘ah if you try it on me I wouldn’t mind being the first person to give you Episcopal slap’ before others come. (laughs). This our Episcopal regalia has a habit. Otubelu had only one cloak and one miter, and one cruiser or staff throughout his 29 years as a Bishop. But today some of us-Bishops have six or more of these. I am not saying it is bad, but the simplicity of that man’s life made it that whoever is in Enugu Diocese that will not describe him as a model Christian, would be called a liar. I look up to him every day that whenever I want to do certain things, if it were to be Bishop Otubelu, would he do such a thing? You can’t hear him shout. He was never unnecessarily angry. He did not accumulate estates. You know some of us built and buy estates or houses at most parts of the country and beyond. But this man never did. I look up to him as a model.
When I say Abakaliki, what did you remember?
I remember the greater chunk of my life and ministry.
How did your stay at Abakaliki shaped your life and ministry?
That is very important question to me. I am not indicting people of other places but my ministry changed in Abakaliki. Abakaliki helped me to see ministry in right perspective. A lot of present day Priests, especially down here, are doing what I called commercialized ministry. In Abakaliki, you are focused because you came for spreading the gospel. Whether it is by providence or coincidence, I don’t know. But because the money wasn’t there you would focus on spirituality. And that spirituality was what sustained us till today. So, I can’t forget Abakaliki because that place gave me opportunity to focus on spirituality.
Secondary, I can’t also forget Abakaliki because everything I am in Priesthood took place there. I was made a Canon, Archdeacon, a Senior Secretary, Chaplain to many Organizations and I was elected Bishop there. I married and wedded there as well. So, the history of my life can’t be complete without mentioning Abakaliki. Above all, what I see as bigger rising of my ministry had foundation at Abakaliki. Whatever we are doing here in my ministry such as Prayer Breakfast, Women Prayer Summit, First Born Night, everything started there. That place gave me an opportunity to be focused in my ministry. I won’t forget that place in a hurry.
Can we reflect on what was your reaction on the first day you were elected Bishop?
Yes, I can remember vividly. Around 6.45PM, on the 12th November, 2008, my then Bishop, Bishop of Abakaliki Diocese (now retired) Rt. Revd. Benson C.C. Onyebo gave me a call. I picked my handset and saw that it was my Bishop. In my traditional way, I stood up to answer his call because I don’t normally sit to answer his calls. Immediately I stood up, my wife knew and said, ‘your father is calling you’. The Bishop said, ‘Ephraim congratulations’. I said, ‘congratulation for what’. He said, ‘First of all, accept me congratulations before bombarding me with questions’. I said, ‘sorry My Lord. Thank you. But congratulations for what?’ He said, ‘You have been elected a Bishop of Amichi’. I said, ‘how did it happen’. He said, ‘when I come back. When I come back,’ and switched-off his phone.
I was in the sitting room of my vicarage with my wife that evening. We laid down on the floor chatting and watching television. I remembered that immediately I came back, she saw my countenance and inquired of me what the problem was. I said, ‘Mummy, there is a problem.’ She said, ‘what was the problem?’ I told her, ‘that thing we have been running from has come in another dimension’. That is why when I see people struggling to be Bishops, I said ‘it depends on what you want’. You know when we were at Abakaliki, three dioceses were created. Then, everybody thought, no matter what happens, Ikeakor must be Bishop of one of the Dioceses. But when I heard they were going to elect Bishops for the three new Dioceses, I and my wife fasted and prayed for one week for God not to allow them remember my name. I am satisfied in the level I was. I travelled all over the world preaching before I even became a Bishop. We also made a promise to God because we used to give free bible to the Police and other people. We promised God that we will buy more four cartons of bible and share if, he answers our prayers.
So, when I was eventually elected a Bishop, I told my wife that it has come in another dimension. Bishop in Anambra? We can manage our missionary easily but to be a Bishop in the midst of people we referred then as somewhat stubborn. What would we do? We laid down in confusion on that floor till 10.30PM. We neither ate nor drank reflecting on the amazing thing that had befallen us. At about 9PM, calls began to fly. It was at about 8PM that my wife told our children and those with us what had happened with a charge on them not to congratulate us. I remember that when one of them told us, ‘congratulations’, she asked him, ‘for what. I just want to give you information’. From then till day break, I never closed my mouth in answering calls. But it was a very traumatizing experience, honestly because I didn’t want it.
Why didn’t you want to be a Bishop?
