Bishop James Afolabi Popoola is the retired Bishop of the Diocese of Osun, Church of Nigeria (Anglican communion). He served for over 19 years as the bishop in the diocese. In this interview with NIYI OYEDEJI, he speaks on his experience in the vineyard, among other issues.
You served as the head of Osun diocese for over 19 years, how would you describe your experience?
It was wonderful. The whole experience made me to know about the faithfulness of God. My experience as the Bishop of Osun diocese taught me to always believe and trust in God. I served in different capacities after my ordination under this mission. I was the provost of St Peter’s Cathedral, Ake, Abeokuta for over 10 years, after which I came to the Diocese of Osun. I was ordained as the bishop on August 1. The first bishop was Right Reverend Fagbemi, who served in the diocese for 13 years after which I succeeded him. He laid a very strong foundation in the diocese and all that I came to do was to build on that foundation. The growth of the diocese has been monumental. Two dioceses were created from the diocese: Diocese of Osun North and Diocese of Osun North-East. We have planted more churches and what we have now is more than what we had before the creation of two additional dioceses. We have delved into serious evangelical works, bringing up people spiritually, so that they can live as Christians, read the word of God as Christians, pray as Christians and also reach out to non-Christians so as to bring them into the Christian fold.
What are the other things you were able to achieve as a bishop?
We went into entrepreneurship and we started what we called Aquados water project, after we had registered a company with the Corporate Affairs Commission called Osun Assistant Investment Company. We also established non-governmental organisations, including ‹Dorcas Foundation.› It was aimed at reaching out to the underprivileged, especially the widows, orphans and aged. We also established the Social and Economic Development Foundation of Osun Anglican Diocese (SEDFOAD), which has enabled us to reach many people and also go into agriculture to provide jobs. Through the initiative, we have been able to assist people with soft loans, particularly the widows.
How can the church assist national leaders in providing solution to the challenges of the country?
The problems of Nigeria are much and the major one is corruption, which has eaten deep into the fabrics of the nation and affecting a lot of things. When budgets are made, we only know what they intend to use money allocated for, but we don’t know when and how the funds are spent. A government official came to Osun State to talk about roads that had been constructed, but we knew that these roads had not been constructed. So, corruption is a big problem that the Federal Government needs to tackle. I want to commend President Muhammadu Buhari for his determination and I urge him not to relent. The church’s part is to preach about it and raise awareness.
What do you think could be done to address security challenges in the country?
I will want to commend the Federal Government and the state governments on their efforts and we pray that all their efforts will yield meaningful results. I only want to advise the government to be more serious. There can be no peace if there is no security. Security is so important, it is everybody’s business. I was in a foreign country at a time and on the second day of our visit, people around where we lived knew there were some foreigners. They made contacts here and there and before we knew it, people were coming around to ask questions. That is high security. But it is different in our country, people enter into Nigeria from other countries and there are no records of where they are going. There must be a way by which people know when there are new people settling in their community. This would help when they begin to do funny things. Nigerians must be vigilant.
What is your take on some clerics doing the unusual and unthinkable in God’s houses?
In the teachings of Jesus Christ, He said: “Let the good and bad grow together until the day of reckoning.” It is an unfortunate situation. I think those who claim to be religious leaders are not genuinely called. In the Christian religion, a Christian leader must be committed, be born again and understand his faith. He must understand what the leader of his faith wants his followers to do. Followers of Jesus Christ must understand His lifestyle and follow it. People who are involved in such scandal may be popular evangelists, they may be great religious leaders, but God doesn’t reckon with them. They will be great in our sight, but they are sinners before God.
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