Interview

Attahiru Jega: The Measure Of Excellence And Integrity

Published

3 years ago

December 5, 2021

NewTimes

Dele Jegede In Conversation With Prince Yemisi Shyllon

THE TOYIN FALOLA INTERVIEWS

A Conversation With Prof. Attahiru Jega (1)

Toyin Falola

Many people know Professor Attahiru Muhammadu Jega as a Nigerian intellectual with a zeal for excellence and a flair for brilliance. His popularity came from his roles and involvement in the recent political history of the country where he served as the umpire of the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) in Nigeria in 2015, presiding over the electoral process of the period that went down as one of the most credible and transparent democratic processes in the history of the country. The success of his tenure as the umpire of that institution during that period could be attributed to his intellect and brilliance, knowing that doing such a great job and having a national appeal for being reasonably fair in an election in Nigeria’s political engagement could be difficult, if not impossible. However, more than the assignment required brilliance and intelligence; it also demanded courage and determination. Courage because of political machinery and chaos agents who were usually hired or engaged by willing political figures to scuttle the electoral process for their provincial intentions. Determination because Nigerian political evolution is at a stage where it could be potentially overburdened by numerous distractive events such as the deliberate sabotage by politicians themselves or the apathy of the citizens, the former reason of which is done for an apparent end.

Due to his date with excellence and purity of intentions, Jega’s involvement in the said elections eclipsed his remarkable actions in other human endeavour spheres where he had recorded equally laudable milestones and landmarks. Not many people know that he was a golden success in academics where he reached the pinnacle of his career, of course, because academics are notorious for being hidden from the face of the public as they are not politicians. This is not because academics are naturally anti-social but because the nature of their engagements prevents them from being personally known by many people. So, if one gets to the level of being publicly identified, two things might predictably have been the case. First, they must have been crucial to the reshaping of their social world because of the solutions they bring to the table, and as a result, society is not an ingrate to overlook their contributions. Second, they must have belonged to the political class of the academic circles. It is hard not to pinpoint Professor Jega to any of this as he was and still is a success in each of his involvements, which has singled him out for accolades and recognition from across the world.

Professor Jega was born in 1957 and raised under the supervision of foresighted parents. It would have been generally impossible that he lacked the requisite knowledge of the country’s political escapades and its various episodes of wonderful and exhilarating experiences. Of course, there were projections in 1960 and the period that preceded Nigeria’s independence that the country would break into different nationalities, presumably because there were reasons to concede to the opinion that the country is divided along ethnic and religious lines. To be candid, it was a miracle that the country had disappointed the world as this assumption has become more of a hallucinating product than an empirical conclusion. No one would understand how the country survived in the habit of planting nationalist spirit that could be sustained much even after the famous civil war of 1967. All these political events are responsible for the mounting of pressure on individuals who are selected to function under some institutions because not only does the history of the country perpetually reminds them of the possibility of communal suspicion, but it also tells them why they could trigger national controversies provided they are not careful in their duty. But beyond being excellent in these situations, Jega is a success in vocational skills, policy knowledge, and professional engagements amidst others.

The professional life of Attahiru Jega is worthy of attention because the attraction that an academic usually has is determined by the fecundity of his intellectual productions. The intellectual who wants to be in a public discourse must always produce something on which the society can feast intellectually. In 2015, Jega published a work titled Election Management in Nigeria: The Evolution of the Nigerian Electoral Process 2010 – 2015, an enlightening document that sheds light on the challenges that engulf the country’s electoral challenges. The book highlights the relationship between Nigerian politicians and those over whom they conduct their political businesses. It stresses that while the former has continued to outsmart the people by devising numerous processes of manipulations, the latter have refused to refrain from being pawns in their political chessboard. The professor is aware that the problem does not inherently lie with the victims as they are often helpless in decision-making in the country. They are rigged out in the elections that would shape their economic and social life by the individuals determined to achieve their parochial ambitions to the detriment of others. In such an environment, the power does not and cannot be said to belong to the masses per se.

