Reminiscences with Archbishop Josiah Atkins Idowu-Fearon

Bishop Josiah Atkins Idowu-Fearon, who clocked 70 years on January 17, is the secretary-general of the Anglican Consultative Council. He served for a long period as the Bishop of Kaduna Diocese and is known for his deep knowledge of Islam and fluency in Arabic language. He recalled how he abandoned military school to become a […]

Bishop Josiah Atkins Idowu-Fearon, who clocked 70 years on January 17, is the secretary-general of the Anglican Consultative Council. He served for a long period as the Bishop of Kaduna Diocese and is known for his deep knowledge of Islam and fluency in Arabic language. He recalled how he abandoned military school to become a priest and why he took special interest in understanding Islam and the Arabic language.

 

Why did you leave military school to become a priest?

It wasn’t difficult, actually. I am not a man of God in the Nigerian understanding; you know what I mean by that. At the military school we had the non-commissioned officers who were responsible for the wellbeing of the boys. We were all called boys, and I noticed that towards the end of every month there would be fighting, children crying and wives being beaten. I discovered this when I was in my third year, which means I was about 14 years old. I discovered that the problem had to do with soldiers running out of money towards the end of the month – food was scarce, children were hungry, and sometimes school fees were not paid. So I just felt something was wrong. Remember, I came from a Christian home. My father was a priest in the Anglican Church and I felt something was wrong. That was where I initially felt called to assist soldiers and their families by helping them to stop this fighting and live a better life. That’s my initial calling.

In my fourth year, I made an attempt through the chaplain then, The Reverend Captain Okeke. I had a word with him and he said, “My boy, finish your secondary education.’’ So when I finished between 1966 and 1967, the civil war had started and most of the boys at the military school left for the East. In my class we were 30 and only 17 of us were left, so we had what was a direct entrance to the defence academy because from the military school if you did well you would go to the defence academy.

I felt that was not my calling, so I would rather go and be trained as a chaplain and I would look after soldiers’ welfare. That was my calling.

It was said that you were given a special exemption by Hassan Usman Katsina, did you meet him personally?

I think General Hassan Usman Katsina was the chief of army staff. He was in Lagos, so the commandant at the military school, who became General Ogundeko, said that was beyond him. So I had to go and meet the big guy in Lagos, Hassan Katsina, and he asked me to go and think over it. I told him that even if I sat on that chair I would not be happy. I told him what I believed God was calling me to do and he gave me what he called a sympathetic discharge. That was what I was given. I am still serving, but I think all my classmates have retired. I think one of them died recently, about five days ago. I got a message from Colonel John from Benin, saying they are retiring, but I am still active. That is the difference.

 

That means you do not have any regret leaving the military school?

Never; on this job there are no regrets. It is not that one is perfect, but I have been obedient to what I believe God wanted me to do. And unlike what you would hear about the so-called men of God today, it’s not a question of money it is a question of conviction and doing what you believe God wants you to do.

 

Can you recall some of your classmates who attained the rank of General?

I will start with Isaac Obiakor, the only Igbo person who left but became a four-star General. He only retired three years ago. He is still alive. Meshak Odiare, who died two years ago, got to the rank of Lieutenant General. There is General Idrisu Garba, a Nupe man like me who is still alive. Also, Colonel Obomo is still alive. They are still hanging on there but all retired. Those who went into politics are Senator David Mark and Senator Jonathan Ogbeha, who we called Flying Jones those days in the military school. These two in particular have always supported me. They really encouraged me along the line. I believe God had called me. If you see my face shining, it is Ogbeha, with the support of David Mark. During my 70th birthday, they flew to England and planned a surprise party for me. They got the Archbishop of Canterbury and I wasn’t told.  I was only told two hours before then. They all flew to London. I owe a lot to these two guys: Ogbeha and David Mark.

 

You speak Arabic language fluently, how did you achieve that?

As I said, my calling is to look after the spiritual welfare of men and women in the army. However, when I finished my initial training, the then army chaplain wanted me in the army, but my bishop wanted me to stay and work with him. That was what happened.