If you listen to me when I talk to people I say what the Bishops or Episcopal had changed for me is that I now wear cloak and purple cassock. Every other thing that you need to achieve in life God has done it for me in my Ministry at the level of Archdeacon. The hotels I sleep all over the world, I have been sleeping there ever since. Also, most of the connections I have in life came to me through my ministry. In fact as I will be celebrating my 50th birthday, most of the dignitaries coming to grace the occasion I knew when I wasn’t a Bishop. So, Bishop or Priest didn’t give me connections. God did. So, I didn’t want it because I thought that the level of ministry God gave to me was alright for me
Any surprises coming to Amichi?
Many now! When I came here, I saw another group of church worshippers. (laughs). Let me give you my first experience. I will start with Prayer Breakfast show. It is not about money but God. The first day I preached at Early morning Prayer Breakfast show, I was looking on the faces of people that came. I know I was talking to strangers who were saying, what did this man need? What is he looking for? What exactly is he talking about?... And this church was filled to capacity. You know it has almost three thousand seating capacity. At the end of the day, the offering was N60,000 from 3000 human being. I was shocked because in Abakaliki, any prayer summit where you don’t have up to 1000 congregation, you have about N300,000 or so. This is because they have known what we are into.
Secondly, when I came in here, I saw the people that do not do the work of God sacrificially but what they will gain from them. For instance, if you want people to cut this tree in the church, they will like to know how much they will gain from cutting the tree. That kind of commercialized worship was a shocker to me.
Again, people will say we don’t want this bible thing. Just do the things ceremoniously, let us jump and go. If you need money, tell us you need money not that it is heaven thing. I had so many encounters that I will not like to mention here. It was a shocker where some prominent members of the church will tell you face-to-face to uphold their opinion and forgo that of bible whenever they crash. It is people’s opinion that will bring money. I never heard such encounter before. Somebody came to me and told me that three billion naira can empower these people. He said he can get two or three of his friends to give me three billion naira to empower the Diocese and forget about bible. He said, ‘you are holding the bible too much. Please, reduce your stand in preaching the bible. Take it easy on bible…’ It was a shocker to me.
Then, finally, there were other shocks and experiences like one of the first burial I attended here as a Bishop. I saw another shocker. A female member of our church died. She was either a member of Church Mothers’ Union or Women’s Guild. At the burial, I saw a table for mothers Union and Women’s Guild. I saw another table of women wearing white. I saw that everything being given to those in Women’s Guild and Mothers’ Union were equally given to them. After the service, I called the priest to inquire from him their identities. Either he was not trying to embarrass them or so, he said ‘let me find out, let me find out’. After some time, he said, ‘They are called Members of the Association’. I said, ‘what association again in the Church apart from Mothers Union and Women’s Guild. What kind of association’. He said, ‘you see, you see, they are those that are left in their father’s house to bear children without husband. So, the church gave their association Honour for bearing children at home’. I said, ‘and they were giving serious table and entitlement when we come for burial? What an abomination in the church congratulating adultery and immorality’. He said, ‘no! it is in thing here. Most of the rich men you see here belong there. They were born from that type of arrangement’. I said, ‘now, if I perish, I perish’. In the next Sunday, I said if I hear about this arrangement let alone see their table, I will frustrate you. You can guest the reaction from people. There was battle for years. But we won the battle at the end because Bible must stand not the tradition of men. These are the few experiences we have.
Obviously, watching from the sideline, it is not easy to be a Bishop. How do you cope?
Grace, grace and grace of God led me through. Without Him like the Bible said, John Chapter 15v5, He said, ‘without me you can do nothing’. It is not the battle of the mighty. It is God that gives victory. If not the grace of God, nobody can do this work, because of a lot of challenges, dangers and maneuvering. My answer is that it is only the grace of God that has led us such far.
Alright, but tell us the hardest thing you have done being a Bishop?
The hardest thing I have done and most painful was the suspension of a priest after my consecration. I suspended a priest for conceptual act. I was pronouncing his suspension, and I was crying in alter. I was crying because I never bargained for it. I came to pastor people not to scatter people. And unfortunately for me, this young man was from my town. So, you can imagine the first victim of your Episcopal discipline is your own blood brother. You are at a cross road. In fact, I got the highest insult of my life because of that case. One of the occasions, I went to see the Church where he was pasturing, and to say look at how we handle things as pastors, and a young man stood up inside the church and said, ‘excuse me Bishop. Before you came here, we heard about you and we respected you. But from what you are doing now, if I had 80% respect for you, I have reduced it to 20%. In fact, I am suspecting you to be a homosexual’. I asked him, ‘why’. He responded, ‘because they told me that homosexuals don’t punish their fellow homosexuals easily. If not, you should have thrown this man out of the priesthood.’ I was insulted because I was trying to handle the matter pastorally. Not just somebody, anybody can offend. That is why the bible said in Galatians 6 ‘when you get a brother fallen into sin, you that are spiritual should restore him with humility so that you may not be puffed off because you can also fall.
