ORIGIN AND HISTORY OF CIVIL CHAPLAINCY AND
PROFRESSIONAL CHAPLAINCY IN NIGERIA.
In the name of the Almighty God, you are
welcome to this piece of work, which is put at your disposal the true account
and history of Civil Chaplaincy, Civil Chaplaincy Practices and Civil Chaplains
in Nigeria.
Experiences have made us to come to an
understanding that if proper documentations are not made at the time events
took place especially by the actors of the events, falsification, distortions
etc, may set in at a later date when the actors may have left the stage and
events are being recorded and history being relayed by third parties
(especially those who never witnessed the actual events).
This historical report or documentation is
not only an eye witness account, but also a historical account of an actor and
a participator in the events of Civil Chaplaincy and practice in Nigeria.
Although Chaplaincy Practice came to the
shores of this land through the Royal British Army, by which Chaplaincy
Practice and Chaplains became known, but restricted to the military formations.
Priests were seconded to the military to act
and serve as Chaplains in the military formations without any Chaplaincy
training other than theological trainings they had received from Seminaries.
Many of such Priests were constricted into
the military and those that were not served as Civilian Priests in the
military.
However, round about the year 1981AD, The
Rev’d Sir Ige OLumide of blessed memory was instrumental in bringing Chaplaincy
training to the general populace of our nation Nigeria, after he had been
trained and commissioned by The Rev’d Dr. Herman Kerk Jr. at the Air Force base
USA.
This happens to be the first time Chaplaincy
came to be taught as a separate course and discipline from theology and
candidates were offered the opportunities to be trained as Chaplains, even
though they were no Clergies.
This training was a preparation for people
who had not been ordained as Clerics for commissioning and recognition by their
various denominations which however, the hurdles of recognition became
summonted.
The effort of Rev. Herman Kerk Jr. in Florida
USA to make Chaplaincy a mission enterprise to make Chaplaincy practice spread
to all nook and cranes of the world, made him to commission Late Sir Ige
Olumide as a Chaplain in the year 1978/79 and made him the adjutant General for
Africa and Asia, precisely in the year 1981.
He and
his friend Archbishop Lawrence Ayo Afilaka become the first set of Civil
Chaplains to put on the white uniform in Nigeria
and Africa, having been influenced by the
uniform of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps. This marks the beginning of the introduction
of uniform to Civil Chaplaincy.
The very first time the military authorities
in Nigeria got to know of the existence of a Chaplaincy Institution in Nigeria
was in the year around 1994, when International Institute of Pastoral Education
and Chaplaincy (IIPEC) was invited for a seminar by the military Chaplains at
Abatti Barracks – Yaba Lagos.
As an eye witness, Archbishop Prof. Mike
David was on the entourage with The Rev’d Dr. Sir Ige Olumide on the lead as
the guest speaker and lecturer.
As soon as we arrived Abatti Barracks, this
fateful day and we were marching in our colourful (white) uniform to the venue
of the lecture, where military Chaplains and Soliders who were trainees in
their denominational seminaries and Bible colleges had been waiting for us, an
order was given by the former Naval Governor of Ondo State – Governor Opaleye -
a Naval Officer for all of us to be locked up in the guard room for putting on
uniforms that resembles that of the Navy.
The saving grace for us this fateful day was
the presences of Gen. Y. Y. Kure RTD of the Nigerian Army on our entourage.
When information reaches Gen. Bako who was the Director of the Army Chaplaincy,
he told the Soldiers to allow us in and this we escaped been locked.
The brilliant performance of late Sir Ige
Olumide as a guest speaker earned the Civil Chaplaincy some respect and dignity
– but the Armed Forces had been at logger-heads with Chaplains who are not
military Chaplains over uniforms and ranks.
In the year 1997AD, the burden to bring
together non-military Chaplains under one umbrella, was becoming stronger on
daily basis.
Chaplains that were produced in our country Nigeria
were in disarray, loosing focus and drifting away from the general purpose
probably because late Sir Dr. Ige Olumide raised Chaplains as para-military
out-fits, other Chaplaincy organizations were coming up, training Chaplains in
the same pattern.
In the year 1997AD, The Most Rev’d Prof. Mike
David, as a pace setter, developed a new curriculum for Chaplaincy and Pastoral
Care-Giving courses along professional pattern; completely civil in orientation
but retaining the physical drills of the officers to keep serving Chaplains in
top form.
After due consultations with Chaplains across
the world and also International Chaplaincy Associations, as well as
organizations, Prof. Mike-David fashioned out a new ranking system in line with
professional organizations with no resemblance or relevance to military ranking
any where in the world.
In the year 2005AD in Lagos
– Shagamu, Ibadan
express way, Archbishop Prof. Mike David organized a four days National Summit
of Chaplains and Pastoral Counselors and Care-Givers, where the idea of
Professional Chaplaincy devoid of military colour and glamour was sold to all
in attendance.
The 2006AD Summit was boycotted by Chaplains and
Chaplaincy organizations who felt the paradigm shift being advocated by
Archbishop Prof. Mike David was going to make them become redundant and
irrelevant.
Archbishop Prof. Mike David’s statement and
assertion that uniform and ranks does not make one a Chaplain was misconstrued,
and the ember of hatred was being found.
Letters was made to various Chaplaincy
organizations and invitations extended to them as stakeholders in Chaplaincy
Profession in Nigeria
for the formation of an umbrella organization.