For people in academia, this particular book remains something that feeds their minds and cleanses it of dirt because not only does it exemplify the electoral process between the years involved as something that can give a clue as to the political progress of the country, but of course, as also something that can educate them as to why the political class takes the route that they take in getting power. The issue is that many of these power hunters have been so attached to it that other aspects of their lives are poorly fed. And because these aspects are languishing in the abyss of abandonment, they cannot see the impermanence of power and the brevity of relevance that accompanies it. Nearly all elections held in the country, as the book reveals, are marred by various inconsistencies that are caused by violence and hostilities of unknown magnitude. In elections organized within these highlighted periods, as it is nearly all others, there were perpetual cases of ballot boxes snatches, votes-buying even in the queue of voters who performed their statutory duties, and underage voting. Regardless of these issues, there are also the more significant political issues in the ring of power where impositions are made on the ones in control of elections. Apart from the fact that there are situations where monies meant to run the elections are deliberately reduced to stifle their efficiency.

Jega’s cardinality to the country’s political development is strengthened by the fact that he had released similar academic works that validate the heinous disposition of politicians in the country some five years before he released Election Management in Nigeria. It is interesting to know, for example, that in Nigeria at Fifty: Contributions to Peace, Democracy and Development, a book he co-edited in 2010, the country’s history was examined, as well as how it has substantially maximized its potential to facilitate peace or improve the democratic culture of the country. For all it is worth, the book x-rays the country’s trajectory and comes up with the finding that it has defied torrential tides that would naturally have capsized it in the process. It registers that the country has experienced the displacement of its nationalist entitlement at different times and has surprisingly repositioned itself back to the appropriate level where it can seamlessly operate without contradictions. But then there are the dots that often challenge the country’s unity because it stains their lives and taints their collective image. In the said 50 years, Nigeria has experienced all sorts of things that could have threatened its survival, for example, the politicians showcasing their greed when in power, but the country remains indivisible because there seem to be the Trojan horses that save them in times of critical challenges.

More appealingly, Jega has worked so expansively and commendably on the issues of elections and has penned down some books that address persistent electoral shenanigans, apparently because he has a theoretical understanding of the issue and has most predictably considered how challenges associated with elections organizations can be curbed. This explains his intellectual brilliance in Strategies for Curbing Election-Related Politic Violence in Nigeria’s North-West Zone, published in 2003. The work is a beautiful piece that can help the country win the war against electoral violence that has been enshrined in national politics and political attitude. Although the book concentrates on how the issues around electoral violence in the North-West zones of the country can be solved, it does not score low in helping to paint the issue of electoral manipulations that occur in every quarter of the country’s politics. More than anything, a close relationship is established in the book between the idea of not properly educating the younger ones (the youths generally) and their susceptibility to being used as an instrument of destabilization and destruction during electoral processes. When individuals are not exposed to the opportunity of studying, they would be preoccupied with some frivolities that would be inimical to the collective safety of the society itself. This is the structural maladjusted nature in some parts of Nigeria that makes its people prone to election violence.

However, the book reveals that beyond the issue of education is the insincerity of the political leaders. Leaders are usually perpetrating elections violence because they gain exceedingly from that engagement. The problem has remained because they fail to understand that the democratic culture is entrenched first by the attitude that leaders show when they lose elections, which contributes incredibly to the escalation of violence or the promotion of peace. The fact that their reactions in every post-election period would ultimately determine what their followers would do. When leaders contest, lose and refuse to accept defeat, it sends a wrong signal to the people. Their followers who want to impress them double-cross the process and scuttle it whenever they realize it would yield negative results for their paymasters. In essence, the book explains that the beginning of violence is attributed to these conditions because they first determine the people’s attitudes toward elections before inspiring their negative responses. In short, the book provides the structural and systemic downsides of the country’s electoral institution and offers practical solutions to the myriad of challenges consuming the process of elections there. The strategies offered in the book range from the government granting autonomy to the institution to giving them appropriate reinforcement and reimbursement for the project, among many other things.

Jega has given an unquantifiable magnitude of benefit to the country, and we cannot deny his ambience of productivity that he stands to give more. Because of his intellectual posture and productions, he has added to the excellent image of the country and thus demystified all manner of assumptions and conclusions. Jega has functioned as the Pro-chancellor and Chairman, Governing Council, University of Jos, from June 2021, where he has added numerous feathers to his already dignified cap of excellence. Adding many epoch-making accomplishments as an administrator, his position has redefined the office, and he has not reneged on making outstanding contributions in nearly all academic works targeted to improve the sociopolitical and socio-cultural milieu of the country. Undoubtedly, he is expanding the frontiers of knowledge and information by redefining what it means to be a leader and how essential leadership roles are to advancing a people or civilization. Between 2004 and 2010, when he was the Vice-Chancellor of Bayero University, the school felt the presence of a great man who continues to reshape the activities of the institution for important landmarks.