By God’s grace I come from the northern part of the country and of the Nupe tribe, so I know that Islam is a major religion. In the Middle Belt, Muslims and Christians almost evenly match, so I felt there was no way we could live together without understanding each other. I had a little bit of Islam at the seminary in Ibadan. And when I went over to England to read Theology at Daram University, I had a special year where I did a course on Islamic Civilisation. It was then that I discovered that Islam is not an illiterate religion. Muslims are not illiterates. It was during my course on Islamic Civilisation that I got to know that Arabs helped to transmit knowledge from the Greek world to the modern world. We talked in terms of the sciences, name it. It was the Muslim leaders that actually helped to transmit Greek to the modern world. But this is not what we hear in Nigeria. That was the first interest. When I finished my undergraduate work I decided to do master’s in Islamic Theology, so I left and came to Birmingham in England. In my class we were about 15 and we had about three doing PhD. Unknowingly, I decided to work at what in Arabic is called Zumma, which is a protected citizen in an Islamic government.

If you are not a Muslim you are a Zumma, which is called Biniyin in Arabic study. I wrote an essay and was presenting it to the class of 19 of us, and suddenly, I could no longer read it and everybody was shocked, so the professor took me out and I was crying. I said, ‘Prof this is my life story as a Christian in Nigeria from the northern part.’ We are talking about the 1970s and early 1980s when we were not the way we are today. Christians in certain parts of the North didn’t have equal treatment, unlike what is happening now, where you may go to Sokoto and whether you are from Sokoto or not, the Sultan makes sure that you have free access to education etc. That was not how I grew up.  I told you that when I clocked 70 years I felt something is wrong. As the Quran states in Chapter 49, God made us male and female from the same parents, Adam and Eve. That’s the language of the Quran. He made us into nations and tribes so that we may understand one another. So I felt I had a mission here; that was when I felt really called to help my fellow Christians and Muslims in the North to know that whether you are a Christian or Muslim, Idoma, Nupe, Hausa or Fulani, we are all created by one God.

The Arabic phrase,  Lita’araf, is the foundation of education in Islam because if you don’t understand you cannot live together. God wants us to use our differences for progress and development. And that is my calling. I felt that in order to understand the mind of a person you must understand her religion. We cannot understand Islam without understanding Arabic language. That’s why I felt like doing Islamic Studies when I wanted to do my master’s. And when I did my ýPhD I did a little bit of Arabic Studies and had to go to Aman in Jordan to brush it up. Because I have not been using it I am forgetting it and my children were laughing at me. So I am going back to writing the words to be able to read. Though I read the Quran, I want to be able to read newspapers and other books because the newspapers and other books do not have vowels. The Quran has vowels, so it is easier for people like me to read. So when you pick a newspaper if you don’t have the vocabulary it will not be easy. I need to be a bridge builder between Muslims and Christians in the northern part of Nigeria; that is my world and why I am where I am today.

 

So it’s not as if you attended any Quranic school at a young age? 

No.

 

Did you develop the interest when you were an adult?

I developed the interest from military school. We had Gbagyi, Idoma, Ebira, Nupe and all that. General Idrisu Garba, who is a Nupe man from Niger State and I, also a Nupe man from Kogi State, became close friends. I even forgot General Samuel Ango, who ýis still here. We all grew up as Nigerians; I never saw Idris as a Muslim, I saw him as a colleague in the army. Ogbeha is Nupe and Mark is Idoma but we never thought along the line of religion or tribe; that is the duty of military school. It’s because of that interest of knowing ourselves very well that I went into Islamic Studies.

 

Coming from a Christian family, did you encounter any form of criticism from immediate family members because of your passion to learn Islam and the Arabic language?

Not from my family members because in my town, Lokoja, Muslims and Christians live together. In fact, one of my sisters’ late husband, Victor Ndalugi and his mother were Muslims. ýWe are mixed. My family members gave me their support and blessings. My major difficulty came from Christians who believed that Muslims were just to be converted. They said I was wasting my time holding dialogue and getting to know them. In fact, they hate me for it; they even called me a Muslim. I don’t know if you read an article written by Adamu Adamu, the present minister of education, where he called me the Muslim bishop. We are very good friends. Within the Anglican Church, they see me as somebody who has missed it, saying I am wasting my time. But I know this is what God has called me to do. God has always protected me; that is why I am still happy and have friends all over.

 

Can you recall your experience in Sokoto as a bishop; was it different from what you have in Kaduna?

Kaduna is very different. Kaduna is a micro Nigeria. When Senator Makarfi was our governor here, I said something I want to repeat here because I see it in the present governor. I said that if it’s the wish of God, whoever governs Kaduna can govern Nigeria. This is because all the major tribes in Nigeria are found here, including the adherents of the two major religions.

