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Bishop Peter Adebiyi
Bishop Peter Adebiyi
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Retiring Anglican Bishop of Lagos West, Rt. Rev. Peter Adebiyi, popularly called ‘NADECO Bishop’ because of his sermons that did not spare successive governments in Nigeria, speaks on his 46 years as a clergyman and 20-year experience as a bishop in this interview with OLALEKAN ADETAYO
Can you give us an insight into your background, your parents and the journey to your becoming a bishop?
I was born on April 27, 1943 to Chief Samuel Ogunmola and Madam Alice Fatinuwe Adebiyi, both of blessed memory. I was not born with the proverbial silver spoon. I did not have the privilege of putting on a pair of shoes until I was 18, neither did I have the comfort of being born in a hospital as there were no hospitals back then at Osi Ekiti, Ekiti State. Relations who had learnt the art of midwifery took my delivery at home.
I took my destiny in my hands early enough when I stopped going to farm with my brothers. I insisted that I must go to school. So when I was six years old, I was enrolled at Saint Paul’s Nursery and Primary School, Osi Ekiti. My educational pursuit saw me through many schools and colleges. I attended a secondary modern school, All Saints Teachers College, and then sat for the General Certificate of Education also known as GCE. I was the only candidate that passed the GCE exams in the entire Aramoko town in Ekiti in 1967. That feat saw me through higher schools starting from Emmanuel College of Theology. I obtained a Diploma in Theology from the University of London and was adjudged the best in my set. This feat earned me the college prize in New Testament Greek.
I obtained my first and second degrees in Religious Studies in 1975 and 1981 respectively at the then University of Ife now known as Obafemi Awolowo University. I pressed forward until I bagged a PhD in 1987 in Religious Studies in the same university; specialising in Church History.
I was ordained a deacon in the Anglican Church in 1970 and then ordained a priest in 1971. I started my career as an Anglican priest at the Holy Trinity Church of the Anglican Communion, Ilawe Ekiti. I served in many other parishes of the Anglican Church in and around Ekiti. I was preferred a canon in 1983 and I was the vicar of Archbishop Vining Memorial Church, Ikeja between 1987 and May 1993. I was collated an archdeacon in 1990 and consecrated Bishop of Owo Diocese on May 26, 1993. I was translated to Diocese of Lagos West at its inception as the Bishop on November 20, 1999 as the new diocese’s pioneer Bishop.
During your ministry years, you had the opportunity of being in contact with Nigerians, both the led and the leaders. What can you say about leaders in Nigeria from the point of view of a religious leader?
I am convinced beyond every doubt and like several other reasonable Nigerians, that many of those who regard themselves as leaders in this country today are not representing the country in a befitting manner. Many of them are corrupt in various ways. They are corrupt in behaviour, in speech, in action and of course in governance.
They are however not only being called upon to repent, but they should make a public apology to the entire country and quit their exalted offices. They should give way to good role models to come on board. If they refuse to hear and yield, (for I know that they have been blindfolded by corruption), then what happened to all those who had misruled nations and ruined the lives of their citizens, will happen to them. Some of them may still be enjoying life in our estimation, but let us all wait and see what will happen to them in the not too distant future.
Nigerians have suffered so much in the hands of their rulers. These leaders have cheated them, punished them, battered them, wasted their lives and those of their children and have pauperised them in a richly endowed environment given to them by God Almighty. As it happened before, so it will happen again, that wickedness shall be washed away by God and fairness will again envelope the land some day.
Are you not worried that the picture you painted persists, despite your regular sermons against leaders which at a time fetched you the appellation ‘NADECO Bishop’?
For the 20 years of my episcopacy and the few years I served as Vicar of Archbishop Vining Memorial Church, Ikeja, I did not for a short while waiver or stop to deliver God’s undiluted message to the people of this country. Of course, doing so has oftentimes caused me embarrassment, pains and deprivation; but I have not ceased from saying what I consider and believe is the mind of God. Yet, I have continued to nurse the pain in my heart, that in spite of our many sermons, appeals, and entreaties, nothing much has changed.
It appears to me that things are even worse today than in those years when we began the crusade for better living conditions, a better life and of course a better country. Instead of an improvement, the lives and condition of living of most Nigerians are getting worse by the day. In the days when we were young, there were some core values deeply treasured by all and there were also the debased values that the community would not accept.