In the same spirit, Jega has been a Member, National Universities Commission (NUC), Strategy Advisory, and Nigerian Universities Reforms Committee from January 2018 till the present. His assignment on the committee has already begun to register his numerous ideological convictions, great as they are, as he continues to provide them with beautiful and excellent ideas that can be used to launch the country to its deserved position in the committee of nations. The NUC has realized that the advancement of the country’s academic system requires individuals with values and vast experience because, without dynamic thinking, there would be challenges in advancing the course of a society. And it is evident that the community that refuses to adapt to changes that can be got from the association of people to emerging trends would be perpetually languishing in the abyss of degeneration. This awareness informed Jega’s selection into the commission, and there is no question that he would revolutionize it with his outstandingly impressive ideas. He has done it with the electoral commission he headed between 2010 and 2015, and almost anyone familiar with the democratic culture of the country would confess to the excellence of his engagements.

A cursory look at Jega’s research engagements immediately reveals that he is given to peace advocacy and dialogue. He has been an ambassador of peace not necessarily by the mandate of any association but by his behaviour and the ways he conducts every activity designated to him. We have seen this on several occasions where he was very meticulous with his duties and responsibilities. Numerous of his research works centre on the issue of peace and how it can be sustained in the global society. This is predicated on the fact that the world would encounter numerous challenges if people cannot integrate their multicultural and multidimensional identities that are mixed aggressively. The fact that nature is complicit in this interrelationship cannot be underplayed, as people who depend primarily on agricultural production, for example, are usually forced to leave their habitat in search of a better alternative due to the ecological conditions of the places where they are, except they want to perish with time. How is it, therefore, possible to attain peace when it is discovered that the migrants, for instance, would require land for the survival of their identity, and their host communities also need the same land for the protection of their economic values? These issues demand a new paradigm, which the Professor has offered in many of his books.

The man is arguably incomparable with his contemporaries in terms of community service. The fact that he is involved in society-improving activities consolidates the assumption that he cannot be undermined in the political and sociocultural limelight associable with the country. This humble Professor has contributed to several workshops, both in and outside the country. His contributions are those of a resource person whose knowledge and intellect are used to improve the quality of academic and community engagements. Part of being a valuable individual to the community is when you bless the society with your knowledge or intellectual fecundity. Numerous public lectures are held by Jega, where he gives people the opportunity to interact and interrogate ideas that would be used for the benefit of mankind. Not many people would forget in a hurry how his contributions in the newspapers in the country contributed to their intellectual growth.

One would marvel at his systematic approach to issues of public and national interest, given the ability to adapt to events regardless of their ethnic or religious colouration. But when one realizes that his areas of interest are vast and can accommodate a wide range of intellectual angles, one would see the reason for his flexibility and simplicity. For all it is worth, Jega’s interests span across politics and governance in Nigeria, democracy and democratization in comparative perspectives, African political economy, elections and electoral processes, among other things. In essence, anyone interested in politics must have an accommodating view of issues and matters, mainly because the complexity of politics is informed by the interaction of groups and their interest, and anyone who would have a good view of the idea would be open-minded to issues around it. It, therefore, explains why Jega is naturally accessible to all in this context. Nigeria’s politics is so broad that it requires corresponding openness for the people to better understand it.

Anyone who has put in the magnitude of work that Jega is putting up would undoubtedly have results to show for it. In reality, it is a universal truth that when people are diligent in their engagements, they will receive the appropriate rewards that match their dedication. Jega has received several awards from prestigious bodies for his remarkable contributions to the issues he presides or conducts research on. In 2015, he was honoured by the Nigerian Higher Education Foundation (NHEF) in New York, which conferred the Integrity Award. Likewise, this cerebral individual was given an Achievement Award by the Kebbi State Government, Birnin Kebbi, at the State’s 25^th Anniversary in 2016. This did not deny him the honour of being singled out in 2017 as an Honorary Member, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 237 Class, for his involvement and contributions to various academic activities that promote ethical scholarship.

