By Chidi Iketuonye
In the world of big cats, tigers in contrast to lions go about their business with minimum noise. So does Pastor Ituah Ighodalo. Born into an enlightened family in the sixties and having received the best quality of education available, one could excuse a somewhat intimidating personality, but not so in his case. In person, he is affable, and hardly raises his voice for emphasis, save for the cool attention he gives everyone, not missing a nuance and without giving away anything unnecessary.
As a well accomplished individual, he goes about his business with uncommon meekness and focus; whether as a Partner in one of the topmost accounting firms in the country, or as Pastor of the well known Trinity House Church, or as board member and in some cases, the chair of many big corporations. It was a unique worthwhile experience to sit down for a chat with Pastor Ituah as he is fondly referred to.
The conversation was rich and as he spoke of his faith, one was imbued with hope; as he spoke about the Church and the discontent amongst some regarding the conduct of some clergymen, one could discern wisdom, integrity, and genuine commitment above the raucous din of prejudice, ignorance and propaganda. And as he spoke on marriage and unemployment, and economic empowerment, one was thrilled to be in a hands-on master class with a seasoned consultant who could cut through the confusion and clutter, to isolate the issues that needed attention.
It would be unfair to spoil the interview by giving away too much in an introduction. We encourage you to take time and drink from the wisdom of Pastor Ituah Ighodalo, and while at it, be sure not to miss the note of humility and compassion in all he has to say.
Q: Sir we already know you but tell us a bit more about yourself.
A: I was born in the 60s in Ibadan where I received my primary school education in a school called Maryhill. I then…………the early influences that shaped my personality were my parents, especially my Mum, my headmistress in primary school and my principal in Kings College. Other influences then were prominent figures like the Late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Nelson Mandela, and the charismatic John F. Kennedy.
Q. Sir from your antecedents, you could have been anything you wanted, why did you choose to be a pastor?
A: I didn’t really choose to be a Pastor initially. As a young man I had my own plans, which was to become successful and make money. I started off in pursuit of my career as an accountant and I also wanted to diversify into business but with time I had to focus on one thing, which was my career. Sometime later, I was invited to Church and my mother amongst others invested a lot of time and energy praying for me and sharing the gospel with me. She felt I needed to anchor my life in the faith, perhaps because she felt I was a bit excessive in the pursuit of some things. Eventually she got me converted to the faith (to be born again) through a Pastor friend of hers. I then became passionate about the things pertaining to God and faith in Jesus Christ. If you know a bit about the Redeemed Christian Church of God, you would know how quickly they encourage members to get into ministry work by providing them the platform. So I rose quickly to become a head Usher in two years and an assistant Pastor by the third year. Before long I was going out on missions and setting up parishes as well as coordinating very important and strategic assignments. Eventually I was given the opportunity to Pastor a Church, which was one of the Redeemed parishes at Gbagada, called Christ Church.
I put in my best. So it wasn’t like I planned to be a pastor. It was sort of thrust upon me and that is why still combine my accounting practice with my pastoral work, since I never really gave up my practice. You can say I am still involved in both the circular and spiritual spheres of endeavour.
Q: How acceptable was the choice to become a pastor to your family and friends?
A: it was my mother’s wish for me to be established in the faith but not for me to become a pastor. So when the issue of becoming a pastor came up, she kicked against it a little. She complained the Church was taking over my life and she called the General Overseer and had a discussion with him. The sum of that discussion was that they and should let me be and not drive me into ministry. Also a lot of my friends thought my commitment to the faith would not last and that I would fall back. But the more they saw my commitment with time the more they became convinced and the more respect I drew from them. They remain my friends and we still hang out , and I try to be as normal as I can be. They in turn respect my calling and give me due deference. N times of need, they also consult me for spiritual guidance.
Q: Some people say the society is not getting better despite the proliferation of churches which are meant to nurture character. Can we blame the church for the general showing of poor character in Nigerian society?
A: it only goes to show the enormous challenge in transforming a large society like ours where there are many deviants. The Church has done well though it could still do better. There have been instances of abuse but there has been many successes too. If we only knew the number of people who have received help from their church or pastor; or who have refrained from deviancy because of the guidance they received. For instance I had to respond to a distress call recently as early as 7.am and I was there till noon and my presence their brought hope and encouragement and helped avert calamity. And there are many cases like that where people have received hope and expectation to live on or achieve greater good. They may not all be perfect, none of us are, but they are on the path to becoming better. Some who would have robbed are restrained, while some who would have been drug addicts are merely drink a little now. The society would have been much worse if we did not have this level of Christianity.
Q: Generally speaking most western societies were built on Christian principles. How effectively has the Nigerian Church equipped the average Christian to make positive impact on society?