Today, in our towns and villages, no one cares or bothers much about what happens to the extended family, neighbours or even other members of the community; nobody is his or her neighbour’s true keeper any longer. In Nigeria, today, there are thieves and robbers who steal and rob, either with violence or with the aid of the pen.
Today, there is greater unfaithfulness in all areas of life and endeavour, including the church. Today, there are more political thieves and robbers than we can imagine and more and more jobless Nigerians now roam aimlessly the streets of our cities, towns and villages. Above all, there is more hunger and unimaginable poverty around us. I am informed that about 80 per cent of Nigerians today live below the sustenance level.
Despite this ugly position, there are still a few people who live opulent life styles, not because they have worked hard at their businesses, but because they have the opportunity to occupy whatever political or professional position they desire. Rather than serve the people diligently and faithfully in these positions, they corner the wealth that belongs to all, preserve and conserve same for their own use and that of their families.
Are you not deterred to continue to speak up when those you speak to seem not to listen?
I am not deterred. In fact, I will continue to speak up. Although I am going on retirement now, and may not enjoy the opportunity to be heard as often as before, but in my little corner, whenever the Lord gives me the utterance, I will still speak and continue to be an oracle of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. May be it was for this reason that God spared me for my parents and humanity at the age of six months when I ought to have died. He has sustained me ever since and He it was who called me into His ordained ministry where I have laboured these 46 years.
Yes, granted the opportunity, I will continue to make the will of God known to the people of this country and more especially to those who are in my immediate environment. Then at my old age and even at the end of it all, I will be able to say comfortably again like Paul, in 2 Tim. 4:6-8: “For I am already being poured out like a drink offering and the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day — and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.”
What informed your rare position of always talking tough even at the risk of being dealt with by political leaders?
I grew up as a priest under the late Most Revd. Joseph Abiodun Adetiloye. I was his chaplain immediately he arrived in Ekiti and so had the privilege of a very close intimacy with him. On his arrival, I found him to be a very formidable religious and spiritual leader, a statesman and to describe him more appropriately, he was a political activist and social commentator.
In 1987, I was transferred from Ado-Ekiti to Archbishop Vining Memorial Church, Ikeja as a vicar under the leadership of my mentor, Most Revd. Joseph Abiodun Adetiloye. For much of that period, Nigeria was under military rule, with a short interregnum of civilian administration. While it lasted, Most Revd. Abiodun Adetiloye did not close his eyes to the weird happenings around him or shut his mouth concerning the ills prevalent in the country.
As I grew up, under the tutelage of this church prelate whom I regard as my own Gamaliel, I imbibed very many of his attributes. These include but are not limited to sincerity, objectivity, frankness, boldness and fearlessness to articulate God’s Word and express God’s mind to the people of Nigeria.
During your episcopacy, what were the social vices that you were not comfortable with that pervaded the country?
Such social vices include nudity, Lesbianism, homosegxwality and others. In the days of old, a man or woman who walked the streets naked was regarded as a lunatic without anyone telling any further story. Today, many people parade our streets naked or at best half naked and feel happy about their situation. Even at church marriages, it is no longer unusual for some brides to come to church half naked to celebrate their wedlock. I am also informed that there are some channels on television stations that are distinctly set apart for Nood shows.
In some strange cultures, Lesbianism involves unwholesome affection between women. One usually plays the husband, while the other presents herself as the wife. These girls or women indulge in segxwal activities that are meant for a couple. Their activities represent a perversion of God’s expectation, which is that a man and woman should marry and procreate.
Homosegxwality on its part has become the real and greatest perversion in the history of the church itself. It is obviously well known to the world and the Bible condemns it. It is the strange social and segxwal relationship between people of the same sex.
It is also strange that some animals, particularly dogs, have caught the fancy of some women who can be regarded as depraved in our community today. In an attempt to act like their counterparts in some foreign countries, and for financial gains, some prefer to have sex with these animals than with men. They prefer to care for and caress animals than to have children of their own and cater for them. All over the world today, it is no longer unusual to see how some human beings prefer pets to their fellow human beings. These pets are even offered comfortable seats in cars while some take them to their places of worship. In our own environment and culture, this is another form of perversion and it is unacceptable. It has even been confirmed that some men sleep and have sex with animals like dogs and donkeys. These are strange happenings in our culture which should be discouraged and their practice only confirms that the end time is near.