My Lord, can you compare the Diocese of Amichi you met and the Diocese of Amichi we have today?
God is faithful. No wonder the scripture said that those who put their trust in Him cannot be put to shame. The scripture also said that the church of God must continue to march on and the very gate of hell shall not prevail against it. When I look back, I will not say we have done much but I remember the environment, the spiritual terrain we met and what we are seeing now it is only God. My heart is full with both gratitude and challenges. This is because after Joshua, Caleb, etc relaxed and He said my friend don’t relax because there are many more lands to conquer. So far, I can’t tell you that I am not happy. If I should retire today, I am sure the history of this area will not end by someone mentioning that there was a Bishop called Ephraim in this land, who stood for nothing but true godliness and righteousness. People are keen. The spiritual eyes of people are opening. People now appreciate unlike when we started. People are now clapping, saying ‘Thank God’. The gospel is preached. Prayers are making impact. The state of things we are seeing today are far better than what we met at onset.
What did you consider as a biggest challenge working as a Bishop in Diocese of Amichi?
My biggest challenge as Bishop is getting the right manpower and workforce. To get a right manpower; the human resource and right priest to work with. The calibers of people we get at onset are not what we have today. The first four months I came here, I hardly sleep because of the priest I have then. But today, if I have calibers of priest that can function effectively even when I am not around. Those days, if I end a meeting and go to sleep, when I return next week, I will still meet what I left behind as I left them. But now I have priests that I can say, my friend, handle this thing as I travel oversea, and when I get home, I will be happy seeing that those projects were handled well.
7 years on have been a story of unprecedented development, can you capture the transformation so far from education to healthcare going on in the Diocese?
During the first session of our maiden Synod, we said we are going to preach the gospel here in four dimensions, namely; education, healthcare, agriculture, and human development. And by God’s Grace that is the way we are going.
On education, the only institution we had when we came in was Holy Child Convent. And it was in a very sorry state. The classroom building was plastered without windows, doors, no single facility on the ground for effective teaching and learning. It had about three hundred and something students (from JSS1-SS3). So when I came in, I started there. I told the school Principal that the school was meant to be in the envy of people. We pushed in little money from the Diocese into the school, and completed the building project including the windows, doors, etc. painted it.
Also, before I came, the students were leaving in one terrible uninhabitable hall given to them by the magnanimity of the Cathedral. I had the challenge of given them a befitting female hostel. I called an Architect, who drew a befitting hostel project billed to cost 120 million naira. And this is a Diocese that couldn’t boast of ten million naira in its coffer. But I believed working by faith to get a befitting hostel to move in the students. And we now have hostel that can accommodate 900 students. And it can inhabit 1000 if you stretch it. When we completed it, we saw that the Principal was squatting here and there outside although he ought to be staying inside the school. As a result, we took on it and constructed a befitting staff quarter, a chaplain and a better German floor terrain, interlocking, computer lab, and standard laboratory. If you get to that school now you will discover that we are struggling with large population. The recent Common Entrance Examination they took, we have about 300 students struggling for JSS1. This is because by special Grace of God, we have set the standard.
On the boys, I took the challenge of building for them a seminary. It started like a dream; we conceived it, prayed about it, and named it Masters Vessel Seminary. We started the building. But today, without being boastful, all to the Glory of God, that school seemed to be the only school with very good structure in the East of the Niger. And that school is SS2, yet we are battling with population. We have 720 boys there now. By September we are looking at getting about 1000 students because we have about 274 boys, who chose the school at the recent Common Entrance Examination. That is education wise.
Then, we have renovated all the Primary Schools handed over to us by the government enviably. We have fenced them, mounted the gates, and put everything in order so that our students and pupils would be safe in the schools.
On the man power development in the school, we are not left behind.
On Healthcare, we inherited a hospital from a Social Club, Akurueuno Social Club, Amichi. I thank them. They built a very wonderful community hospital. It was commissioned by the then President Shehu Shagari in 1980 when Jim Nwobodo was a Governor of Old Anambra. It was a very big hospital. But as these men are growing old the funds to maintain this hospital was no more. It was left to decay. It got so dilapidated that its’ roof were off. When we signed MoU with them, they gave us go ahead because they saw we have the same vision with them. We renovated the whole place. If you get to it now, you will agree with us that God is faithful. There was no Doctor there before but now, we have four Resident Doctors in the hospital, and nurses. We have our members bringing in equipments for its effective running. It has gotten to the extent that we now have oxygen piping in the theater and maternity wall so that we will reduce maternal mortality rate. And above all, we now have at an advanced stage, School of Nursing.
