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I Want to See Nigeria Fulfill Purpose As Great Nation – Ituah Ighodalo

BEVERLY HILLS, April 26, (THEWILL) – The saying that as one grows older, one’s perspective about life begins to change, rings true in the life of Pastor Ituah Ighodalo. At 60, he may have just rediscovered his purpose, which is to see Nigeria regain its lost glory as a great nation. The suave clergyman who sits on the board of several blue-chip companies as either chairman or director, runs his own accounting practice and several other businesses alongside pastoring Trinity House Church. A fellow and member of several professional bodies, Ighodalo speaks to TheWill’s Ivory Ukonu on some of the things he is most passionate about and what it feels like clocking 60.

Do you feel any difference between when you were 59 and 60?

Physically, mentally, no difference. But then clocking 60 gives you a huge sense of responsibility such that you can no longer say that you are a child.

At 60, what would you say life has taught you?

Many lessons. I say to people that I have gotten almost the plethora of life’s lessons. I have died and risen again, figuratively speaking.

Glo

Which of these lessons stands out for you?

The lessons on the capacity to have enduring patience and capacity for others. When you go through life’s lessons or imagine what others are going through, it should build in you a lot of compassion. So I have a lot of compassion for others, I don’t condemn anyone, I don’t pull them down. I know life can be overwhelming and sometimes you are not quite in control and you are being pulled from all angles for help. So I have committed my life to help as many people as I can to succeed, especially if they are serious. Of course, you will come across one or two people who are not very serious, But you will still try and help them. That is what my commitment is for the rest of my life.

Ituah Ighodalo
Ituah Ighodalo.

Looking back, is there anything you would have done differently.

Yes, quite a few. but in all, the scriptures say all things work together for good to them that love the Lord. There are some things, some mistakes, I would have avoided, but I would also not have gotten the benefits of those experiences and the spirit of compassion and understanding of life that it has given me. Also, without those experiences, I would have made those mistakes more grievously in the future. Financially, I would have gone far ahead of some of my contemporaries, but when I look at the sum total of my experiences and the mistakes that I made, I would say no regret. So all in all, I am grateful to God.

What would you say must have significantly shaped you to be who you are today?

My parental background. I come from a very strong ethical, moral and Christian family. I was brought up with the strong principle of hard work, honesty and determination to succeed and belief in oneself. And then I was privileged to attend very good schools (Kings College; University of Hull, England; Harvard Business School) that built up strong confidence in me, self-reliability, the ability to think outside the box, etc. And of course, the character that God imbued in me – all of these have helped to shape me into who I am today.

Would you say the good schools you were privileged to attend were to a large extent responsible for the network of friends you have today, especially among the upper echelon of the society?

Well, I am a friendly person, I make friends easily, not just with the upper echelon of the society. I make contacts because you don’t know the people you will need and who will need you. Again, you must understand that the people in the upper echelon were not where they are today when we became friends. Most of them I met as simple ordinary people who were just starting in life. Along the line, I have met people at the lower strata also, in the ghetto and they ended up becoming my friends. Very good friends as a matter of fact.

At what point did you discover Christ, enough to want to go the whole hog with him?

In my early 30s. In those days, the Christianity that our parents brought us up in was value-based Christianity that didn’t impose much responsibility on one. It was a very tolerant and permissive kind of Christianity which didn’t actually drive one to seek a personal relationship with Christ and understand the full meaning of the gospel of Jesus Christ. One just went to Church, read the scriptures and called oneself a Christian without fully grasping the full meaning. While in Kings college, I joined Scripture Union which focused more on behavior, righteous living and restricting yourself without explaining to us, the reasons for behaving that way. It was a work-based thing. So, I didn’t quite get the full grasp of it and when I got tired of restricting my behavior, I left the SU and started expressing myself the way society then allowed or permitted, which means doing all the things that a young man would do. But after exhausting myself with that kind of attitude and finding no real joy or satisfaction, I began to think to myself that there must be a better way to live life. And the quest to discover a relationship with Jesus Christ started in my heart, even though I did not understand that that is what it meant then. All I knew was that life was a bit empty for me in spite of what many may attribute to being a successful physical life.

When exactly did you get the calling?

