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Pastor ITUAH IGHODALO Reveals What They Must Do
If there is one Nigerian who is always deeply concerned about the state of the nation and is constantly seeking ways to proffer solutions to some of these problems, it is Pastor Ituah Ighodalo, the Lead Pastor at The Trinity House. For years running, he has constantly engaged brilliant minds like himself, charging them to come up with solutions that can help the country navigate its way out of the murky waters it’s enmeshed itself in. He also runs an African Leadership group through which he engages Nigerians within and outside the country. His love for his beloved country Nigeria is so deep that, to mark his 63rd birthday, a colloquium was held in his honour, a tradition that has been on for four years running, and the theme for discussion was The Mistakes Nigeria Made. He chose to still discuss Nigeria’s myriad of problems even at a time when he should be doing nothing but partying and merrying.
At the tail end of the colloquium which held on the 2nd of April, 2024, at The Trinity House, City People’s Senior Editor, WALE LAWAL (08037209290) got the very eloquent Pastor Ituah Ighodalo to share with us his concerns about the state of the nation and offer possible solutions to some of these problems. Enjoy excerpts.
How would you describe your new age 63, looking back at how far you have come, where you are presently and looking into the future?
Well, I don’t even feel 63 to start off with. So, I need to pinch myself and remind myself that I’m actually 63 now! I was just telling somebody that when our parents were this age, we thought they were very, very old, and now that we have gotten to that ladder, we are looking for ways to remain young and all that. All I know is that I pray God to give me the energy, I pray God to give me good health, I pray God to give me sufficient life to fulfil what my heart desire is for this ntion and for our people. So, I’m happy, I’m thankful, I’m taking it one day at a time, I’m no longer looking at the numbers, I’m just looking at the strength that I have and keep keeping on.
Why the choice of today’s topic, The Mistakes Nigeria Made, at your Colloquium? Is it a reflection of how deeply-worried you are about the Nigerian state? What informed the topic?
Well, let me say the speaker was the person I went after. I wanted Atedo Peterside to speak because Atedo has a way of disecting things in a simple way and in a deep manner. I went to him and I said, please, I will like you to speak at my colloquium and the general topic is Nigeria. And he’s spoken for me quite a few times before, especially on my African Ledership Group platform where I speak to various Nigerians on what they think about Nigeria. I’m trying to get from them ideas of how to solve Nigeria’s problems, that’s why I talk to them and to see what role they can play in solving Nigeria’s problems. So, he asked, what would I like him to talk about? I wanted him to speak on something he was comfortable with. So, he said, well, he had spoken before on the subject in 2014 at some kind of government grouping on 9 Mistakes Nigeria Made and that he would like to speak again on that subject and refresh it. But being a man of my own thinking, I said that would be a tedious title, so I just simplified it to Mistakes Nigeria Made. The mistakes could’ve been more, that’s his own opinion. But if you’re talking to the general public you have to be careful, since I’m the one taking responsibility for this colloquium. So, I said, Mistakes Nigeria Made, but more from how do we then solve these problems? So, the mistakes are historical, how do we go forward? The first fundamental thing is to discuss the entity called Nigeria. What do we, who belong to this environment, want out of Nigeria? I don’t think, we, as Nigerians have fully discussed this.
In the 50s, in the Constitutional Conferences, the leaders spoke about it and they then formed a Nigeria of three regions but since then, with the military advent and several democracies, they broke that conversation. So, nobody is now taking responsibility for what we now are. Even the military who gave us that constitution didn’t have the right to impose on us that thing without conversing with us to see what we wanted. So, once that old arrangement was broken, then we should’ve sat round the table again and come up with a fresh arrangement or go back to the old one and begin processes of modifying it, overtime with new information. But what we have now is not what anybody discussed, it is what was thrown at us by people who didn’t have the right or the responsibility to do what they did.
So, what are those things you think should be the focus right now?