It was started last year. But when the National Council of Nurses and Midwifery came and saw the magnificent building we have put in place, they told us to build more two storey hostel building although we already had two on ground, with a massive administrative structure, classroom, principal and lecturers houses, etc. We are about finishing the 3 storey building we started at ending of November.
Also, one of the assignments they gave us is to buy a brand new 30-seater-coaster bus, which we spoke to one of our friends and followers, who is not a member of our Diocese. And he magnanimously gave it to us at the rate of 11million naira. The school will start between September/October this year.
Then, coming to Agriculture, we have what is called Diocesan Integrated Farm. In the farm are broilers, turkeys, layers, old layers, fish, fingerings, piggeries, etc. to employ people and empower the Diocese financially.
We also give scholarships to our young people in Secondary and tertiary institutions level. And currently we are building a table water manufacturing company at Unubi. By God’s Grace we will commission that place by either June or July this year. As I am talking to you every of its machines are intact, paid for and gotten. We are only waiting for completion of the building to kick-off.
These are the few things we are happy that God has given us.
Careless Children of Careful God is a book you are going to present on your 50th birthday. Tell us more about the book.
You know in ministries, God tells people where they belong. I write a lot but not books for sale. I never had intention of writing a book. But I produce tapes; CDs, DVDs, MP3s. These are my evangelistic area. I produce a lot of them in messages. But in 2012 or 2013, God told me to write a book. He was the one that told me to write a book. He told me the title of the book, and I said ‘God, I don’t understand. What would I put down as Careless Children of Careful God’. He sat me down and told me the danger, the havoc, the hazards that have befallen the present day Christians, and the Church because of carelessness of his children. He also told me not to make it voluminous so that people will read it. So, that book is about personality and character study of God’s children. In the book, we discussed how carelessness of Adam and Eve took them away from the God given paradise they never labored for. We discussed about Abraham and Sarah, and how the carelessness of impatient landed humanity today. And you see how that carelessness has landed us in wars and worldwide terrorism which originated from them.
In the title we said, ‘Abraham the grand master of secondary carelessness’. The wife was that of the primary carelessness. He was impatient although God told them He will give them children. We also discussed about Aaron. He was Bishop, High Priest. But his carelessness nearly wiped off the entire nation of Israel. A lot of things were discussed in the book about characters and personalities. We talked about Moses under the title, ‘Moses; A Hero of Leadership But a Victim of Careless Anger’. It was the carelessness of anger that robbed him all his labour in leading the Israelites and so many other things. You see, any Christian that reads the book will really need to sit up in all areas of his/her life. May God help us to sit-up in carelessness.
What is Amazing Grace Mercy Foundation all about?
Amazing Great Mercy Foundation is a personal NGO of me and my wife which we have been running secretly for a very long time. It is a peculiar NGO not a money making venture as being practiced by some NGOs in the country. Right from the time we married, we have a mandate from God to run it. He told us that he did not call us to amass money and wealth, and build mansions but he assigned us to build lives, raise young people for a meaningful life. So, we just wanted to make it to have a very standard name but all these while, we have been using it to give meaning to young people who are intelligent, endowed in their brains but no financial power to endure. We take them on scholarship at both secondary and university levels. We also use it to help the indigent widows, those tortured, marginalized and oppressed, and subjugated in the societies, to help them start petty trade and make both ends meet.
We take cases of those who have nobody to speak for them to court or their kindred, advocate and plead for them for mercy. So, amazing grace foundation is all about unveiling the NGOs we have been running secretly to affect the lives of people. That is why we have just said let people come and partner with us.
The Book lunch we are doing is not meant to make money. God takes care of me. Any money realized from that book launch will be moved to Amazing Grace Mercy Foundation to take care of the youths. For now, we don’t have less than twenty young men in the universities. I don’t mean the Diocese but I and my wife. That is what gives us joy and also, when we go for counseling, we do a different counseling. I don’t go to my office with less than fifty thousand naira in my pocket. Any day I come back with it, I will kneel down and thank God. That day trouble was less. There are times I will have to pay for people through my online banking because some of these young girls usually come with financial problems. Some of these young ones are not bad but the pressures they find themselves is what they cannot resist. Some get into kidnapping, armed robbery, prostitution, smoking, etc. because of problems. Our foundation use to help them.
