•Idahosa
Thank you very much gentlemen of the press for coming to celebrate with me, what God has done in my life. I sit here not by my power or might, but by the power of the Almighty God. I owe it all to Him because some of my mates that we were born at the same time and in the same area are no longer alive. It is not because I am too good, holy or too righteous, but because of the grace of God. For that, I say thank you unto God. I welcome all of you because we are partners in progress. Just as we, pastors, stay behind the pulpit to teach and dish out what God has in mind for the people, you pressmen also play the role of pastors, telling the people our own visions and what God has for the people in the community, state and the nation at large. I want to let you know that we are all working together. We are partners in progress.
Since I assumed the position of Archbishop of the Church of God Mission, I will say it has not all that been easy, but God has been on my side. God has provided me wide shoulders to cry and lay in times of problems. He has always been there for me. July 29 this year by the grace of God, I will be 70 years old. However, I still do not feel it because of the strength God has given me. It is a fact that I am not as strong as I used to be when I was 20 or 30, but I am still strong. I give all the glory to God. I see how some of my mates have become shadows of themselves because they have lost their husbands. I do tell them losing a husband or a wife is not the end of life. There is more to life than what you are experiencing. It depends on how you react to certain things that happened to you.
However, I have to say that since the death of my husband, there have been days I did not feel like getting out of bed, because I missed him. But when I look at the work that God has given us, I get up and braced up myself to do what God has asked me to do. I will say things have been going on well by the grace of God. Though, it has not been a bed of roses, but life has been going on well as expected.
What are those memorable things you think have happened to you for the past 70 years?
There is so much. Number one is that I am still alive. I am excited, elated and I give all the praises to my God that I am alive. That I still have the breath of God, I can still wake up early in the morning, go to the bathroom and take a shower, come in and dress myself, and go out for my daily job. With these, I am grateful unto God my creator.
Secondly, the children God gave me have been blessings to me. Every one of them has cut out a niche for his or herself in the ministry. I consider this a great honour and pride to God and to this ministry. I did not need to pray to God to arrest them. Some pastors come to this ministry to ask for prayers for their children. They will say, “please pray for my son, my daughter” among others. But I thank God my children went to God by themselves. It was not because their father was a pastor or a bishop and now their mother, no! They found God by themselves. God spoke to them individually on what to do and they are doing it. I am grateful to God. God is helping us in the family.
What are the challenges?
I will say the challenge I am facing is myself. God speaks and I begin to ask questions. God who am I? Why should I do that? But the moment I surrender to God, he always helps me. So, the challenge I have is actually myself. How to obey God and how to do the things God has asked me to do. For the people, once I stand to say this is what God has said and I explained to them, they believed me. But the challenge I have, is just me. I will say to God, “nobody has ever done that, why are you telling me to do that?” That is just the challenge I have. I am still praying to God that he should let me hear when he speaks and grant me the ability to carry it out.
What will you consider most memorable experience in the past 70 years?
My most memorable experience was when my husband died. I will never, never forget the day my husband died. We went for a crusade outside the country, and when we finished, we were to return to Nigeria together. But he asked me to stay back to meet with the children who we had not seen since the beginning of the year. But I told him, honey! I am not staying behind. I am coming home with you because we came together. But he reminded me that the children’s school fees had not been paid. So he gave me money and instructed me to go see them, spend two or three days with them, and ensured their schools payments were settled before I could return to Nigeria. You know what children mean to a woman? So agreed to stay back because of the children. Two days after he left me, I was told he had died. I will never, never forget that day. It was as if the roof over my head was taken away. That day is a day I will never forget.
At 70, what is more to add? Do you feel you have reached the peak of your ministry?
Not at all! I am waiting on God. Whatever he tells me to do, I will do. I know God will not give me task I cannot perform. He knows my abilities and inabilities. So, whenever, he speaks I am ready and prepared to carry it out. Wherever he sends me, I will go. I am strong and ready.
You are the chancellor of the Benson Idahosa University. What have been the challenges of running a private university in addition to the ministry?
Having a university is not an easy thing. Before the death of my husband, the university was not fully accredited by the Federal Government. So we had to work on it. We worked on our programmes and all those requirements the National University Commission (NUC) demanded. In 2002, it was finally approved by the Federal Government. We all know that running a university is not easy. Even state governments find it difficult. But we want to thank God that the foundation of our university is built on God. When God gives a vision, he makes the provision. God has been helping us from one stage to the other since the beginning of the university.
As a woman as well as a role model to womenfolk what is your message to the Nigerian women?
My advice to the womenfolk out there is to let them know that God is not a respecter of persons. What he has done for one he can also do for others. What he has done for man he can also do for woman as well. So the major challenge is availability. So I advise them to cling to that which is their strength and be focused. They should not be intimidated because they are women. I felt like that when the Archbishop left (died). When I was appointed to take over the mantle of leadership of the church, I had no one to ask except God. So, I prayed to God and asked him how he wanted me to function in a man’s world. For about two weeks, I did not hear anything from God. But I kept on asking and crying onto him. I did not know that God is not moved by tears or needs, but by faith.