For me, it is a special privilege to be a bishop here in Kaduna and look after other eight bishops who make up what is known as Kaduna Province – from Kebbi to Dutse, especially the North-West – apart from Niger. Honestly, whoever wants to become the president of Nigeria, I will encourage him or her to experience governance in Kaduna.  I like Kaduna because it is the centre of learning.

 

Tell us your experience as an Anglican bishop in the seat of Caliphate.

My knowledge of Islam and being able to speak the Hausa language as a Nupe man really helped me in Sokoto. I worked with the late Baba Dasuki. I was a friend to him, so we got on well. He knew that my job was to promote Christianity in Sokoto, so we never had any misunderstanding. He knew all the areas where we were going into. We were going into the rural areas, villages where there was poverty, where you see people who are not even Muslims, where you see people who will tell you that they embraced Islam but without really understanding what the religion is. I taught people like that in the rural areas. For me, these are human beings; I never saw anybody as a Muslim or Christian. I see you as a human being who is to be loved. If I come across any Muslim who wants to know about my faith I easily share, but with understanding because I know how far the Quran presents the image of Jesus. For the Christians, I can talk with him or her about the image of Jesus in the Quran so that he or she can respect others. What really guided and supported our ministry in Sokoto was this culture of respecting people who see God or things differently. God has not called us to fight, no. It is even clearer in the Quran than in the Bible that there is no compulsion in religion.

 

Were you at any time involved in the politics of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN)?

No, I was never involved in their politics. They couldn’t take me as their chairman because I was too hot for them. I would not dance to their tune. Because I was the president of the Christian Council of Nigeria (CCN), which does not include the Pentecostal Fellowship and the Roman Catholic Church, I became a member of the CAN here. The CAN in Kaduna is different, but let’s not go there.

 

Has any of your children followed your footsteps?

Our first born, Ibrahim, is into what they call Human Resources. Our middle son, Dauda died at 24. He was a medical student in England. Our daughter, Ninma is into public health, a brand of medicine. She is working in America. They are very committed to God and Christianity.

 

In your almost five decades of priesthood, what would you say is your most rewarding, as well as challenging experience?

If I have to say it in one sentence, honestly, my joy is what God has used me to do. He has used me to create a culture of respect between the Muslim Ummah and the Christian, as well as promote the culture of peaceful coexistence. You see, the differences are less than what we have in common. I often harp on what we have in common – our values are virtually the same. I say this all the time. Take leadership for example, in the Quran and Hadith and the Bible, there’s no difference about what leadership should be.

Our values are the same, the major difference is in God. Even though Christians believe there is one God, just as Muslims do, Christians say this one God has expressed himself as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. That is how Arab Christians described God. But there are some Christians who will say that Allah is not God; and I will say to them, well you have to explain to the Hausa man what word you want him to use for Godý or explain to an Arab what word you expect him or her to use for God. And I say they should be patient till when we see God because in Islam and Christianity there is judgement, so when we see God he will tell us. Meanwhile, let us work together because there is only one God.

How did you receive ýthe news of your appointment as the chairman of the Peace Commission in Kaduna?

I was expecting a commission because the council of 70 wise women and men that Patrick Yakowa set up recommended Peace and Reconciliation Commission. We recommended that because nothing came out of the previous commission, which I served in. So I was happy when I heard that Governor El-rufai was going to implement some of those recommendations. I was very happy because I thought Kaduna definitely needed it, but I was not expecting myself to be there because I had already accepted a new job in England. I didn’t know that I would be considered, but I thank God because I see it as a privilege.

 

People say you don’t like criticising the government, is it deliberate or just a coincidence. If it’s deliberate, may we know why?

Well, it’s my personality and a result of what I have learnt in history, right from the time of Makarfi, when I actually became a public person, to the present time. If you check, I never said anything negative about anybody in government; rather, I thank God for it. Whenever I feel strongly about an issue, I go straight to the governor and ask him to correct it. I did it with Makarfi, Namadi Sambo, Patrick Yakowa, and I am doing it with Malam Nasir el-Rufai.

