Nigeria: Marriage of Incompatible Partners – Prof. Dapo Asaju.

Professor Dapo Asaju, academician and administrator, is the Bishop Theologian of the Anglican Church of Nigeria. The former Vice-Chancellor of Ajayi Crowther University, Oyo, is responsible for matters of doctrine, as far as the Anglican Communion in the country is concerned. A reporter’s delight anytime, Asaju identified poor leadership capacity as well as mischief deliberately-rigged into the polity by the colonial masters as twin-factors that consistently-prevented the county from finding traction and naturally-evolving into a stable nation. He fielded questions from True Vision’s Solomon Okpo. It is an unforgettable interview! 

Who is Prof Dapo Asaju?

Thank you, immensely.’ Prof Dapo Asaju is from Kogi State. And had most of his early education there. He is the Bishop Theologian of the Anglican Church of Nigeria. I am a professor in the Lagos State University. I had my doctorate degree in theology in 1976. It is in an application of theology that there is controversy in religion, today. For example, Christianity is dying in the West. Bishop Akinola went to see the Pope John Paul 11. He was sick and when he got there, they told him the next in rank, then, was Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger who eventually became Pope. He was Cardinal Theologian for the Catholic Church. So, the cardinal-theologian is next in rank to the pope and the one who took over as Pope. Akinola was referred to the Theologian Bishop of the Catholic Church, whom the cardinal was. The meaning is that this church that has been in existence for over two thousand years, retained the position of cardinal-theologian who supervised theological colleges and summons the brains who articulate the church’s position on various issues. I held similar position in Anglican Church Nigeria when I was appointed vice-chancellor. Such positions exist all over the world- in Oxford, Cambridge, Trinity etc.  As pioneer Vice-Chancellor of Ajayi Crowther University in Oyo who declined a second term offer, I left the institution in a state of excellence and shunned desperate appeals to accept another term. And am married to Barrister Harriet Asaju.

What motivated you to join Priesthood?    

I was prayed for to become a priest. A white Anglican missionary prayed for my father to become a priest. And he then begged God to make one of his children since he could not. But also, do so during his lifetime. Initially, I wanted to do so many things but God blocked me. I wanted to become a lawyer and got all required qualifications but was denied admission on two occasions because God remembered my father’s prayer. So, until I came and registered for Christian Studies, everything was vapour in my hands.  I remember the day I cried at All Saints Anglican Church, Yaba, Lagos. I was administering Holy Communion when my father arrived and he asked for the microphone. With tears of joy in his eyes, he recounted his prayer to God in the 1940s to make his son a priest. He was overjoyed to receive Holy Communion from his son. But sadly, soon after that he died. In addition, do not forget that I came from a solid Christian background with genuine love for God. 

Obviously, he died a happy man, Sir?

He did not live long enough to see me become a bishop. My answer, though, is that as Hannah prayed Samuel into the ministry, so also did my father pray me into the ministry. Everything I did was blocked, all my way until I signed-up for what was destined for me in life.

Let us turn to Nigeria. Suddenly, Nigeria transformed into something beyond the imagination of the worst cynic. How, in your informed opinion Sir, did we get here?

My honest assessment is that in this country, we contracted a marriage for grossly-incompatible partners. Lord Lugard made a fundamental error. And I have been speaking on the issue, loudly too. It was a deliberate plan of the British to put us where we are. There was the agenda for perpetual colonization and instability by the British. And the policy never changed. There is also an Islamization agenda more resuscitated by the Hausa/Fulanis which is very terrible and ongoing but the sad aspect is that unfortunately, we have had leaders who never believed in Nigeria. It is unfortunate that we found ourselves in this position. Violent Islam was deployed to infiltrate our ranks, using Hausa/Fulanis. We do not seem to have strong voices to actualize our dreams. For example, Biafra happened and a lot of lives were wasted but it appears we learnt nothing from the experience. Now that we have a civilian president who is also a military general. But Nigerians cannot forget or ignore the fact that generals only retired. And are never de-commissioned.

Also, the situation loudly announced the failure of the church to produce leaders. Leaders are not accidental. They are groomed for the purpose. I highlighted this fact in Ibadan and Port Harcourt. Africa produced leaders who were groomed by the Church. Talk about Uganda and you easily recall Milton Obote. In Ghana, you can name Kwame Nkrumah. Senegal also had Leopold Senghor- individuals who were distinguished with excellent leadership qualities. Even in Nigeria, we had wonderful men of ideas, including Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Ahmadu Bello and Nnamdi Azikiwe.