A: The society is constantly evolving and so is the role of the Nigerian Church. You can break the periods into three phases namely, the precolonial, the post colonial and the present day era. In the pre colonial phase, a lot of the educational, medical and institutional support systems you have today were provided by the Church. There is almost no Nigerian got education that did not get it either through the Church or the government. Those were the only sources then before private people started taking over. So a lot of the hospitals you find were set up by Churches like the Adventists, the Anglicans and Roman Catholics. Social initiatives were also church based too. There was an interregnum when churches just focused on church activities and like pursuits. Then came the advent of the Pentecostal movement which brought a new wave of spiritual awakening and which influenced people like me and others from my generation to get involved with practical Christianity. A lot of people from generation who would have otherwise lived recklessly were affected positively by that movement. It produced spiritual leaders like Pastors Tony Rapu, Paul and Wale Adefarasin, Ladi Thompson and others. One of us is currently the Vice President and these constitute the impact of the Church on this generation and society. Presently we are going back into social reform, medical and educational initiatives, colleges and universities. Some of the best universities are now run by churches. That is the impact of the Church on society.
Q. what do you say to the charge that the church has not done enough to fight corruption because of the emphasis on prosperity as opposed to character?
A: I may not totally dismiss the charge. The message of prosperity is a message of hope and a few of us have had to preach those messages to encourage people but may have not focused enough on teachings that promote character and also may have not been brave enough to tackle issued bordering on corruption. Sometimes some of us have even fallen snare to the inordinate desire to acquire the good things of life. However we are beginning to confront these issues. We want a sanitized society where everybody has equal opportunity to succeed and not a society where the wealth is controlled by a few. We want a society where like in other places people do not have to depend on government patronage alone to survive. Government should regulate and direct and not control the economy. So we need to free the Nigerian economy from the control of a few people in government.
Q: it has also been said that the wealth at the command of Pastors is put on flamboyant display instead of being channeled to the welfare of adherents. Do you think there should be more accountability and moderation in their lifestyle?
A: I think so. A few of us have been a bit excessive but that is the usual case with human beings. A man of God is still a man and his humanity may overwhelm him sometimes. It is not that they are not good or that they are not hard working, but sometimes we all tend to get a little bit carried away. So my appeal to such ones is lets use the resources more for the benefit of the generality and less for our own comforts or vanities. How many clothes does a man need to wear, or howmany cars does he need to drive and what does he have to prove to anybody if he knows who he is. A lot of things we acquire are actually wasting assets that significantly don’t have long term benefits. But it takes a lot of conversation and reminding of ourselves and we are working on it.
Q: Your plate is full. Any hobbies?
A: My work is my hobby and I enjoy what I do. But from time to time I sit down and rest. I like being with my family and I spend time with them a lot. I also enjoy travelling, visiting places and I also play some football.
Q: which team is your favourite?
A: I don’t have any currently. My last preferred one was Stationary Stores, Liverpool, and the Brazilian team. I try to distance myself because if one is too emotional about football, one could go crazy. In 1982 when Italy beat Brazil, I almost lost it, so I decided to slow down after that. That Brazilian team was phenomenal but Rossi did them in. I never fully recovered from that.
Q: What about the love of your life?
A: my wife Ibidunmi is very loving, very caring and respectful. She is also very focused and hard working; very supportive of what I am doing and we have very good chemistry between us. The love is very evident and strong and so am very grateful to God for giving her to me. I am not saying everything is hundred percent but God has been with us through tough and good times.
Q: What would you say to intending, married, or challenged couples?
A: The reason why marriage is not easy for some people is firstly, they don’t study marriage and understand it. Secondly, they don’t know the reason for marriage and thirdly, most people make the wrong assumptions. One meets a lady or a man and marry them based on certain assumptions. And when those expectations are not fulfilled, it leads to frustration. People also sometimes marry for the wrong reasons like money, beauty, or social status. Those are not really the right reasons to marry. They help, but they are not the right reasons. Beauty fades, money flies away, and status can change. The fundamental reason for marriage is to work towards a relationship or partnership where two people help one another to both fulfill God’s purpose for their lives. Both have a commitment to each other and are ready to love each other true good and not so good times.
But if a marriage is based on say, you pay the rent and then I will be your wife, then there will be stress when there is no money for rent. I tell women that it is true the husband should provide but what if he does not? You should be ready to step up to the plate and do your best and love him regardless. If you married a wife and she cant bear you children, it’s not her fault. Children are a gift. You still have to love her. These are the fundamentals and once you’ve not met somebody you are ready to love without expectations or returns attached, then you are not quite ready to marry.
Q: What would you say to a young graduate still unemployed or in between jobs?
A: There is hope. Not everyone is made to be in paid employment. Most people can create something and a lot of wealthy people are those who created something. I say to people sometimes go and offer your services for free, especially if it is something you enjoy doing. But people only work for money, but no you work for life, it is something you want to do for life. So if you cant get a job create a job. the crucial thing is to add value, and you don’t need much money to do that. Some businesses may require capital and equipment, but sometimes you just buy and sell first. Offer your services, give value first. These are the sort of people who get ahead even in difficult times.