The moment I brushed up myself and I said to God, “now I realised that no needs move you. You put me in this position. Now, I want you to let me know why and how I am going to function in a man’s world”.
After few weeks, God spoke to me. He said “Margaret, if I made the appointment, I will release the ability”. I said, that is good. Since then, God has kept his word. So let the women be focused. Let them know that they are not the first to loss their husbands. We lost husband yesterday, some will lose husbands today, some will lose husbands tomorrow, but life goes on. Somebody who knows who his or her God is, should remain focused, even when his husband or her wife is no longer alive. Focused on your strength and do that which God has earmarked for you to do for yourself, the family and the community at large.
They should look on to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.
You know insecurity is just a Nigerian problem. It is everywhere. It is just that we have never experienced the type that is going on presently in the history of Nigeria. Insecurity is new to us and that is why everybody is singing about it. But with God on our side, we will overcome. Rather than complaining, I urge everybody in this country to join hands to pray for our leaders, that God should direct them aright.
The Restoration Centre was established by the church to train women on several skills as well as empowered them. How many women have been trained by the institute and how much has been spent to empower them?
The restoration centre was given to us by God. Like I said, if God gives a vision he ensures its realisation. God has been very, very faithful to us since the establishment. When God gave us the name, ‘Christian Fellowship Women International’, he did not reveal to us, all the details. The hurdles we are to circumvent.
But every year we come together as a body God, he opens a little more about his vision. For the centre, we have trained and empowered a good number of women. At the centre, we have skills acquisition where they learn how to fix hair, make harts, acquire computer training, among others. We train many of our women, and when they finished, we buy them equipment. Those that came from villages and other states, we provide them money to go back and start their own businesses.
Can you be specific on the number of women that have been trained and empowered by the centre?
I cannot give the actual figure at the moment. But I know we have been training women since 1975. I cannot exactly tell the number of women we have trained. I am interested in making sure women are educated. So we have been training and re-training as well as empowering women. I do not advertise it because I am not doing for people to praise me.
On my own, I have started constructing boreholes in some communities. As a matter of fact, I have done one Central hospital for the women and children. My passion is for the less privileged, the widows and physically challenged persons in our society. By the grace of God, I have about three orphanage homes I cater for. We have our own that we call “my sister place”. With God giving me more life and wisdom, I will do more for the society.
The World Faith Group of schools is owned by the Church. It is a general belief that churches establish schools to make money. How would you react to it and what informed the establishment of the school?
World Faith of School is owned by us, that is true. It is a fact that money is coming now. But at the time we established it, we were putting money into it. Money to build infrastructure, provide academic equipment; money to pay academic and non- academic staff, among others. But now money is coming from it. The initial objectives of establishing the school was not to make money, but to teach children right from cradle. We have a crèche, toddler, primary and secondary school. If you look at Benin before this ministry came into existence, maybe some of you were not even born or not living in the Benin City, you will agree with me that Benin was not like this. It was called city of blood. If a native doctor tells you that by 2 p.m. you will be dead, you better go and get ready because you will be dead. But when the real gospel came, we were making men and women know that God is not a killer. God wants them to give their hearts to him, that he will protect them and their children, we saw a lot of changes. So, I looked at these children and I said 20 years from now they should be able to serve the society. Twenty years from now, they should be able to contribute their quota towards the development of Benin City. That was what was in our minds when the World of Faith Group of Schools was established. But today we have schools in all nooks and crannies of the state. Thank God they are not shrines. It is still better than Sango, Ogun or Oramina shrines. But whatever it is, it is to develop the child. Because when a child is developed mentally, he can become anything in life. We bring them up to know who God is. Ours school is Christian- based. We let them know who God is. That with God, they can be anything in life. This is why the World of Faith Group of Schools was established. To say it makes money, maybe now. But whatever comes from there is put back into the ministry.
How have you been able to perform your duty as the head of the church as well as a mother?
I will say I am able to function because I work with a team of men and women that know the vision that God has given unto us. Like you rightly said, we have churches, we have schools, a university, a Bible school, Hospital and an International leadership institute. For instance, in the churches we have different bishops. Here we have one bishop who is in charge of finance and budgetary. So I do not have to crack my brain because he is trained for that. Since I was not trained for whatever concerns money, finance, budget, expenditures among others I just call him and say to him this is your area of specialty and he does it very well. The man in charge of administration is also here and he directs the affairs of the churches. We have different bishoprics. Every bishop directs the affairs of their bishopric. So, as far I am concerned, I don’t have much to do than may be once in every two or three months we all come together to rob minds on the strength, weakness, and how to improve and go to the next stage. I believe strongly in teamwork. Every member of the team has become a team player.