I tell the current president what people are saying and ask him to correct it. That is my style. And if they do certain good things, I say it. If there is something I know is not edifying, I will not talk to you openly. It doesn’t help because the ordinary people will not effect the change. It’s you that will effect it, so I come to you. It is a style I have learnt as a Christian. I don’t criticise openly. I am not a big man, so I am not afraid. I say it publicly that I don’t collect money from any of them. I have gone to see the president at least six to seven times and not even a half kobo was given to me; and I don’t need it. At least we eat and chat, and I tell him it’s more than money. This is the problem with religious leaders, when they see you go, they think you are in money. I don’t have money. You can see my retirement house; it is not even painted and we are living in it. I thank God for that and I can look at anybody. I don’t take bribe and I will not encourage it.

 

How would you describe the current work you are doing in England? 

I applied for that job because I felt God was telling me that “you have spent virtually all your years bringing Muslims and Christians together and I have been blessing it. Look at your house, the Anglican Church ýis in crisis, so go.’’ So I applied and didn’t tell my wife because I never knew I stood a chance because it wasn’t zoned to Africa or Nigeria. There were 38 of us that applied from all over the world because the Anglican Church is found in 167 countries. So I didn’t stand a chance until I got a letter inviting me for interview. She asked, “When did this happen? I told her that, “You know I don’t want to be laughed at, and what I have seen convinces me that I have been obedient to God. The Anglican Church needs bridge builders and this is how I see myself.’’

But my heart is here in Kaduna, the centre for the study of Christian-Muslim relations. That is the high point of my ministry. Now, I have 20 Muslims and 20 Christians studying together. What is Islam and who are Muslims? What is ýChristianity and who are Christians? What are the differences and what do they do together? We have 40 students to be graduated and I have the certificates. I am hoping they would do the diploma, God willing.

 

Are you ýusing your current office to redeem the image of the Anglican Church in the face of the crisis you mentioned earlier, which has to do with gay marriage?

Thank you for asking this question, although I was hoping you wouldn’t ask because it’s what we call the fat elephant in the room. Because of my position as the secretary-general of the Anglican Communion, I am privileged to meet with other secretaries in the Roman Catholic Church, Baptist, World Christians Alliance. We are about 35 in the world and we meet once a year.

There is no church that is not facing this problem, and none has found a solution. There is no church that there are no gay people, the different with the Anglican Church is that we debate it openly. We know the position of the Roman Catholic Church.

The Anglican Communion is made up of 40 churches. Chile, Egypt, Jerusalem, United States, Canada, Austria, New Zealand have different cultures, but we all prefer to be Christians. ýToday in England, if you get up as a priest and say you will not welcome any gay, young people will not come to your church. It is as bad as that.

So the church must find a way to say we can’t accept that, but we ýlove you. That is the position of the Anglican Church. That was the position we arrived at in 1998. But there is part of the church, like in Canada, where they married gay people. I can’t stop them because that is what they are doing in their own place. But we will not allow them to come to Ghana, for example, to do the same thing.

So, how do we live with different people? That’s what the Anglican Church is struggling with. In the Roma Catholic Church, the Pope is there, but we know what is happening; they don’t talk about it.

There are homosexuals. You may not endorse what they are doing, but you have to show them love. You remember the woman in the Bible caught as having committed adultery and Jesus said, “Let me see the first person that will throw a stone at her.’’ One by one they left because most of them had committed adultery.

In every church you have miscreants, adulterers and homosexuals; they are even in types. In Nupe we don’t even have a word for homosexuals because we don’t accept it. If you have your child with that kind of thing we know how to keep that child. So you cannot point accusing fingers. This has been my position – I disagree with you but I love you. But don’t force your position on me as I will not force mine on you.

 

You point accusing fingers at people who promote gay lifestyle, but you are stealing and carrying out corruption. The Bible tells you that it is a sin.

I’m not justifying it; I am just answering your question. There is no church that is not struggling with this issue.

 

We are interested in knowing how you met your wife and how you proposed to her.

We met in Zaria and I think she felt I attracted her. We met at her aunt’s home. She was teaching in the School of Nursing, Zaria and I was at Wusasa. I used to be invited as a speaker to various student groups. I didn’t know she was sort of running after me until we met at her aunt’s place. To cut the story short, that was how the relationship started and we discovered that we were related, from my mother’s side.

We are very distant cousins. She comes from Bako family and I come from Fearon family. My mother was Miss Baiki, from Professor Baiki. So that’s how we met and got married in England.

 

At 70 you look very agile, do you do any form of sport?

I played squash

 

What about when you were at the military school?

I used to play a lot of hockey. All these things are by the grace of God.