Sir Ige Olumide and IIPEC rebuffed the move
claiming they will have nothing to do with other Chaplaincy organizations.
Archbishop Afilaka sent a representative only once to the meeting and never
returned.
The membership form issued to the
organization to date was yet to be returned by almost all of them. Instead of Chaplaincy
organizations accepting to come together under one umbrella, each Chaplaincy
organization approached the military for recognition.
However, something significant happened in
the year 2006AD, which raised the hope of Archbishop Prof. Mike David that no
sooner than later the birth of the umbrella body in Nigeria will soon be born.
Precisely, in February 2006AD, the former
head of state, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, who had been commissioned and appointed as
the African representative of American World-wide Chaplaincy Association, by
Chap. Dr. Wom Nam Kim, summoned a meeting of Chaplains including the military
Chaplains in Abuja.
Right at the venue of the meeting, some of
the Chaplains (Civil Chaplains dressed in their white uniform) requested to
identify themselves, for it is strange in Nigeria Armed Forces to dress like a
Naval Officers and yet wear the ranks of Army Officers.
The military authorities were alerted by the
Soldiers on duty and defense Chief called upon the Director of Army Chaplains
(Col. D.D.Danfulani) for explanation and identification of those men in
unauthorized uniforms and ranks.
The Director of Army Chaplains told the
military authorities that, they were the Chaplains invited to the meeting in
progress. Then and only then were they allowed to join their colleagues at the
meeting venue.
In the meeting the demonstration of who and
who is superior in Chaplaincy Practice as demonstrated by representatives of
IIPEC (Dr. Sir Ige Olumide’s outfit) and CFN (Archbishop Afilaka’s outfit)
which lead to free for all fight.
This open hostility demonstrated by these two
rival groups in Chaplaincy, made the military authority to order the Director
of Army Chaplains to have nothing to do with any Civil Chaplaincy organization,
individually until we are able to pull ourselves together as an umbrella body,
fully registered with the Cooperate Affairs according to the land of our land.
The military authorities also condemned the
subtle recognition by Int’l associations wanting control Chaplaincy Practice in
Nigeria from America and Europe.
At the collapse of this meeting, Archbishop
Prof. Mike David intensified his efforts in bringing Civil Chaplaincy
organizations under one umbrella for the benefit of our profession. Many more
Civil Chaplaincy organizations kept on seeking individual recognition of the
military with many of them making serving and returned military officers as
patrons etc.
Each time Archbishop Prof. Mike David visited
the Director of Army Chaplain (Col. D.D. Danfulani) in Lagos, was always encouraging me to go on
puling those Chaplains together as a group.
He was instrumental in sending many Civil
Chaplaincy Organization to me including Bishop Ramson Kelnanah’s group, with
whom we made a commitment to work together with all Chaplaincy groups in the
formation of an umbrella body.
Many past people took advantage of this
dichotomy in Chaplaincy in Nigeria
until they fell victims of the military authorities and the prices they had to
pay for such remains part of their history today.
The gracious God, after ten years of
labourious works amongst colleague Chaplains in Nigeria,
The Fellowship of Civil Chaplains of Nigeria was incorporated in July 19th
2012AD which marks the beginning of a new era in Chaplaincy practice in Nigeria.
Our efforts in the past ten years to bring
all Civil Chaplaincy organizations under one umbrella yielded fruits, as we
were able to pull five Chaplaincy organizations together, incorporated The
Fellowship of Civil Chaplains of Nigeria, with seven members of the Board of
Trustee from the following five organizations:
1.
Global
Chaplaincy Corps.
2.
Chaplains
Fellowship of Nigeria.
3.
Covenant
Chaplains Welfare Networks.
4.
Gracetime
Ministries Chaplaincy Corps.
5.
Universal Christian College of Chaplaincy.
We must be told in very clear terms that this
victory is only the beginning and a stepping stone into Civil Chaplaincy
Profession and Practice in our nation Nigeria.
NB: America has become a nation and
place desired by many to live and work in because the Americans were committed
to making their country what it is today as they cared to develop it. Europe
and Canada
were also developed by their own nationals.
Indigenous
professionals and professions have in no small measure to the development of
their nations and professions as they
helped setting standards for practicing their God-given professions and such
standards have been granted international recognition and acceptance.
Here is our own opportunity as practicing
Chaplains to help develop our God-given profession and at the same time
contributing to the general development of Nigeria.
Individuals or other nationals will not come
to set the standard of practice for us in Nigeria unless we are seeking or
offering ourselves up for re-colonization. God
Forbid bad thing!
THE
FIRST PRESS CONFERENCE AND SEMINAR OF CIVIL CHAPLAINS:
The first ever Press Conference and Seminar
of Civil Chaplains was held February 20th to 21st 2014AD
with fourteen (14) Chaplaincy organizations represented, fifty-six (56)
delegates in attendance spanning through nine (9) States of the federation in Nigeria.
This marks the new beginning in Civil
Chaplaincy in Nigeria and Africa.
Let us all, corporately and severally rise up
to the task of our nation’s building, as we make the needed contribution to
national development. If vision 20 20 20 is to be a reality, Chaplains must
also play their part. If Nigeria
will attain the MDG set-goals for 2015AD, Chaplains must play their part.
You have an invitation from Archbishop Prof.
Mike David to join forces with pace setters and let us together develop
Chaplaincy without contending with the military.
Chap.
Prof. Mike
