Pastor Gabriel Adewuyi was an Assistant Pastor in Charge of Region 45 and Pastor in charge of FCT Province 2 of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Abuja until recently when he was promoted and transferred to Akwa Ibom state as Pastor in Charge of Region 57. In an interview with our correspondent as APICR, he shares his opinion on the development in the church amongst others. Excerpts.
Can we meet you, Sir?
My name is Pastor Gabriel Olukunmi Adewuyi. I am the pastor in charge of FCT Province 2.
Since the creation of the new region, what has been your experience so far? Has there been any difference or similarity from when you were under Region 10?
There’s no way that there won’t be a different experience because in Region 10, I was PICP while in Region 46, I am now the APICR. So, there is no way there won’t be any difference. As a matter of fact, when you are PICP, you pay attention to only your province but when you are the APICR, you have to create attention for the region. Even though you are an assistant to the pastor in charge of the region, you have to share responsibilities and fill in the gap in situations where he is not available. This is the major difference that I faced due to the creation of the new region.
When the region was created, surely there must have been some challenges. How were you able to overcome these challenges?
There may not necessarily be many challenges as far as the region is concerned because the regional headquarters is a settled place. As a matter of fact, I was the pastor in charge of the church before it was taken over to become the regional headquarters. It is a big church that is very well designed. The pastor in charge of Region moved in with little or no problems. Although, it is inevitable that when someone goes to a new place, he carries along his philosophy and beliefs, so the new pastor put some things in place upon his arrival. The region comprises of 6 provinces, all of which are old provinces. And this reduces the stress on our hands. Personally, I wouldn’t say that there was any major challenge in regards to the new province.
You mentioned that you play a double role as a PICP and the APICR. How do you cope with these responsibilities without affecting your role to your immediate family?
It is all about maturity and when you are a mature person, you balance things. And how do you balance things? When there is a call from the region, you perform your duties efficiently. When it comes to your province, you go about your assignment judiciously and the work is easier since you are more familiar with the people. In respect to my family, all my 4 children are grown-ups. The last born is a graduate from the university so there is no restriction to me performing my functions properly. My wife and I are the only ones based in Abuja so I don’t have any challenge as far as the family is concerned.
We have learnt that in Abuja, there are different groups of people with regards to social class. How are you able to relate with the people of the higher class without friction?
I have been in the province now for 4 years and I have operated without any friction. Because when you are a pastor, you must respect people. It is because those particular people are there that’s why you are able to become a pastor. They will respect you only when you respect them. When you respect people, they will follow you.
As a pastor, if you respect your people, they will understand your vision thereby working alongside with you to achieve it. I have never had any issue with any of the pastors. The issue of ego and pride is not there because I don’t have ego myself. By the grace of God, people have commended me for my style of administration especially on my humility. So, when you are humble, people will follow you easily. If you are proud and have ego, the people will also prove to you that they can handle you. Up until this moment, there has been no issue in the province. There are well to do people in the church but we flow together harmoniously. This is only possible by the grace of God.
How can you describe the achievements of the region in the last one year in terms of growth, attendance, finance, etc.? And what are the prospects of moving higher?
I may not be able to say much on that because, number 1, I am not the regional pastor. Number 2, I’m not the regional admin. They are the ones who have all the information as far as the 6 provinces under the region are concerned. I only have information about my own province. And by the grace of God, we have been doing tremendously well both in finance and attendance. We handed the province to the hand of God and He has never failed us.
We all know that the country is currently facing some economic challenges. In terms of CSR, how has your church been able to impact people’s lives?
By the grace of God, we have done a lot in respect to CSR to help the people. In our parishes, we have feeding programs, irrespective of how little it might be. But specifically at the provincial level, last December, we distributed sowing machines to 23 beneficiaries and the cost of one was over 70 thousand naira. On another occasion, we distributed grinding machines to 23 beneficiaries and also awarded scholarships to 23 students (one from each zone). We have also distributed food items to widows and the less privileged in our society. We have even organized a Youth Empowerment Program where the young people learnt various skills and all this was done free of charge. In other words, the province sponsored it. God has really helped us a lot in the church as far as CSR is concerned.
What message do you have for your members that they should be expecting in respect to the new Redeemed calendar year that begins in September?
The present calendar is going to end in August. We don’t know where we would find ourselves in September. As a full timer, I have already spent 4 years in FCT 2 and there is a likely chance that I will be transferred to another church before September. Therefore, I cannot say anything about the church’s expectations.
When you eventually leave the church, what do you want the pastors and the people to remember you for?
Remember me ke? I personally don’t think about such. When people benefit from your ministry, you are not the one that will say what they will remember you for. They are the ones that will remember you for what they have gained from your ministry. So I cannot say in particular that this is what I want people to remember me for.
Based on what you have earlier said, as a leader you have impacted lives in terms of infrastructure, human development and so on. And as we all know, the country is facing some issues caused by the leadership which is affecting the citizens. In your own opinion, how can you assess the quality of leadership we have in Nigeria?
You are already taking me out of my jurisdiction. Nigeria is a complex country to rule. It is complex in terms of ethnicity, geographical zones, economy, politics and so many other things. When you look at it, the current president took over a country that was collapsing. And when a country is collapsing, the first thing you do is to stabilize it. Up till this moment, the country is not stable. Nigeria is a blessed country but we are suffering even in the midst of plenty which is not supposed to be.
Years ago while I was in school, we ate 3-square meals that were free of charge but in today’s society, an average worker can barely feed himself thrice a day. Nigeria has become a country filled with so many challenges. How will the country develop? Talking about the president, aging is a major factor. Because when you are aging, the way you handle things will be different. But when you are young and agile, your thinking is faster. The recent protest was to sensitize the government that the people are suffering. Regardless, there is hope for Nigeria because we are God’s own people and we should all continue to remember her in our prayers.
Last year, the General Overseer of the RCCG proposed a ten-year soul winning plan called Vision 2032. What is your province doing to make this vision a reality?
By the grace of God, we have conducted about 2 or 3 training programs for our pastors so that they can share the vision as our leader, the G.O., has given it to us. I have gathered all categories of pastors and even workers, shared the vision and we are moving along with the vision. And God has been helping us tremendously in fulfilling this vision.
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