Sandwiched between the many buildings and people that make up the popular Sabo area of Ibadan, Oyo State, here, the molo and ganga compete favourably with piano and drums to produce beautiful tunes. RITA OKONOBOH reports the experiences at Bishara Baptist Church, where Hausa Christians call home.
NEGOTIATING the popular Mokola roundabout, on a weekday, it is almost impossible to differentiate between Christians and Muslims on the ever-busy stretch that is peopled mainly by Hausa-speaking individuals, who constitute the majority of residents of Sabo.
On a Sunday, however, when the vehicular and human traffic simmers to a minimum, the situation is much different. Seconds from the major bus stop is the Ibadan’s first and, probably, only indigenous Hausa church under the Nigerian Baptist Convention (NBC), Bishara Baptist Church.
Established in the 1950s, Bishara Baptist Church, through the years, has become home away from home for Hausa-speaking Christians in Ibadan. Here, it is major mix of people from all states of the North such as Adamawa, Plateau, Kaduna, among others, and very few non-Hausa-speakers.
For a first-time visitor to the humble abode that houses the Hausa Christian community in Ibadan, there is the welcome embrace of a close-knit family of worshippers. From the entrance guarded by wooden double doors, the usher – identified by his neon-green reflective jacket with ‘usher’ boldly printed on it – invites you in with an ever-ready smile.
After half an hour, even if you do not understand Hausa, by which a major part of the service is conducted, you can feel the warmth of being with a family. On the surface, there are no pretensions or any activity out of the ordinary. The choir is made up of both male and female members, a young lady plays the piano, and there is a warm handshake for everyone – friend or stranger.
The secret behind the name, Bishara
The pastor-in-charge of the church, Reverend Philip Mayango, while explaining the meaning of the name of the church stated that “Bishara is a Hausa word and it is representative of our unity in diversity. That’s why we use Hausa as a general language during worship, in spite of the many dialects spoken by members. Bishara means ‘gospel’ or ‘good news.’ The signboard sometimes helps to bring, members, because when a Hausa person sees the word Bishara, they know it is a Hausa church. Some people also come through friends and by personal enquiry.”
‘General Gowon attended this church’
According to the history made available to TribuneChurch, the founding of the church dates back to the late 1950s. Reverend Philip Mayango noted that it was established in 1958 through the influence of General Yakubu Gowon.
“The church was founded a long time ago. According to what I was told about the church’s history, it was established in 1958 through the influence of General Yakubu Gowon. This is where he was said to worship when he was at Mokola Barracks in Ibadan. As at the time, some of the soldiers at the barracks also worshipped here sometimes. In fact, over the years, when he came to Ibadan, he sometimes worshipped here.”
The challenge with beggars
Bishara Baptist Church became largely infamous over some years, owing to the presence of beggars, who more or less, took over the church. As a result, the church also lost not a few of its members.
Affirming this, Reverend Mayango stated that “We can attribute the challenges faced by the church during that period to the lack of a fence and this seemed to encourage beggars to more or less occupy the place and some members eventually left the church. It was in 2010, during the administration of former Governor Alao Akala that they were relocated. That was how the environment became freer for worship.”
An elder of the church, Pastor F.B. Jacob, who has been with the congregation for 10 years, stated that Ibadan, in his experience, was a peaceful state. Speaking on his experience with the church, he said: “The church was under the Global Mission then. I’ve been here for 10 years. I grew up in Adamawa State but moved to Ibadan in 2007 and that was how I started attending the church. I work with a construction company and when we got a job here, I was transferred to Ibadan. When I first moved to Ibadan, I was introduced to Union Baptist Church and was later directed to come here after I asked about the possibility of getting a Hausa church.
“At one time, the front of the church was filled with beggars and I worked with the pastor in charge at the time, Reverend Ephraim Habila, to move them. They cooperated, albeit reluctantly. I used the opportunity of my closeness to former Governor Alao Akala – my boss was quite close to him – and with prayers, we were successful. We also had the support of the commissioner for environment and that was how the place was cleared. That must have been sometime around 2010.”
What being in Ibadan means for Hausa Christians
For Reverend Mayango, who used to be a businessman based in Igboho, in Oyo, “my experience in the church has been quite peaceful since I resumed office here in 2011. We have been experiencing God’s presence. My experience in Ibadan has been of love, fellowship and good rapport, even with those Who are not Christians. We celebrate together. As a Hausa-speaking Christian community, we have never felt nor have been threatened. Bishara Baptist Church is a community of various people, especially people from the North. We have only very few members from Ibadan. There are people from different states of the North who worship here.”
For Pastor F.B. Jacob, “Although, there are still challenges we face, when it comes to our way of life, as what we’re used to in the North is quite different. The peaceful coexistence between people of various religions is very commendable, compared to the North.”
Another worshipper, who craved anonymity, shared his experience with TribuneChurch since he joined the Bishara Christian community in 2003. According to him, “We’re all strangers to Ibadan. The church does not seem to be filled to the brim with members because people come and go. There are people who find themselves in Ibadan for various reasons, especially work, and when that is completed, they go back home. I would call it a church of strangers. It is very rare to have indigenes of Ibadan here.