I don’t know what you mean by calling

To go into full time ministry

Even now I still don’t work full time in the Lord’s vineyard, I still have my businesses that I run, an accounting practice and so on.

When did God speak to you and you decided to become a clergyman?

After giving my life to Jesus Christ, I just wanted to serve God in whatever capacity I can and continue with my business life. I thought I was going to be what they call a market place Christian, that is a Christian in attitude, in belief, and making quite a lot of money to sponsor the gospel and evangelise. I did a bit of that and I still do a bit of that. But along the line, the offer came for me to do pastoral work in one of the Parishes of the Redeemed Christian Church of God. Initially I turned it down but after the Holy Ghost convicted me in sleepless nights, I decided to take up the offer and that was how my journey or the call into clergyship took root. Although I had pastored a few parishes temporarily and even started a parish in Denmark, and co-pastored another in Washington DC, I did not think I would settle down to pastoring a parish full time.

Coming from a family of professionals, was your decision to go into full time ministry opposed?

Not really. One of the things about my family is that everyone is independent. Once they ask one or two questions and you seem to know what you are doing, they leave you and give you all the support you need to achieve your goal. Also being born again, I was led by my mother, she was one of the biggest tools God used to lead me to Christ. She kept on praying for me. Although she had an Anglican background, she was also Pentecostal and attended both. She always had young Christian University groups around her in Ibadan, who were all forthright and used to consult her, ask for her support about different things and made her patron of different associations. However, she never thought that I would one day be a pastor. All she wanted me to do was to have a personal relationship with Christ and live an upright life. It was a bit of a surprise to her that I became a pastor, but she accepted it and felt, better this than the life I was living.

What about your dad, what role did he play in your life?

My dad was a gentle man, a quiet fellow. He did not interfere too much. He just wanted to know that you know what you are doing and gives you all the support you need. My dad and I were great friends.

Where did your middle name Olajide come from?

My mum is Yoruba. I grew up in Ibadan

As a pastor who runs secular businesses and has been on the board of some government organisations, has there ever been a time your Christian values got tested?

It always presents itself in Nigeria where you will be asked to compromise yourself, but I have been very frontal and direct in the way I do business. Which is why I said initially, financially, I may not be quite where I ought to be because I have had to give up, ignore things that really would have meant the kind of compromise that I would not accept. I have had to walk away from them because of my inability to cope with the requirements thereof.

You recently spoke passionately on the state of the nation. Not many have heard you speak so passionately in that manner. What prompted that outburst?

I have always been passionate about Nigeria. But I must add that I was equally surprised by the reaction that came with my speech. Most of what I said, I have said them before even as far back as 20 years ago. I have consistently said the same thing because we have consistently had the same problem. During the Babangida/Abacha era, the State Security Service, now known as Department of State Security, sent a friend to tell me that my articles in The Guardian, Vanguard newspapers were too precise. Since 1985, before I went into full time ministry, I have published articles in these media on a weekly basis and at one time, I was going to collect these articles in a book. I tampered it when I faced pastoral work fully as I had to preach a sermon every Sunday and I no longer had the time and energy to write the articles and prepare a sermon. Even at that, there is no month or two I don’t say something in the papers. I just think it is the timing of this particular conversation and the passion with which I spoke on that day and that was ignited by the question I was asked. For the past one year, I have had something on the zoom platform titled The Nigerian Leadership Series every Thursday at 5pm. We engage someone from a section of Nigeria to talk about their thoughts on Nigeria and what they think we can do to fix Nigeria. I am passionate about good governance in Nigeria and Africa and I often wonder why a continent that is so blessed with a lot of resources is going through so much pain. My mission in life is to see how we can realign Africa, especially Nigeria, to fulfill her purpose and become a great nation.

You were advocating that Nigerians need to go to these so-called ‘gate keepers,’ as you referred to them and ask them why they are holding Nigeria to ransom. Are you willing to lead the mission?

I am willing to do that. I have started. If they allow me, I want to ask them one after the other what the problem is. I want to ask them if they are allergic to a better Nigeria and why they are taking the particular position they are taking. I would make them understand the effect of the position they have taken on Nigeria. Maybe they are not aware of the damage their position is doing to Nigeria and so they must be made aware.