What are those things that you think are responsible for most of the problems being faced by Nigerians?
It is a general belief that Nigeria, although endowed with huge natural and financial resources, does not favour its own citizens. It is also generally believed that more than 80 per cent of Nigerians presently live in abject poverty. Although many of its natural resources bring in money and consequently wealth, yet this enormous wealth gets utilised by only a few Nigerians at the expense of the teeming population of this country.
It has also been widely suggested in recent times, that much of the violence in Nigeria instigated by groups of terrorists, such as the Boko Haram sect, the communal clashes in various parts of the country, the inter-ethnic wars and rivalries, the continuous damage to oil pipelines (which has sent thousands or millions of Nigerians to their untimely deaths), have been caused by poverty. Criminal acts such as armed robbery, kidnapping of innocent citizens, ritual murder for money making purposes and, of course, Internet frauds and many others that we cannot enumerate here, have also been linked to poverty.
On the other hand, we are forced to watch with dismay the disturbing manner in which a few rich Nigerians display their wealth. Some of them may have acquired their wealth genuinely, but we know that much of the wealth acquired in Nigeria today is illegitimately acquired. Nigeria’s wealth could have been distributed more fairly through the construction of roads, provision of potable water, improvement of the transportation system, provision of electricity supply, enhancing the standard of education and above all, the provision of gainful employment for more than 90 per cent of Nigerian youths who daily roam the streets of Nigeria without job opportunities. All these however have been criminally cornered by a few who enjoy and lavish same over their cronies and families, to the extent of making others feel that it was better that they were not created by God.
Today, more people spend money on worthless things. Even in this country that is faced with a bad economy, we are witnesses to the disturbing and most expensive way some people celebrate marriages, birthdays, burials, promotions, chieftaincy titles, and even the so called ‘warming of houses’. We do not only flagrantly display our wealth in Nigeria, we have shifted our base to foreign countries such as England, the Caribbeans, and other choice cities in America. The latest craze is about going to Dubai to celebrate birthdays, marriages and other events. Not that alone, even government officials now use public funds to sponsor private marriages to be celebrated in far away and exotic cities of the world.
What is your take on plea bargaining?
That new method of officially dispensing justice is to further undermine the war against corruption. To the average Nigerian, it is a strange legal system which grants a soft landing for executive robbers, crooked businessmen, leaders of industry, corrupt civil servants and politicians. They are in a class of their own. To qualify for consideration under this newly introduced system, the robber must have indeed robbed the people blind, stolen billions of Naira meant for the welfare of the poor or an organisation. It is therefore not unusual for this category of looters or robbers who have stolen billions of naira to be jailed for six months only and a part of the stolen loot confiscated. Yet, there are those who could not be arrested in Nigeria because they are regarded as sacred cows but who were arrested and jailed outside Nigeria where corruption is treated as a huge crime against the State.
The latest disturbing news is the recent pardon granted to some people who had earlier been jailed for political reasons and who were generally regarded not to have had a fair hearing as well as known corrupt officials of state. Many Nigerians do not believe that some of them were guilty of their supposed crimes. However, those who stole billions of Naira and foreign currencies and who have offended the people and cannot be regarded as innocent citizens, were also pardoned at about the same time.
Unfortunately, the present government has failed to appreciate the sensitivity of this matter. The pronouncement of the state pardon was made at a very bad time when we should have been working harder to redeem the current bad image of the country. With the recent pronouncement therefore, the efforts of the country towards curbing corruption have become totally unacceptable to the outside world. When the courts jail those who steal rams and goats, those who steal more than half of Nigeria’s income in a year are allowed to walk free on the streets.
Are Nigerians helpless in the face of all this?
Majority of the populace have become disenchanted, because nothing appears to be working well. The roads are not readily passable, the railways are long gone, waiting to be restored; domestic air travel is nothing to write home about. The water taps that used to run in the towns and villages several years ago have gone dry; people who can afford it now drill wells and boreholes for their water supply. The public school system is run down and to make matters worse, graduates of our polytechnics and universities are not assured of any gainful employment at the end of their academic programmes.
When I was to graduate from the university several decades ago, I applied for employment in seven organisations whose representatives came to my university to conduct the relevant interviews. Each interview lasted between three and five minutes only and I was offered employment in six of them. As a priest, I needed to obtain clearance from my bishop to take advantage of any of them. He did not allow me to accept any of the job offers. I was ordered to report in the church almost immediately as Vicar and School Master at Babatope Memorial High School, Ikoro-Ekiti.