You will discover that the church played a predominant role in producing individuals for leadership positions because leadership is God-given. And who reign by divine wisdom and grace.  We require leaders who are philosopher kings.  You do not have many like that you can point to. Everywhere in Africa, our leaders were men of ideas. I remember one day in the university library. I saw about 10 books written by Chief Obafemi Awolowo. That was the man who engineered the South-West into position of pre-eminence economically and educationally. He tarred most of the roads in Yoruba land. He built industrial estates. And started agricultural farms everywhere. He also started the first television in Africa. He built a stadium and many other things, under one regime. You want to compare him with someone with transparently-less enthusiasm and capacity?

Leadership is about discipline and pragmatism. About practical ideas on offer, not about impracticable or sentimental recommendations to implement programmes clearly spelt out. Our leaders are not men of ideas. They are not thinkers. They go into office to experiment with unworkable ideas. As a result, they make mistakes everywhere and squander resources anyhow. Our justice system is compromised. Our military is already infiltrated by terrorists and when that is done, you realize that the system is in big trouble.

So many things are wrong in the society. For example, we do not teach civic studies again in school. There was even an attempt to expunge history from school curricula. How can someone wake up in Sokoto, for instance, and say the country belonged to them?   Clearly, the church failed to produce leaders worthy of name and trust. Where was the Church when awkward and unsuitable individuals were presented for positions, they were neither suitable more ready for?

If Christians were united, they could change things. The population of Christians is enough to change the narrative. But for now, the Church is not united. And unfortunately, this unenviable position of weakness and disunity rendered the Church slave to forces within its control. Of course, this is not the Nigeria of our dreams. However, arriving at solution will require collective effort to correct collective consequence of collective failure. 

Please Sir, recommend the way forward!

The way forward is one, let us manage ourselves until we get out of the present situation. We are not prepared for the many outrageous things the enemies do- killing people indiscriminately, for instance. The first thing we will need to do, prayerfully though, is to hand over the battle to the Lord, as he instructed. We must, first of all, pray that God should intervene. Only he has the power.  We should pray that God should settle the matter and get rid of those who trouble Nigeria, urgently. Number two, we should pray for God should give us leaders. Even prophets made mistakes, like Samuel who choose wrong persons for positions. Until God said to him: even though you are a prophet, I am still God. You look at the outward disposition but I look inward into hearts of leaders. God looks at the hearts of kings. God can choose for us a king. And if God choses a person that is credible, there will be change. Nigerians are people who never shy away from positive change. Did they not vote for Chief MKO Abiola, despite the Muslim/Muslim presidential ticket that he presented? Nigerians are not bothered about such trivialities. Thirdly, Nigerians should manage and endure to get President Buhari safely   out of power and circulation in 2023. The persecution should bring Nigerians together to ensure that they do not allow the enemies to win that election. I have said it over and over that the next president should come from the South-East to provide necessary stabilizing factor for the county and give Ibos sense of belonging. Yorubas have no business going there.  The man who called himself Tinubu has neither respect nor followership in Yoruba land. For helping to impose this failed Government, he indicted himself.  Fourthly, we should have a new political party, away from PDP and APC.  The youths seem to have forgotten their population which should be galvanized for fundamental change. And identify a leader from new and fresh set of preferences that will get rid of this obnoxious order. And fifthly, if recalcitrant and irresponsible leaders were not careful, they could provoke military coup that would be bloodier than late Jerry Rawlings did in Ghana. Indeed, the names of irresponsible leaders in the country are in the black book of Nigerians. And finally, a conference of some of the best brains in the country will draw-up blueprint for a national conference to determine country’s future. 

I am not a supporter of a split but if we need to, it should be done properly. And without bitterness, despite provocation, separation should not be encouraged. No ethnic group is truly cohesive, despite posturing to the contrary. For example, ever since Azikiwe died, Igbos have had no leader. Same thing applied to Yorubas who have been leaderless since Awolowo left. Even in the North, which is engulfed in crisis, there has been no credible leader since Ahmadu Bello left. We are a leaderless country whose citizens are under obligation to groom and cultivate God-fearing leaders. Every part of the country is bleeding for lack of good leaders. Consider the example of Ladoke Akintola University, Ogbomosho, which is owned by Oyo and Osun States. But for eight years, two Yoruba states cannot run a common University between them and they want Oduduwa State. Are the Egbas and Ijebus united?  Once the source of income giving Nigeria dried-up, sanity will prevail. A conference where the best brains will outline modalities for country’s future can no longer be delayed. We should go back to the regional system of government during which units recorded greatest achievements because competition fired spirit of excellence among the federating units. If regions are constitutionally-empowered as they used to be (re-structuring), then this country will be great again.

Please Sir, tell us about Uzoma who just celebrated 20 years of priesthood?

Yes, he is my friend. He is one of the greatest in the service of God. He is full of integrity and hard work. And he is very humble. He is a great scholar and very dedicated to the things of God. We are very happy for him. Obviously, God is preparing him for a greater role in the ministry!