By Sam Eyoboka and Olayinka Latona

BORN in Kaduna on August 25, 1946, Archbishop (Professor) Adebayo Dada Akinde spent his formative years there even though his parents were of Egba (father) and Sierra Leonean (mother) extractions. Akinde, an electronics engineer and computer scientist, earned a B.Sc. degree in electronics from the then University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University).

He  proceeded to the UK to obtain an M.Sc and Ph.D in electrical engineering and computer science (hardware) from the University College, London, and University of Sussex, Brighton, UK, respectively. While at Ile-Ife he pursued an academic career, first in the Department of Electronics and Electrical Engineering, and then in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering. At different times between 1983 and 1993, he served as acting head and substantive head of Department of Computer Science and Engineering. Akinde was elected Archbishop of Lagos Mainland Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) in 2012. On August 23, he is  retiring in line with the constitution of the church on attainment of 70 years.  In this interview, Akinde   reminiscences on his ministry and next line action after retirement.

Ten years ago a computer engineer was drafted from his workshop to an ecclesiastical duties. How was the transformation and how has the journey been?

Archbishop, Prof. Akinde

I have spent in the church, literally, all my life. From age 10, I came under the influence of the pioneer Bishop of the then old Egba-Egbado Diocese, the late Jonathan Shoremi Adeniyi. Whatever I got engaged, service to the church of God was part of it. All the time I was working as a computer engineer, as a teacher, professional, public servant, I was also involved in the church. But I must say that in 1979, I asked for ordination and I got ordained into the  ministry in the Anglican Communion.  Going full time only afforded me more time to be in God’s service. Coming to the church was not in 2006 actually but in 2000 when I served as Provost in the Cathedral of St. Peter’s, Ake.  I served there for almost six years.

I have learnt lessons which I could never have learnt anywhere else coming into the full time service in the Anglican Communion. I happen to be the pioneer Bishop of the Lagos Mainland Diocese and I have to put the necessary structures in place. Having to manage the diversity in the membership is another challenge. Of course the public and social image of the office posed their own challenges as well. And having to get involved in advocacy, justice and social issues more than ever before was another challenge but in everything, we have every cause to thank God.

What values would you say your coming in as full-time minister brought to the Anglican Communion at the time you did?

I have never depended on my own ability or wisdom or competence in our accomplishment. Working in the position that one is, is a highly spiritual matter. It is completely different from the secular, it has not much to do with your intellect, attainment, accomplishment, academic, financial, material whatsover but more of openness to God, dependence on God, obedience to God and of course arming oneself with the word of God.

To your question, coming into the episcopacy has taught me to be more prayerful.  And having a Ph.D or being a professor has not hindered my exposure to God. If anything, the privilege God has given me in the course of my academic pursuit has made me to believe and fear God more. This God we serve is an awesome God. I have always said it that the inspiration that earned me the Ph.D degree in the United Kingdom, I got in the course of His service.

I had a scientific problem and had been racking my brain, reading, consulting but it was in a service on a Sunday that clear ideas of a new dimension came in and I remember having to quickly scribble it down. This was unusual, it must have been from the Holy Spirit Himself. The greatest teacher, the comforter was ministering to me and I quickly wrote it down and that was how I made the breakthrough in my Ph.D research in engineering. Being a scientist does not preclude my belief in God, for me, my belief in God.

Some scientists do question the existence of God. It wasn’t so for you?

I am a scientist; and by His grace, I am not an ordinary scientist. I am an accomplished scientist and my faith in God has enhanced my work. I never had  conflict. I know the limits of my intellectual capacity which is infinitesimally small when compared to the unlimited intellect of God. Those who say they are scientists and want to subject spiritual things to scientific scrutiny are deluding themselves. That is the intellectual confusion obtainable in the West now. What we see happening there in terms of human sexuality is a classical example of intellectual confusion among people suffering from the loss of Christian memory. The White people (specifically the Church of England) brought Christianity to us. They brought the Bible to us and they were scientists. In the 18th century, eminent scientists who were Christians existed then. They never queried the supremacy and sovereignty of God. So what is happening now is intellectual confusion and it is a manifestation that they have lost their Christian memory.

Your low and high moments in the ministry

I never ministered in Lagos until I came in as the Diocesan Bishop. The bulk of my ministry had been in the rural areas; the closest I was, was in my native town of Abeokuta which was not a village anyway and it was a preparation ground. Coming to Lagos from Abeokuta, I saw things being done on a different level completely. Every service in Lagos, there is a printed programme, exotic, elaborate; whereas in our native town, if we must, it must be for a purpose but in Lagos, being a cosmopolitan place, I had  to quickly adjust and I thank God for helping me to adjust. Secondly, I never knew, until I came to Lagos that there were rumblings with tribal connotation in the church of God. I believe what Galatians 3:28 says:  “There is neither Jew nor Gentiles, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus”. Coming from the academic environment, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife where I spent most of my life, and being an academic environment, world class global standard, nobody talks about tribes, about race, about creed or such pedestrian issues. What mattered is your brain, your contributions. I found  this wrangling strange. When we came in and I found out that it was an issue, I  consulted the Lord on how to handle the situation and I thank God that there has been peace in the Diocese and, by the grace of God, the Diocese will continue to know peace.