There are so many other ones than can be mentioned here. What has remained constant is that Prof. Jega is an exceptional man across the board. Please join us for a conversation with this renowned Nigerian academic and former Vice-Chancellor of Bayero University, Kano.

Sunday, December 12, 2021

5:00 PM Nigeria

4:00 PM GMT

10:00 AM Austin CST

Register and Watch:

https://www.tfinterviews.com/post/attahiru-jega

Join via Zoom:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88686434686

Watch on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/tfinterviews/live

Watch on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2lvX7A2iVndiCq0NfFcb0w/live

Falola is a Nigerian historian and professor of African Studies. He is currently the Jacob and Frances Sanger Mossiker Chair in the Humanities at the University of Texas at Austin.

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INTERVIEW

How A Dull Student Graduated From University With A First-class Degree

Published

6 months ago

June 18, 2024

NewTimes

Edirin Onomuakpokpo

How do you feel after making a first-class degree from the Nasarawa State University?

I feel very elated, in fact it’s a dream come true. At the time I got admission into Nasarawa State University Keffi, a lot of students tried to discourage me, including some of my course mates for being too serious with my academics, some of them even said “nobody will give you first class”. But after my first semester result at 100 level came out, I had 4.30/5.0. This was the moment that changed everything, I realized it was a goal possible to attain only if I put in more effort and work smarter. At the 200 level first semester, I already had a first class CGPA of 4.53, so I just kept on with the tempo. Although faced with so many challenges, at the end graduated as the best student in my department with a CGPA of 4.59

What are you doing currently?

Currently, l’m serving my father’s land under the umbrella of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC). It’s a privilege to serve, I must say and I’m using this opportunity to impact the students at my PPA and ensuring they get the best education in both practical and theoretical aspects of their studies.

Judging by your name Emmanuel Edirin Onomuakpokpo, you are obviously from Delta State in the South-south. Why did you leave all the universities in the South-south to attend Nasarawa State University?

After I wrote my first JAMB in 2017, Delta State University, Abraka (DELSU) was the first school to which I applied. My dad wanted me to go for medicine but unfortunately I applied for medical biochemistry instead because I didn’t hit the cut-off mark for medicine in my JAMB. However, I had 98/100 in their Post-UTME exam but yet was not given admission to study medical biochemistry. I could remember crying my eyes out that year, seeing my friends whom we graduated from secondary school together gaining admission to universities, I never wanted to sit at home doing nothing. May be it was actually God’s plan not to get admission then because medicine was never something I envisaged for myself. My drive had always been agriculture because I have always loved the idea of growing food and feeding the nation as a kid. So, studying an agricultural discipline would be to me a fullfiment of that dream. The next year 2018, thanks to Engr. Uzoma Kenneth .K, a neighbour of ours at the time and a family friend who introduced me to the concept of agricultural biotechnology, he told me this was the future of modern agriculture and encouraged me to focus my attention there since I already had interest in agriculture. So that very year I researched schools that offer this course, to the best of my knowledge Nasarawa State University Keffi was the closest I could find. Proximity to the university was another advantage to me since we resided in Nasarawa State. These and many other factors contributed to me leaving all the universities in the South and studying at the prestigious Nasarawa State University, Keffi.

What inspired you to attain that academic height?

Let me cut the long story short. I wasn’t always this brilliant and intelligent. There was a time I was called dull by my principal when I was in primary school. I struggled with my academics so much that my principal had to advise my mum to change my school because he couldn’t help my situation. This made my mum cry so much and I could feel her pains. After my mum agreed to change my school, I was repeated and had to be in the same class with my younger sister at the time. The moment I will never forget was one fateful morning, I was seated at the back sit of the class writing my exams, I think English Language, as I was focused on my paper suddenly I heard my name Emmanuel!! with a thunderous and aggressive voice, when I raised my head up it was my quantitative reasoning teacher Mr. Haruna. I will never forget his name. He called me out to the front of the class, and without first telling me the crime I had committed, he gave me a dirty slap. After which in an angry tone, he told me I failed his quantitative reasoning exam, that I had 16/70. I held my face with my hands, because I was very fair, the marks of his hands were visible on my face. I went home that day with that trauma and anger and told myself that never again would I be humiliated because of my academic performance. I didn’t just tell myself out of emotion, I backed it up with actions. Nobody was telling me to read my books, I told myself, I stopped playing too much and I began focusing on my books. The next term after the previous one the incident happened, I came second in class. This made my mum so happy . My dad was in Benin at the time, he had to send a bicycle for me as his present to show his appreciation of my performance. I was happy with myself too. From then on, there was this consciousness I woke up to that ignited my desire to become the best in everything I do. I was also inspired by my dad’s academic performance, Mr. Augustine A. Onomuakpokpo. He graduated with a second class upper. At the time I got into the university I told him I was going to beat his results. He challenged me to it and now I guess I won, all glory be to God.