But we have one rule which is that on no account shall anybody in your family come to thank us because we are sponsoring your education. Once that happens, we remove your name. You need not thank us for doing what the God said we should do. He said we should build young people.
Share a little with us in your interest on women, children and youths. You seemed to pay a particular attention to them a lot.
We come from a background where these categories of people are the vulnerable group. In the African background, women are the vulnerable group. So, whatever I can do to empower women in the right direction, I will always do. Teach young girls that there is no need for you to rush into marriage when you have not led foundation of your life through sound education system. If you finish Secondary School and rush to marry, where are you heading to? Take your university or NCE Certificates, you have laid a solid foundation. In fact your husband will not see you as a parasite because he knows that with your certificate, you can take care of your make-ups and cloths you wear while he takes care of the house.
So, I am interested in women to show them that they can leave a fulfilled life. Not in a right sense of what a man can do, a woman do it much better. No. they can leave fruitful life.
Secondly, when people consider that if you train a woman you are wasting your time, a man will come and marry her away. That is a foolish thinking. I want to let them know that they are somebody so that those young girls don’t waste their lives. The same thing is applicable to the youths. Most of the crimes you see today on increase can be reduced minimally if the government and the church can change their attitude towards the youths by giving them adequate attention.
I want to say that I am interested in the youths because they are the future of the family, future of the church, and future of the society. If we lose them, we have lost the three categories.
Then, for children, you can’t do without them. The Bible describes them as heritage from the Lord. Train these children the way they should go. So, I can spend anything on these categories of people to empower them. Every Christmas, we take care of the widows. Every valentine, we call the youths—give them food and teach them the best way to live their lives; give them scholarships, help them to start trade, etc. These are the things that give us joy because if we get it right at both levels, the society will be better.
Now, let us know Ephraim Ikeakor as a husband and as a father
I am a husband and a father, who toes the line of my grandmother in serious disciplinary lifestyle. You can’t live with me without being disciplined. If you hate discipline you can’t enjoy me. Also, I hate laziness with passion, and you can’t enjoy me if you are lazy. It is one of my greatest enemies. Again, I hate mediocrity. You said you are trying. Don’t try in my house. Be the best.
Then as a husband, my first parish and mission field is my wife and my children. I can open the eyes of the blind at conference but if I fail on my duty at home as a father and as a husband, I will be a monumental failure. I make sure by the Grace of God that my wife can call anyone anywhere and said that the man you call a Bishop at Church is my husband and man of God at home. I relate with him. I don’t joke with my married life.
I have categorization of my priority; God and God’s work, my wife, then my children. My siblings are jara when I have extra time. You don’t put wife and children because this woman you are marrying is yours forever. God has made marriage as the first starting point of your manhood, and the last starting point of your manhood. If you have ten children, when they grew up; the females will marry and go, while the males will marry and live with their wives. And you will remain with that same woman. So, if you maltreated her while the children were with you, she will likely maltreat you when they go. This is why I see my wife as inevitable in my life. That is why I give her best of attention, best of love, best of anything I can offer without an apology to anybody.
Then as a father, I try to give my children the future that will help them. Number one is pushing them through the gospel to Christ. That is the highest legacy I can bequeath to my children. Make them Godly righteous children who can survive anywhere in the world even when you are not there. Then, giving them foundation of life, and, destiny through sound education. I have no business buying lands for them anywhere. But any of them who want education from elementary to PhD level will get it. Then, I will say, ‘friend, go and join your colleagues out there’. So, none of my children should be thinking about buying them housing or estates or lands anywhere in the world. It can never be unless you come to the house in the village. We can share them till I die. They should learn to struggle and survive in life. That is why I want to give them sound education. I will make them comfortable in education. I believe that he that cannot work should not eat.
What is your attitude to work and principle in life that brought you so far in life?
Number one thing that drives me in whatever I do is Proverb 22: 29. It says; see a man that is diligent in his work, he shall stand before kings not before ordinary men. Also, if you read what Solomon told his children, in Proverb chapter 6. I feel so insulted whenever I read that because I will not be happy to see somebody addressing me as such. Man with best brain was told to go and learn from little ants because of laziness. He said ‘go and learn from ants you lazy sluggard. They don’t have a leader. They don’t have a mentor. Yet they know when to work, when to provide their food, etc’. It was teaching them attitude and hard work. So, my attitude today as I mentioned while speaking at National Leadership Conference at Port Harcourt last two weeks, and a medical doctor asked, ‘Sir, that is not good for your health’. And I told him that it has never harmed me. I told him that I sleep three hours every night so that I can work. I work, I work, and work. In fact, sometimes my wife has to come and snatch the laptops, ipads, and tell me to sleep. I work always because I don’t want to be a disaster, burden or liability to my generation. All these assignments, apart from God, is diligent and hard work which I believe. It is unlike what some preachers do preach to the younger generation not to work but to wait for miracle. It is a lie. You must labour because I even read a particular verse in bible today that told me that there is every profit in every labour.