“The church has helped me on a personal level. I have learnt a lot about being a Christian, how to give and even relate with people. Before I joined the church, my anger was my cross. However, with what I have learnt here, I have been able to conquer that. I have spent 15 years in Ibadan now. As a security personnel, when you are posted, you try to discover new places there. I visited a friend and on my way back, I took this road and along the way, I saw the signboard. I’m from Kaduna State. Ibadan was my first posting after I completed training in Zaria. When I was in Yobe State, working as a civilian in a hotel, I worked with a church and there, I met a reverend, who organised Yobe’s first crusade at the time. That was when I realised that there are many Christians in Yobe State. That cleric brought some of our people to Ibadan with him, and when they returned, those who went with him spoke well of the state and it was since then I wished to come to Ibadan and as God would have it, I was posted here.
“I enjoy being in Ibadan for its religious harmony. Although, I don’t know what is in their hearts, I would say that the religious harmony is a wonderful experience. It is very impressive. It is not like the North. In fact, here, you see Christians marrying Muslims without issues and with family support. And it doesn’t necessarily affect each person’s religion. This is quite rare in many places in the North.”
Sharing his insight on the southern Kaduna crisis, dating back to the 2001 attacks which he said he witnessed, and his recommendations for resolving the crisis, he stated that “If there was more understanding between both religions, there won’t be problems. My advice for Christians who are victims of the crisis is that they should know that our God is a patient God. If we apply that patience, our Christianity will move forward. We don’t need to fight God’s fight. God will definitely fight for us. It is very important that we stand firm in our faith. I heard of a pastor who was said to have advised Christians to carry weapons to defend themselves. When I think of it, I would want to support such stand, when I think of how people are sometimes provoked. There are examples in the Bible of Christians defending themselves. That is what happened in Kacha Local Government in 2001 in Kaduna and those who had earlier provoked such violence had to plead with the Christians that an end be brought to the crisis. There were calls for reconciliation. In fact, at the time, some of them confessed that when they took up arms against the Christians, when the Christians stood their ground, they saw angels defending them. We will keep praying that God will intervene in such religious crisis.”
Mr Enoch Venmak, the financial secretary, has been a member of the church for three years now. He’s from Plateau State and moved to Ibadan to eke out a living.
“I moved to Ibadan after my secondary education in Plateau State. Now, I work as a laundry man. I have gone round many places in Ibadan and I have come across many people with different characters. However, interestingly, I must say Ibadan is the kind of place anyone can live. I like the simplicity and the homeliness. The church gives me a feeling of being at home. Here, I don’t have family members but at Bishara Baptist Church, I have found another family, through the message of Christ.
“I got to know about Ibadan through friends. When I was at the village in Plateau State, one of my friends, who had been here for some time, told me about the prospects Ibadan offered and I decided to move down. I worked somewhere else before becoming a laundry man. I already had the experience when I worked as a laundry man at Wuse in Abuja. I got to know about the church through friends I met in Ibadan. They asked what church I attended before moving to Ibadan and I told them I belonged to the Baptist family when I was in Plateau State and that was how I found myself here. I have enjoyed my general experience in the church. They are very concerned about the welfare of the members.”
Mr Dominic Paulinus is an auditor in the church and has also been a member for the past three years. He was in Adamawa State but moved to Ibadan when he was transferred.
“My experience here has been very wonderful. I got to know about the church through my brother before he moved away. Members here are very welcoming and warm. The church has given me the feeling of being at home. The church has helped to improve my relationship with God. I’ve lived in Ibadan for over 20 years but work takes me from place to place sometimes. Ibadan is a very calm place compared to some of what we have experienced being in the North. It is quite different. Being a Christian in Adamawa is nothing hard. Interestingly, a slightly higher percentage of Adamawa natives are Christians. I’m not referring to residents who are not natives now, although, sometimes we have people converting to other religions.”
Support from the NBC
According to Reverend Mayango, “The Nigerian Baptist Convention has been very supportive. Nigerian Baptist churches are grouped by association, then conference, then the convention. And when we have immediate needs for the church and we cannot handle on our own, then we request the support of other Baptist churches. If it is beyond that, we go to the Ibadan central Baptist Association. If it is beyond them, it goes to the Ibadan Baptist Conference before it gets to the NBC. On a whole, we have received tremendous support. Last year, we received support from other Baptist church as well as the association when we wanted to renovate the church.”
Advice for Hausa Christians facing persecution
Reverend Mayango advises fellow Hausa Christians to hold on to the word of God. According to him, “The Bible has said it and has promised restoration. Persecution is the time to move closer to God. We need to be strong enough to see that persecution will not remain forever because the God we serve assures us of His presence. We should not be afraid. We will overcome.”
Pastor Jacob advises Christians facing persecution in the North to “draw closer to God. I wouldn’t advise vengeance because that is not the Christian message. We can only keep praying that God will change the mentality of those disposed to crime.”
Paulinus, in his comments on persecution, stated that “Honestly, the terror attacks, as it affected Adamawa, is a very sad experience. Although, where I lived was one hour or less from where terror attacks were concentrated, we still felt it. A very close family friend was affected by one of the blasts and he had to relocate. We also had to accommodate some of those who fled the attacks in our houses. However, we thank God that things are gradually returning to normal. I would advise Christians affected to know that with Christ, they will find consolation. I will also advise those who are not affected to always remember them in prayers and show love to them in the way they can. That is what our faith teaches.”