Did you envisage coming out of the university with that class of degree?

At first I envisaged graduating with a good grade, maybe second-class upper degree. But after my first semester result at the 100 level, I took a pen and wrote on a sheet of paper “l’m a First-class Plant Biotechnologist” and pasted it on my wall in my room. At this point I knew it was possible and waking up everyday to the writing on my wall, I became restless and heavy each time I missed out on my reading timetable because the man on the wall was the only thing I could see.

What were the challenges you faced and how did you overcome them?

The challenges were numerous but the most daunting one was the issue of balancing my academic life, social life and spiritual life. I had to find a way to be active in all. To surmount the issue of socialization, when I got into the university at the 100 level, because of how pro-active I was in all things pertaining to student welfarism, I was made the course representative. This exposed me to interacting with students from different backgrounds, cultures and traditions. I had to develop leadership skills, listening skills and attentiveness to be able to shoulder the responsibilities of being a course rep and secretary general of the department. I was also very active in religious activities. During the 100 level second semester, I discovered that from 100 – 400 levels, there was no group dedicated to actively putting my school especially my department in prayers, so I formed one and congregated students to intercede for the department. I believe our prayers worked and God helped us. Although I was engaged with all these activities, I also ensured that only 20% of my time was given to them and 80% of the time, I was always on my books.

How did your lecturers support you ?

I wouldn’t have achieved this great feat without the help of my lecturers. At this point, I’m proud to call them my mentors. They include Dr. Bello Abdulkarim, Dr. Muhammad Hassan Sani Loko and my very unquantifiably supportive supervisor Prof. J. C. Onovo. They saw the potential I was carrying, and they drew me close like a father would a son and constantly fed me with words of encouragement. Dr. Bello Abdulkarim and Dr. Muhammad Hassan Sani Loko would always admonish me and call me to order when they noticed I had derailed. University is a place filled with so many distractions, sometimes we may get carried away by activities forgetting the very reason why we are there. Having people like these was a blessing to me and I’m proud to say these were the people that encouraged me and pushed me beyond my self to bring out academic excellence in me.

What is your plan after your youth service?

My plan after my youth service is to get a fully funded scholarship in Canada, USA or Europe, to further my academic career in order to gain advanced knowledge in scientific research especially in the area of biotechnology, genome sequencing, environmental conservation, plant breeding and genetics, and bio-resource engineering. So that with the scientific skills acquired from this programme, I would be able to positively impact the Nigeria agricultural sector and the world at large, to help combat the issue of food insecurity and to proffer solutions to plant-related issues using biotechnology.

What advice do you have for students who desire to graduate with a first-class degree?

My advice is simple, make your academics your priority and exclude unnecessary distractions and put God first. Have a CGPA goal for each semester and remember each time you fail is an opportunity to reinvent yourself to do better the next time you try.

Interview

Toyin Falola Interviews To Hold Panel Discussion On Languages And Archives In Knowledge Reproduction About Africa

Published

11 months ago

February 8, 2024

NewTimes

The Toyin Falola Interviews has scheduled a discussion with distinguished panelists, Professors Ngom Fallou, Ghirmai Negash, Abiodun Salawu, and John Mugane, who will be sharing their expertise on “Languages and Archives in Knowledge Production About Africa”.