What is your typical day like every day?
I have to-do-list everyday; once I get up every morning. I plan my to-do-list. When to take my bathe, listen to music, eat, sleep, go to office, visit people, any leisure, relaxation, etc. You can’t drag me out unless that thing is expedient. It is just like phone call; at times people complain that I don’t answer their calls in a whole day. It may be that I decided not to pick a call that day. You know in Nigeria, we squander time a lot. I manage my time very well. That is my nature. There are days I have free day—if you come here you will see me free to roam about with you in the compound. That week or day there will be no work because they told me that all work without play makes a Bishop a lazy one.
My lord, what is it that matters to you most in life?
What matters to me in life is my salvation in Christ. I can tolerate you tampering with other things but my salvation in Christ is no go area. Anything that can make me to doubt my making to haven, I fight it with the last blood in my body. That is my most cherished thing in life. That, I am now born again. That one day, I will leave this terrible life and be with my master, my savior and my redeemer. That is my joy and my greatest cherished thing in life.
While you were talking, you mentioned that you are a good cook. What is the most favourite meal you make?
That is jollof-rice. I cook it a lot, and of different types. You don’t know they have different types.
Apart from teaching the bible, praying for people, what else do you do?
I read a lot. After reading, I watch football a lot but I don’t belong to any club. I am not a Chelsea fan. I am not a MAN-U fan… I just love good football.
What is that important thing about you that people do not know?
I don’t know. Unless, you said what I consider important that people don’t know… I love fashion. People may not know that I love fashion. They don’t know that. But I hate madness in fashion. Dress well. Combine what you have well. I am the mirror to my wife and my daughter. I make choice of their dressings; everything they were except one—the bra. I buy the rest for them. I don’t know the size of their bra. But I buy other things for them. Do you know why I buy these? It is because my wife is very conservative with money. If you give her ten thousand naira to buy a shoe, she will never try it. She would prefer to buy two thousand naira shoe instead. But because I travel wide, I buy her expensive fashions which she normally likes.
There was a time I bought a shoe for her. She said she loved these shoes. I love these shoes… After sometime, she asked me how much I bought the shoes and I told her I bought them at the rate of N200,000. She said can we take them back. I said but you love it. She said yes. I then told her to use it because I owe her no apology. This woman suffered when she married me. I married her without shoe. We did our wedding with old shoes and old cloth. I married with old trouser. People were asking her why are you marrying this man. Don’t you know his family background—they are poor. She said she would marry me because God told her so. The wife of a Priest but did you know that I couldn’t buy her white browse after our wedding because there was no money. She was using white gown to tie wrapper. It is only me that will see her in the church and know that what she tied round her waist was gown not a wrapper. So, now I can take care of her, I take her all over the world. Everywhere! She is not a going out type. But my daughter is where shall we go? She would prefer me to go with my daughter. But I always force it in her because I am very fashionable person.
How would you wish people to remember you when you might have retired as a Bishop?
When I retire, I want to be remembered as a Bishop who was in this Diocese, whose life tarried with the gospel he preached. A bishop that lived an exemplary lifestyle. Who would say do it this way, and he must do it. A bishop that was never worldly. A Bishop that never believed in amassing of wealth unnecessary but in impacting of life. A bishop that sowed the seed of salvation instead of a gospel of mammon. A bishop that taught people that contentment is great. Bishop that taught people that the best way of serving God is holiness and righteousness, and simplicity of life.That is the greatest legacy I would like to leave behind.
At fifty, you are old enough to have a say on national issue. Lately, it was Agatu, now we hear that the herdsmen are at Uzouwani as they rampage everywhere, killing people at will. What is your reaction?
What is going on is the script of hypocrite that is played on leadership. That is just the scope because I cannot imagine why somebody from South South or South East would carry his goat to North and begin to destroy their farms. Did you dream of that thing in this country. And now we are talking of cattle rearing and the leadership is not talking. That is where I talk of hypocrisy being played by the leadership. What has our President said since this issue of herdsmen? How many Northerners have condemned such act? The only time they spoke out was only when I heard of two or imaginary story of some herdsmen killed in Abia State. Everybody talked.