Mama and grand mama what will you expect as a birthday gift from the church?
Last month we had a council meeting that comprised all the (CGM) pastors in the country, who are over 300. Before then we had the bishop and coordinators’ meeting. I overheard them making some plans behind me. I told them I do not need any husband because I had one, and I enjoyed him. Secondly, I do not need biological children, because God has given me children. I have seven children ( four biological and three adopted). I do not need a house because I live in a palace. I told them, “one thing I want all of you to do for me is to help me move Benson Idahosa University from the temporary site to permanent site”. They were all looking at me. I said yes! That is what all I need. I do not need clothes, I do not need jewelries. There are some clothes I am still hanging on my wardrobe. People just give me the clothes and others. But I told them I don’t need anything. All I want is to be able to move the university from its temporary site to the university village. So that is what I want.
Women are to be seen and not to be heard. What is your view on this? In addition, what are those things that really equipped you to be a bishop?
On the first question: that is an old adage now. We are letting women know that they must be seen and heard. I am not advocating women usurpation of the authority of the men, no! God has made the men heads of the homes. If the head of the home is active, doing all God expects of him, there is no reason for the woman to usurp his authority. But that which God has embedded in a woman, is important. Women should not die with the gift and talent God has given them. They should do their bit in the home, make sure their husbands eat, do whatever their husbands love. But they should not die with their gifts and talents.
Myles Morose said, “There is a place on this planet earth that is very rich”; and that is the cemetery. The cemetery is rich in talents. That is gifts and songs that were never sang. I tell everyone to make sure they do whatever God has earmarked for them to do for their families and generation at large.
On the next question, the secret of my success: The secret of my success is God, the Holy Spirit. I rely on Him every day. First thing I do in the morning is to kneel down by my bed and just sing some lovely hymns to Him and he re- rejuvenates me. That is what I tell people. Not that I do not have problems, but I do not let the problems have me. I dominate the problem. With the Holy Spirit in me, I am able to surmount the problems. I say to the women out there, “Do not let problem have you. Dominate the problem with the Holy Spirit and with God”.
You have been a widow since 1998. Why have you not considered re-marrying? Is it that there are no suitors or what?
I assumed this position when my husband left (died). He left me when I was 55. Next month by the Grace of God, I will be 70. The interest in men, the interest in re-marrying just died when my husband died. I have asked God to keep it that way. I do not want him to resurrect it. Since my husband left, I have never looked at any man and lust after him. All I need to do is to do the work that God has handed over to us. I had one, and enjoyed him. I just feel this is the time for me to really, focus on what God wants me to do.
Were there no suitors?
Not that there were no suitors, but I did not give in. I do not give them opportunity to come to that area. Men are there saying to me: “Mama, you look beautiful,” you look gorgeous,” you look charming”. I just say to them, oh, thank you very much. It is the Holy Spirit that rejuvenates me. And if you believe in God that I believe, he would also rejuvenate you. So I don’t give them that room to get there.
Some orthodox clergymen are clamouring for government regulation of church establishment in the country, due to proliferation of churches. What is your take on this and the call for churches to pay taxes?
As far as I am concerned, I would like every street to have churches. Whether they are preaching the way they ought to preach or not. It is better to have churches all around than to have shrines, beer parlours or brothels.
As far as taxation is concerned, the government knows the best thing to do. And we are letting them know that it is the people that work in the various government and private establishments, whose taxes are deducted at source that come to church. It is businessmen and women that come to church. These people pay their taxes. Why then charge the church again for tax? We are still on it, and we are praying that God would answer us and let them know that it is the same people that pay their taxes to government individually that are in the church. There is no reason for the church to pay taxes anymore.
There have been arguments back and forth, as to whether women should mount the pulpit to preach the gospel. Is it biblical?
Like I said before, God is not mad at men or women. In Genesis 1: 28-29, the bible says: “And God created the man and the woman” not only that he created them, he gave them authority. That is both of them. Not the man alone. The two of them .The bible says: “And he gave them power”. He gave them the might and the authority to go and dominate, and multiply. You can multiply by the word of God, and multiply biologically. God said: “Go and multiply, dominate and spread the word whenever you go”. It is religion and tradition that relegated the woman, and the women embraced it. But the mind of God is that men and women work together amicably. Before God, there’s no difference. But functionally we have differences. A woman is created to produce children, to get pregnant. The man is not created for that. So, functionally, they are different. But before the Most High, they are equal. There is no male or female before God. We all are equal. If a man can fulfil the thing embedded in him from the foundation, why should a woman not fulfil that as well? So, I believe that God has called the man as well as the woman. God is not mad at the women when she preaches. God is not mad at the man when he preaches. It is only tradition that has kept the woman relegated.
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