Sunday, March 3, 2024

5 PM Nigeria

10 AM Austin

https://www.tfinterviews.com/post/Languages

Join via Zoom:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81714206181

Interview

Pentecostalism In Africa (1)

Published

11 months ago

February 1, 2024

NewTimes

Prof. Toyin Falola

By Toyin Falola

Of all the things that have happened to the African continent in the past decades, the growth and expansion of Christianity and Islam have been one of the most impressive. This deep commitment to faith is not totally removed from the natural gravitation toward hope and positivity. Against the background of declining opportunities, many Africans have found solace in religion and the promise of a better life. If things don’t work well on Earth, the afterlife offers more than a promise.

Within the enormous growth of Christianity in Africa has been the steady rise in the popularity and expansion of Pentecostalism. The socio-economic, religious, and political nuances of the rise of Pentecostalism will be one of the subjects of the Interview with a preeminent figure, Apostle Professor Opoku Onyinah, on February 4, 2024.

Pentecostalism on the African continent dates to the early 20th century, with the earliest movements such as the Apostolic Faith Mission, Assemblies of God, the Pentecostal Zionist Movement (all in South Africa), l’Église Harriste (in Côte d’Ivoire), Christ Apostolic Church, morphing from Precious Stone Society, and the Apostolic Church (all in Nigeria). Some would argue that I may be confusing some of these churches with latter-day Pentecostal ones.

Pentecostalism took off during the colonial era, heavily influenced by the American Pentecostals, including but not limited to William Seymour (who wrote the Apostolic Faith newspaper that sparked the influx of Pentecostalism into the continent), Lucy Farrow, Paul Marty, and Julia Hutchins. Like all successful expansions in history, the Pentecostalist movement came to Africa at a time when the environment was fertile for its growth. Some would also argue that Pentecostalism was homegrown.

The African people were subjected to colonialism, and in seeking a way out, they found hope in the core ideals of the new movement — grace, salvation, an afterlife, spiritual empowerment through the Holy Ghost, healing, and wonders — promises that held liberation for the people and freedom from the shackles of the second-class citizenship that colonialism offered them on their soil.

The case has often been made in favour of classifying religion as a social concept. This classification does not seek to discredit the divinity that any of the religions claim. However, it is a way to argue that religions belong in the human society, by humans; as much as cultures and civilizations belong to the human society. A point of note in the argument for the classification of religion as a social concept is religious syncretism. Just like any other human social phenomenon capable of influencing and being influenced by other phenomena, religions and religious denominations and factions influence and get influenced by other religions and religious denominations, and Pentecostalism is not an exception.

Pentecostalism has witnessed several cultural adaptations and syncretism. Religious worship among Christians is subjected to personal perceptions and subjective interpretations of the divine. A Christian can only offer worship in the best way he can conceive in his mind who his Creator is. He can imagine the wonders of the Creator. Therefore, as the Pentecostalism movement grew in popularity across and spread across the African continent, it was influenced by several indigenous African belief systems and practices.

The result has been a dynamic interplay of Pentecostal Christianity with traditional African spirituality, giving rise to unique, Afrocentric expressions of faith. One of these unique, Afrocentric expressions of faith is the upbeat mode of religious worship among Pentecostal churches. This upbeat mode reflects vibrant and lively music, energetic dancing, loud prayer sessions, and an insurmountable belief in the intervention of divine forces in terrestrial affairs.

Furthermore, the communal nature of African societies, influencing the people’s strong belief in and connection to their ancestral heritage, has made the belief in and war against ancestral curses, “village people”, and witchcraft popular elements in the Pentecostalism practised in the African continent. From the earliest years, prayers of war against witches, wizards, and enemies formed an integral part of churches such as the Christ Apostolic Church and even served as one of the biggest factors in the swift growth and expansion of African Pentecostal churches.

I stated above that Pentecostalism has been one of the fastest-growing phenomena on the African continent. However, it is vital to note that Pentecostalism’s growth has not only been about the founding of several churches and the expansion of such churches across Africa and other continents. Beyond its spiritual dimensions, Pentecostalism has highly influenced the social landscape in Africa. The swift growth and expansion of Pentecostal churches, the construction of mega-church buildings, and the management of several church-owned operations have also meant that these churches have become large employers of labour, with thousands of members earning their living through church operations. Some of these large Pentecostal churches own printing presses, primary schools, secondary schools, and universities — some of which have gone on to be ranked among the best institutions on the continent.

