By Prisca Sam-Duru
Rev (Mrs) Edith Iloh, is a Senior Pastor at Soul Winning Chapel and President, Women Evangelistic Fellowship of the Federation. The  convener  of Operation Hope, who has been very supportive of her husband, Dr Moses Iloh’s Ministry, in this interview, speaks on life as a philanthropist, challenges in the ministry and how women and the Church can assist in redeeming the nation from its many woes. Excerpts.

My background

You already know my name and designation in the Church. Apart from that, I have five children and  grand children and I am the originator of the Operation Hope project which is a programme that caters for the widows, orphans and the needy in the society. I want to quickly add here that without my husband Dr Moses Iloh, I wouldn’t have been any where close to where I am today. I used to be very shy and no one ever caught me speaking in the public , let alone the press. But my husband taught me how to face the world, including driving when it was unheard of  for a woman to drive. And before I knew it, I found myself, plying Lagos to Port Harcourt and Enugu. So far, life has been flowery and the Ministry, progressing.

I have a school which is part of Operation Hope project. The school operates on a free education level and every other thing is free. Parents of the pupils also benefit from the project both in terms of material gifts as well as skill acquisition. I am also involved in the management of the church.

Operation Hope Project

In fact, 80% of the children in the school project are Muslims.Operation Hope is for orphans, widows and the needy  and so, the school accommodates children from the vicinity irrespective of their origin or religious background.However, we hope to spread to other states of the federation in the near future.

Rev and Pastor (Mrs) Iloh

Also, we meet every 2nd Saturday with the over 500 widows in our care during which they are offered food and clothing while every December, we go a step further to add a new piece of wrapper to their gifts so as to enable them make cloths for themselves or their children. We are planning to do something more spectacular the next time we meet and that is to have them tested for cervical cancer which you will agree with me, is a sure woman killer. In addition to offering material gifts, we are looking into how we can help abolish certain customs and traditions that encourage ripping widows off their belongings and other forms of oppression.

Funding the project

Well, I do not get outside help. I just have partners within the church who have been offering great assistance.

Challenges

The first challenge with the project is that of funding and secondly, at the beginning, I had fights with many pastors who thought I was taking away women from their churches through the Women Evangelistic Fellowship international. I am happy however that after the fights, the Pastors started appreciating my efforts because the training the women got paid off. Many of them have discovered their own ministries as a result.

Being a wife and a career woman

Initially, I had a secular job and also held posts in the church and at the same time, involved in activities that took me outside the home.  I combined all that with house keeping. It’s not been easy but I thank God  that my Home is intact, my husband is very supportive and my children are even involved in ministry work.

I guess it’s because I had a good foundation from my parents who were Anglicans that loved God. The gift to carter for the needy was passed down from my parents. So, its not cumbersome at all and I can comfortably say that I am used to it .

The Nigerian situation

Honestly, my expectations were very high when Nigeria got her independence which was when I was in school. I held my head high as a Nigerian. We didn’t feel tribalistic no matter who we got in contact with. I schooled here in Lagos and I was comfortable but unfortunately, things have gone wrong and it seems we do not have a clue what went wrong. It is actually a blessing to be born in Nigerian and in October which is same month as the country but I do not know whether to say it is a blessing still to be a proud  Nigerian. The leaders have so destroyed Nigeria to the extent that everything is on a stand still and unless the monster responsible which is corruption is tackled, we should expect the worst in the country. The situation is more disheartening because the church which is supposed to champion the redeeming of the nation is highly involved in corruption. To save Nigeria from destruction is now in the hands of God and until God intervenes, nothing will work. Do not be deceived, all these men and women pretending to be servants of God, shouting and taking glory where they shouldn’t, cannot make any impact. The church and the home have a big responsibility .  

Most Nigerians are Christians which means that if the church becomes good, the nation automatically will be good. Every member of the church comes from a home largely managed by a woman which means that every home will become good.

How women can create impact in politics

Women shouldn’t join corrupt individuals in power and politics. They are created to be different so they should work differently. Women can single handedly, turn things around for good both in the Christendom and in  Nigeria. I advise that they shouldn’t get into politics or join a particular party because they see others doing so. Rather, they should join politics  for the development of the nation. If women are not ready to be in politics to redeem the nation, they should go back home and take care of it.

The secret of my success

If you start anything without God, it will fail. I never wanted money but I focused on His calling upon my life and His grace has seen me through each day.

It is sad that everything now in most churches is about money. Pastors no longer preach salvation messages but prosperity messages. I was the first Secretary of PFN for over eight  years and Vice Chairman of Lagos state PFN and its National Welfare officer . I can comfortably tell you that this religious body has changed negatively. Even in CAN, members are now beyond correction and that is dangerous which  is why you find 20 thousand members in a church but the pastor is not bothered about how many will make heaven. Church leaders need to rise up and preach the right message.

Regrets

The Nigerian civil war was not necessary. I served as a member of the Red Cross and the horror, the pain and uncountable number of lives lost before my eyes have remained a nightmare. Unfortunately, Nigeria is dancing towards the same road that led to that horrific incidence but I pray that God Almighty will have pity on the few saints here and deliver the nation.