Serving God is independent of tribe, parochial interest, creed,  sex, or status. God has created male and female, the high, the mighty, the lowly. And the more we open ourselves to the spirit of God, the less of these non-essential considerations. You will find out interestingly that one of the final prayers of Jesus Christ while on earth was: ‘That they may be one just as God the father and Himself were one’. Unity in the church of God should be a routine thing; division, quarrelsome are indicative of spiritual immaturity and carnality. That is the truth. If you are taller than I, you cannot be shorter than I again. I will be shorter than you and I have defeated you in that aspect. Tall or short, fat or slim are all creatures of God and in Christ we have to be one.

Despite all the efforts to ensure unity in the church, mundane things still thrive probably not only in Mainland Diocese but also in the Archdiocese of Lagos. We still have issues over Igbo, Yoruba, Urhobo, Isoko churches. Why is it like that?

When you have such divisions and wrangling, it is  an indication of carnality, that is, worshipping God but carrying out our Christianity in the flesh and in carnality. It is a sign of spritual immaturity. A mature Christian doesn’t know whether someone is white, tall, short and all those things. And if you look around, it is in Christendom that you will find a fat man that will marry a lady that is a twiggy and they will be happy or you find the wife tall and the husband short in stature and they did not look at the physical before taking their decisions. It is when one is carnal that the emphasis is laid on the physical; the more spiritual we are, the more obedient we are to God and the more of Christ will be seen in us.

Ten years down the line now, are there things you wish you have more time to do which you are unable to do?

I had never had an agenda of my own. I was called by God and was brought to office by Him and as such I have to run God’s agenda for the church. And as much as God reveals an assignment to us, I put in my very best to accomplish it. I have not been perfect, but I strive to give God the best of my endeavour. From that perspective, I never had an agenda of myself. Usually the first three days in December, every year, I try to be alone with God. If I know the period will be busy, I use the last three days in November, to seek God’s mind for me in the coming year and I quickly note such things down. Let me take you to the Bible, God has said whenever we come to Him and ask Him for something, He will not deny us if we ask aright.

My job here is not about myself but the church and God who is the owner of the church. Then I go to Him every time to ask what He wants me to do and He gives the revelation, directives and, whenever God gives me an agenda and the resources are not available, I go back to Him and cry to Him for the resources. I will give you an example.  All the major projects that we have undertaken in the Anglican Diocese of Lagos Mainland, I  never levied any church in the Diocese because I will never embark on a project if God did not give the go ahead. Take this diocesan headquarters for example, the building is by the clear leading of God and at the time we laid the foundation, the total money we had in the Diocese was N3 million and, by the time we completed and furnished it, we had spent over N100 million. People came in and gave as I prayed for provision. There was a particular man who started with half a million; a month after, he sent another one. This was a man in his 80s. Few months again without any solicitation he added N1 million and I said ‘baba you are giving us another money’, and he said the church of God must be completed.

When you run God’s agenda in God’s church, you will have the courage to ask God for resources when the need arises and He will answer.

The Bishop is going on retirement but it is obvious he is not tired…

I have to go at 70. It is a constitutional provision of my church and I really want to go. I know God is still leading us to continue to serve Him in some   other ways. By His grace I can never do without His work. I have been a minister all the way but I will still be serving God. I believe God that He can still use us more in my professional field in this country and beyond.

What will you be doing in retirement?

I am going back to my first love, science and technology advocacy. The truth of the matter is that no nation can make meaningful and sustainable development without credible, solid foundation in science and technology. I have trained all my learning life in that sphere of knowledge, science and technology and I want to get into it for the benefit of mankind. We need to promote science and technology, we must as a nation generate wealth (money); we are too much of a consuming nation, we consume products that other nations produce. Nothing should stop Nigerians from producing, consuming at home as well as exporting.

In developed countries, the bulk of what they use within their nation is produced locally. We import almost 95 per cent of our automobile needs. I don’t know the proportion in health but I know we import heavily even things as common as dressing materials. We must begin to make money; when you import, you take your own money to keep the citizens of other nations at work, you keep their factories going, and their citizens are gainfully employed whereas ours are idling away, unemployment is almost going through the roof in our country and I did not think Nigeria is a wealthy nation. So the limited wealth that we have is a situation that we now have to cart a sizeable proportion of it out for failure to produce locally needs. There must be reversed. We must start making wealth, generate things locally: vehicles; even aircraft. Nigeria has people with knowledge to do some of these things. There are Nigerians doing these things abroad. There are Nigerians in NASA.  Why can’t they come and do it in our native country?

Is any of your children taking to ministry?

God blessed us with three young men and none of them has taken after us in the ministry but all three of them are involved in the church. They are church workers not paid as church workers but working in the church of God.

How does it feel being the Bishop of the mother of the Vice President of Nigeria?

It is a privilege and we must thank God. The mother of the Vice President is a committed Christian, a dedicated child of God, an excellent church woman. Even in her capacity as the mother of the Vice President, it has not changed her Christian activities. Mama Osinbajo still comes to bible study, prayer sessions on Sundays as long as she is around. An hour before the commencement of the service, Mama would have been in the church. Her son, being the Vice President, has not diminished her Christian activities and these become more appreciable because she is an octogenarian. She just loves her God.