These large-scale operations have afforded people access to education and employment, two of the most critical elements in any society. Furthermore, donation and support outreaches are an integral part of the existence of many of these churches. There is no denying the level of influence Pentecostal churches wield in society, from the grassroots to the elite strata, especially as their large sizes mean they can always boast of members in every industry and at every level. The brotherhood approach of these Pentecostal churches means members are quick to identify and help each other. This, often called “being favoured”, is a case where members of mega Pentecostal churches belonging to the elite strata of society find placement for their fellow church members at government parastatals and institutions, multi-national companies, and other companies.

The founding of mega Pentecostal churches and the construction of grand worship centres have also been instrumental in the construction of healthcare centres, road networks, and housing structures. Furthermore, several African Pentecostal churches have been involved in the organization of large-scale empowerment programs, especially for women and youth, and community development initiatives, including serving as pressure groups to influence government policies.

In saying that Pentecostalism in Africa has experienced immense growth, I am also saying that while globalization has become increasingly realistic with the increased connectivity of people across the globe, Pentecostal churches in Africa have tapped into the advantages of technology to bring their operations to a global audience. Several Pentecostal African churches — such as The Redeemed Christian Church of God, the Christ Apostolic Church, The Apostolic Church, United Family International, Church Doxa Deo, CRC Church, the Living Faith Church, Deeper Life Bible Church, and the Church of Pentecost — have established a global presence spanning hundreds of countries, influencing the diaspora community, and contributing to the global Pentecostal movement.

The introduction of satellite television networks played a crucial role in the expansion of African Pentecostal churches into the diaspora. As members of these African churches relocated to other countries, they sought the need to continue in fellowship with their churches and founded branches in their new locations, getting an easy connection to the headquarters through the internet, satellite television, and transnational networks. African Pentecostal churches in the diaspora do not only impact global Christianity, but they also play an unmistakable role in the shaping of the religious experiences of the African diaspora, serving as a haven and a new family for new immigrants and positioning as centres of cultural preservation, spiritual solace, and community building.

Although there has been immense growth and expansion within the Pentecostal movement in Africa — with an undeniable socio-economic impact — there are deeds and developments among Pentecostal churches on the continent that leave room for criticism and questions.

To properly explore Pentecostalism in Africa, it is vital to examine some of the critiques that have been levelled against Pentecostal churches on the continent. The first and perhaps biggest concern that has been brought up in the wake of the growth of Pentecostalism has been the commercialization of spirituality, a phenomenon that has manifested itself through several dimensions. There have been cases of churches categorizing spiritual problems and assigning financial costs to each category for members seeking deliverance.

There has also been an emphasis on tithes, offerings, and giving back to the church, sometimes overly emphasized at the detriment of the giver, who may not be financially buoyant but must succumb to the pressure and belief in the promises of manifold blessings and the multiple returns on every token given for every token given.

Several Pentecostal churches in Africa promote the prosperity gospel, which has seen their leaders rank among some of the wealthiest spiritual leaders in the world. The theological concepts of the prosperity gospel emphasize material wealth as a sign of God’s favour, sometimes elevated as the core of a church’s message, thereby ignoring the possibility of members seeking wealth, including through financial misappropriation, fraud, embezzlement, and other crimes.

Over the years, doctrinal controversies have also rocked the Pentecostal movement in Africa, sometimes threatening to disrupt the movement and tear it asunder. Although Pentecostal churches on the continent share some common beliefs revolving around salvation through grace, healing, and some other concepts, there are stark differences in some of their doctrines, with some churches accusing others of peddling heresy. The doctrinal divergence in the African Pentecostal movement has sparked theological debates, including spiritual gifts, speaking in tongues, the role of women in the church, and what constitutes holiness.

Pentecostalism in Africa has come a long way, and by all indications, it shows the potential to grow in leaps and bounds. It is, therefore, with utmost pleasure that I invite you to join us on the next edition of The Toyin Falola Interviews, where we will host Apostle Professor Onyinah — a scholar of excellence and a leading theologian in the field of African Pentecostalism.

Sunday, February 4, 2024

5:00 PM Nigeria

4:00 PM Ghana

10:00 AM Austin CST

Register and Watch:

https://www.tfinterviews.com/post/opokuonyinah

Join via Zoom:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87059407807