Yesterday when the Uzouwani people were boiling nobody talked because the Southerners, the Igbos are very larger hearted people. We are highly hospitable. We allow them to do their business in our land. Do your business without a molestation has now become a crime. I think is time we speak out. The problem we have in this country is personal selfish interest of some of Igbo leaders and Southeasterners have stopped them from speaking the truth. They believed that the contracts being giving to them at Abuja would stop coming if they speak the truth. But I want to tell us, if we must remain one nation, we must address the issue of somebody claiming to be the only legal person that must bear the helm of affairs in Nigeria, while others perish and beg with plates for breakfast. We must address it. That is why I will keep on saying it although you did not mention it. The IPOB and MASSOB thing is good. My only problem with them is approach. They don’t use the right approach—violent and demonstration. But an Igbo man is not needed in this country now. It must be a bitter truth but somebody must say it. An Igbo man is not needed yet correct me wherever you can, that the economy of this nation will crumble if no Igbo man is in the economy. The industrialists of this nation are the Igbos.
What is happening is that another version of that your question is that I am thinking very seriously that Boko Haram is changing strategy. And we call them Fulani herdsmen. They are changing strategy seriously. About three weeks ago I read in a newspaper that about 60 or 90 herdsmen were arrested at Abuja suburb and the Police recovered about 57 AK47 from them. Something is wrong somewhere. In the north, churches are being burnt, nobody is talking. So, let the people of Southeast extraction think twice. I am not talking secession. But I am saying that if we must remain one in this country, we must sit down again to redefine the modality. If not, there is nothing wrong in having three nations now. The regions of Westerners can be one country. The Northerners can be one country. The Easterners can be one country. If you are coming to my country, I will show the condition you must meet before you can come over to my country. Must we all die because we want remain one Nigeria, and one tribe is suffering it. Let somebody listen to me and ask how can a Bishop speak like this. But the truth must be told. The killing of innocent people, and damage of their economic benefits and means of livelihood by the so called Fulani herdsmen should be checkmated very seriously. If not, anything that can come out of it may not be easily controlled by any man. That is what I want to warn.
My Lord, do you think that the grazing reserve being agitated for currently will address the issue?
Grazing Reserves is also planning to play around. Can’t day have a place to do their business? Yes, the grazing reserve who builds it? Tomorrow now, it will be the national purse they will use in building it for private businesses. The other time, it was Almajiris schools that were built using our national fund. Why Almajiri school? They created Almajiris from their abnormality. In a modern society, you born children and threw them into the street because it is a subtle organized training way to raise militants that will be wrecking havocs everywhere. You know that easiest way to train a hard soldier is to expose him to a very terrible situation. And that is the same way they are training the Almajiris. Two years, they push them to the streets. If they survive, their hearts would be taken away from them. It is not about grazing reserve but about people doing their business the right way. Let them learn from the modern countries like America, Great Britain…they have cattle ranch. And they even have more cattle than in this country. Let people go and find a better way of transacting their businesses. Like Igbos are farmers, and they have organized way of farming without interfering in other people’s business. We also rear animals, and we don’t use it to disorganize others own. Grazing or no grazing, let them go to their land, graze it, and bring the cattle here, we will buy. Not by grazing it here, and we will buy it, and you will still kill us with your guns, and you still claim we are one Nigeria. No! Things don’t happen that way.
We the Christians preach non-violence, in the face of deliberate wiping away of a race, and the government is not saying anything, the security agents and our leaders are deaf and dumb. Can’t people defend themselves?
I will like you the press to be careful of what I say before you put it on front page that I said everyone should buy gun.
Self defense is different from being aggressive. I am a Bishop. I preach non-violence. Love your neighbour as you love yourself, but you can’t tell me to sit at home, and see somebody coming towards me with a machete. And you expect me to say to God be the Glory kill me, the God is on His throne. No! I will defend myself. But don’t ask me how to defend myself. You must find a way. We must find a way of defending ourselves. But we must not be violent or allow ourselves to be killed. This is because heaven may reject you for subjecting yourself to such death unnecessarily when you can defend yourself. But don’t go and fight people. But you must defend yourself.
My Lord, just last weekend, Senator Ekweremmadu advised we collapse the country into six regions as a way of solving the problem. Do you think it’s a good idea?
They are just speaking big grammar. They should just split the country into three countries. If they make six zones, who would rule? Are they not the same set of people? Who will take care of the economy? But if I go to my country, we will formulate our national policy and know where we are going. The idea of 6 zones, 12 zones,16 zones is of no effect because the boy will remain the father of the man.