Today, many of our children roam the streets of our country without employment and without any hope of getting something to do after graduation. The various foreign embassies are daily patronised by Nigerians – even countries that have nothing of much significance to offer our children. Our youths flock there to obtain visas so that they can get out of a country that does not care for them. They are eager to leave a country that does not have a plan for them for tomorrow; after all, if you cannot take care of today, how do you plan for the days after?
This is the present state of our country. It is a country where excellence is no longer obvious; a country where dignity of labour is no longer appreciated. It is a country where honesty has vacated its shores, a country where accountability is no longer as important. Nigeria is a country where those who laboured faithfully till retirement are denied their entitlement. It is a country that has almost lost its credibility both at home and abroad. This is a bit of the uninteresting history of Nigeria in 100 years; yet the government has laid down an elaborate programme and has indeed begun to celebrate a century of retrogression and woes.
Today, most Nigerians have been so pauperised that they can hardly afford one good meal a day, while civil servants, legislators and the executives parade our cities in various flamboyant automobiles in their latest models. Even some of our church leaders are not excluded from the rot. Their bodies are soft, their cheeks are robust and radiant in contrast with the gaunt looks on the faces of the commoners. These privileged people, oftentimes, give a wrong perception of what Nigeria really is about.
For more than 20 years as a priest and at least for another 20 years of my episcopacy, I have cried out loud against the ills and corruption prevalent in our land. I have submitted proposals and have called for a change of attitude on the part of our rulers and the ruled; my cry for a positive change has however gone unheeded. Now, the legislators are going about with the purpose of amending the constitution as if it is the anticipated magic wand to solve all problems, including the attitudinal ones! How many constitutions have we proposed and operated since attaining Independence? Unfortunately, none of them has given the satisfaction the country desires.
You have always been at the forefront of the call for a Sovereign National Conference as a solution to Nigeria’s problems. Do you still stand on this call?
Nigeria came into being in 1914 without any consultation with the people who were to operate it. There was no Memorandum of Understanding and for several years in the past, we have been calling for the opportunity of a Sovereign National Conference where duly accredited representatives of Nigerians could sit around the table to discuss, debate, and ponder their future. However, because of the selfishness of our rulers, they have not listened to or yielded to the peoples’ request. They are fully aware that the conditions of living are deteriorating by the day. Need we remind our leaders that until the representatives of the people who are being governed are called into a conference, Nigeria may even have 100 kinds of constitutions, each representing one year of its existence; but without the people, none of them will work. If the leaders so desire, they can continue to patch up the co-existence of an entity that is not naturally united. As long as the actual stakeholders are kept at bay, there will be no headway.
As for us, we are like a lone voice in the wilderness. Our cries are never heard; if they are heard at all, they are not heeded. Jesus Christ our Lord said to those who did not want to see or hear him, that “a day is coming when you will say blessed is the man who came in the name of the Lord.” As I retire from active episcopacy, I wish to say it loud and clear, that if the leaders of our country refuse to see reason, organise a National Conference of the people where they can sincerely and frankly speak their minds on the unity of the country, we may wake up one morning and be faced with the reality that there is no longer an entity called Nigeria.
This kind of admonition is however what our leaders do not want to hear. They have often said that Nigeria is beyond disintegration and that it is beyond inviolability. However, these are the opinions of politicians and they are words of deceit. I say it again, that one day, a Daniel will come to judgment! When that day comes, whether we are alive or dead, we shall be vindicated. We must make haste now to do what is right by the people because Nigerians have suffered too much and for too long. Many lives have been destroyed and innocent blood has been shed. These can be checkmated however, if only the “operators” of Nigeria would listen and act now. He that has ears let him hear what the Lord is telling His church, albeit through us. I pray that the Lord will give our administrators eyes that see, ears that listen, hearts that feel for the oppressed and courage to do what will change the course of our nation for the better in the not too distant future; so that all Nigerians may be encouraged to join them to rebuild their country after all these years of retrogression.
As you retire from active service, what is your prayer for Nigeria?
This is my prayer and my wish, that the Lord will come down and change the ugly situation of our country for the better and make us happy not today alone, but forever. May that time come again
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