The first thing Nigeria should do is that if you call yourself a Nigerian, you must be given the opportunity to sit round the table and say, what do you want out of this Nigeria? You know, if you’re the father of the hiouse and your children are grown, you must sit round the table with them anmd ask them what they want so that you know exactly what you provide for them. We shouldn’t assume, we shouldn’t take for granted and we shouldn’t force people together and put them into any kind of relationship. One of the challenges of Nigeria, like I said, is that our leaders are afraid to engage in this kind of conversation because they think that some people in one part of the country might be disadvantaged for one reason or the other. But what I think is that they won’t be disadvantaged. They will in fact be able to find the energy to move forward and create the kind of Nigeria where everybody is reasonably satisfied and where everybody can use the greatest of their potential to produce more for Nigeria. And whenever we discuss, we will find a gradual way from moving from where we are to where we want to go to. It’s not going to be an overnight shock to the system.
The USSR came together and after a while, they separated. I am not sure there is any Nigerian living or dead today that will want Nigeria to separate. We are better and stronger together than apart. But what we now need to discuss is the terms of that togetherness where everybody will be happy and we can negotiate among ourselves and help ourselves to become what we should be. And that discussion must hold so that everybody is heard and satisfied and once we agree that this is the way we want to go and we are in agreement, then the buy-in is not difficult. Everybody will contribute what they should to ensure Nigeria is going this way. So that conversation will give us a vision as a nation, ethos as a nation and the basis for coming together as a nation. That’s what the United States of America is, a discussion among states, and that’s why the other day, my brother said maybe we should change the name Nigeria to the United States of Nigeria, that’s Dr. Akinwunmi Adeshina, so that the basis of our unity is discussed and not imposed either by the British or successive governments, then we know where we’re coming from.
A lot of concerns have been raised about the restiveness of the youths and their attitude to government and the country, leaving many people to wonder, are they really ready to take over the reins of power? You have a lot of young people working for you, what are your thoughts on this subject?
What has really stifled the youth is a generation, its because most people in power got into power too early. You know, you hear them say Gowon got into power at the ge of 31, and so on, the ones who should’ve been in power, the Awolowos, who got in there at 45, 50, 53, they were not allowed to serve their term and evolve out of the system. You know, life is a cycle that people serve and evolve, so they were put at bay and hung. Now, 31 year olds came into power, and when they were leaving, and a lot of them retired too early, they too felt, at 45, less than 50, they were Generals who retired early, they still hung in there. The other ones didn’t leave, they hung in there. Awolowo came back with his crew, at 80 something wanting to be president, because they hadn’t satisfied themselves with what they wanted, therefore they pushed the youths very far down, that’s the agitation we have now.
So, what I’m saying is, let the youths start getting involved. Fighting and abusing everyone won’t bring the desired results. The political space is open. Let them go back to their local areas, let them get involved. From the grasssroots, at the ward level, councillorship level, they musn’t insist they must enter at the top. Let them go to ward level and councilor level and begin to build up their own political base and experience and get involved. A young man called Banky W is doing that now. But what they want to do is to enter from the top, its not going to work like that. When they go there and start operating from there and start speaking from there, very soon overytime, space will be made for them at the top. And besides, nobody can cheat nature anyway, here I am at 63, people are 70, 80, the future will take its course and the youth will get into power by right.
At 63, what else would you like God to do for you?
I want God to give me a wonderful Nigeria, a great Nigeria where everyone is happy and I want to see Nigeria moving in that direction. That’s what I really want to see.
What’s your general message to Nigerians?
I wish everyone well. Nigeria will be great again. I wish our government well. I pray God will give them the courage to do the right thing and the sincerity to see it through. I want to tell Nigerians that there’s hope, it’s a great nation and we can’t give up. We musn’t speak bad words about Nigeria, we must keep encouraging ourselves and we must keep telling ourseves the truth. Where there’s good value and our people have done well, encourage them. Where they’ve not done well, tell them they could’ve done better and let them know that collectively, we can build a beautiful nation. Nigeria belongs to all of us and we will make Nigeria work.
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