It is the same politicians who are killing this country that will continue to rule her. In fact there is a question you did not ask me but I will say it. I don’t see why being a member of the Senate should be a fulltime job. What are they doing there they cannot do by meeting twice a month to deliberate on national issues and return to face their various businesses. Here everyone have a very palatial building ‘senator’ with cabinet members-Special Adviser, Half Adviser, etc. to the Senior Special, etc. And you will see Senate President going to board an aircraft with fleets of cars. During my recent visit to London, I saw David Cameron came in the plane. He stood by when he couldn’t find a seat and was busy reading his newspaper.
I did not see anybody carrying phones about him like it happens in Nigeria. Even the Bishops and clergies are currently behaving like emperors instead of Pastors. One day while driving myself to a function, somebody stopped me and said I was insulting them for driving myself. I said ‘how old am I?’ How many of my age mates in business world and lecturing world have drivers? Then, I was 48 years old. That is the type of utopia fantasy organization we build. It is a disaster that a Bishop or NASS members can’t drive. Even an elementary six Councilor is now Honorable. Honorable what? Honourable illiterates! We have a problem in this country, and I don’t like discussing it.
In your opinion, do you think the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari is of any benefit to Nigerians?
If I say no, I am not saying the truth. I will say yes even if it is killing all of us. It is beneficial to some people. Everything has benefits but it depends on whom does the benefits come. Let me say one thing, without being prejudice to the man. Nigerians are very impatient people. Once you come, they want you to perform magic immediately. And if you rush with them and make mistake, they are the persons that will shout highest. If you want to take time before you make mistakes, they will accuse you of being so slow. I think President Muhammadu Buhari needs to be giving time. That man is not up to one year in office. Are you aware? By May 29 this year he would be one, yet, we want him to change the whole thing and move to the sky, to the paradise in nine months. Brethren, if we are sincere to ourselves, it is not possible. The level of corruption in this country needs lots of time to be planned. Today, if Buhari comes to sit down without travelling, we will accuse him of not going out to find out how governance is run in other countries. Now he is travelling, we call him Diaspora President. What can we do to change this country? Let’s give him a chance. Let us pray for him. I am not a politician but a leader in the church
The bible told us to pray for those in authority. Buhari needs prayer and patient from Nigerians because what he met is pitiable. The kind of leadership he dabbled into. I think the APC was only trying to create impact during the election and not to win. I don’t think they were serious to win the election that is why they have no serious plan as they won. Let us be patient with him. He will do better through trial and error. He has some solutions to this country. If we don’t change the way our people behave in terms of handling public funds and property. Our politicians nearly buried this nation. When you go to airport, you will see somebody carrying almost N300,000 dollars in a Ghana must go briefcase and nobody is stopping him. You can’t try that oversee. Buhari has made it that almost all the Governors are careful now because if you misbehave, the EFCC will come after you.
Let us appoint technically sound people to ministries and that is my concern.
My Lord Bishop, can you speak on Nigerian core moral value?
One, when we talk of values, that is where the family, the church, the education sector and our leadership need to pay attention. The way our core values are eroding away among the youths especially. We are so much conscious on inculcating the culture of money, money and money that nobody cares about what to do to better the environment. The culture of hard work is no more there. Culture of honesty is no more there. Culture of patient is no more there. I mean values. Our youths are no more patients. You graduate today, you want to own a jeep tomorrow. You start a business today, you own a jeep tomorrow. I think the parent, church and society should begin to teach our young people the values of hard work, patient, and honesty.
Bob-Maley in one of his music in those days, where he said ‘emancipate yourself from mental slavery’. This is a disease in our country. Our people don’t see anything good in our dress code. It is all these madness abroad we have imported into our country. Even our traditional rulers don’t know what an Igbo Traditional Ruler should wear. If you see some of Igbo traditional rulers you will think they are Emirs or Obong Calabar, etc. because whatever they see as good in another tribe’s culture they will inculcate into theirs.
Nigerians are wonderful people. In dress code, we cover nakedness. We respect elders. We are patient people that we learn different trades. And this give us what we are. We believe in communal assistance. That is, helping one another. These are our values. The value of truth and honesty.
What makes me laugh is wherever people discuss God and Godliness, and righteousness in its true sense. I feel so enthused, I feel so interested, I feel so happy. That is number one thing that gave me joy, make me laugh, and get me interested.
Secondly, whenever I thought about my wife and my family. I am so committed to my wife and daughter that they make me so happy whenever I discuss about them.
Thirdly, when you give me money I laugh as well. These are the things that make me laugh.
Bishop Ikeakor opens up on his prodigal son days, like ‘Saul like Ikeakor’ (Exclusive)
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