Of course, they are aware, they are just indifferent and do not care

Ok then, I need to ask them why they do not care, what they have benefitted from taking the position they have taken. Is it power or wealth? How much wealth does a man really need? And at the end of the day, how much of these wealth are they really enjoying? Yes you can command resources and instruct people, but do you command respect and have you done the best thing for people? Sometimes the way to get is to give. So all that they are looking for, fighting to get and grabbing, they could have gotten them by just doing the right thing by people

But don’t you think Nigerians themselves are the real problem?

The problem really is attitude. If you allow a certain attitude, it becomes a culture and when it becomes a culture, it becomes seemingly right. And that is what has happened in Nigeria. A few influential Nigerians who had a wrong attitude, imposed the attitude on us and it became a concern and it looks like the norm. My parents imposed a certain attitude on me which has become a culture for me. You will not find me stealing, no matter how poor I am. You won’t find me telling a lie, no matter how provoked I am. Before, you could find me chasing girls, but now with my Christian values, I won’t do it. So I drew a lot of my behavioral traits from my parents and the schools I attended. What we have now is a lot of parents subjugating their irresponsibility because of the people they look up to. What we need is more of the right-thinking kind of people to be in the areas of influence.

Don’t you think that the right-thinking people have always been there and they change when they get into leadership positions?

They don’t change. They only pretended to be upright and right thinking. It is inherent. They didn’t reveal that part of themselves because they were not exposed to power. That is why they say you don’t really know a person until they have money and power. Look at Joseph, he ran Potiphar’s household well at that level. He did likewise in prison too, at his lowest ebb. And when He became prime minister, he did exactly as he did when he was at his lowest. So people operate the same at different levels. With leadership in Nigeria, what happened was that there was a break in leadership in 1966. The system threw up the wrong kind of leaders deliberately, supported by the British. They did the same thing in Congo, Uganda and Ghana. So a lot of what we are experiencing in Nigeria is being instigated by the colonial masters.

Do you think Nigerians are ready for a revolution?

Nigerians are anxious for change, but whether we have it in our DNA and thinking that this will require a revolution, I don’t think we have gotten to that stage. But a lot of them do not understand what that change is all about. There are three categories of Nigerians: those who are angry because they are not benefitting from the system. Once they start to benefit from the system, the anger will dissipate. Then there are those who are angry, not satisfied and feel helpless about the situation. They would rather protect their own interest than expose themselves. Then they are those who want to join in the struggle for a better Nigeria, but they are being haunted by agents of the state.

You recently courted controversy with your comments Covid-19 pandemic when you said it is foolishness to have faith when God has provided vaccine

I only expressed my opinion and I believe there is a difference between faith and foolishness. I have nothing against the vaccine. I think it is a result of medical research that may give us an opportunity to overcome this issue of the pandemic. There are different theories surrounding the vaccine, but, for me, I have enough boldness to take the vaccine. I have no apologies for what I said. My job is not to satisfy people, but to tell the truth. Jesus Christ did not satisfy people and that is why they killed him. I can’t go around now at my age to find out who I offended or not, especially when I wasn’t talking to anyone directly. But I think there should be reliable information to inform people that the vaccine isn’t designed to kill people. If there is any iota of doubt about the vaccine, it should be analysed to clear any doubts.

I notice you still wear your wedding ring. Why?

Because I am still married

How have you been coping so far with Ibidunni’s absence?

By his grace. When you have been given a responsibility, you take it up and start to move. These are things you don’t think about, you just do what you have to do and God sends help even up to providing scholarship for the kids. But I focus on what I can do and play my fatherly role in their lives. I am not the first person to loose his wife with young children, but God gives you the grace to do the things you cannot do for yourself.

Besides the 40 at 40 philanthropic gesture initiated by her to assist 40 couples through In Vito Fertilization, in commemoration of her 40th birthday, which you continued after she passed on, are there plans to immortalise her in other ways?

As long as God gives me grace, we shall continue to do those things she did before her passing and for humanity. Her businesses, foundation and the rest have been running effortlessly and they will continue to do so. That is the best legacy we can give her, to ensure that her vision for them continues.

You obviously loved her to bits, but given the nature of your job, are you looking at giving marriage another shot?

No

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