Pastor Kumuyi and Africa’s Quest for Servant-leaders

Banji Ojewale

Most of us agree with Chinua Achebe, Africa’s late literary colossus, that Nigeria’s chief post-Independence headache has been the challenge of leadership. He said in his 1983 book, The Trouble with Nigeria: ‘’The trouble with Nigeria is simply a failure of leadership… The Nigerian problem is the unwillingness or inability of its leaders to rise to the responsibility, to the challenge of personal example which are hallmarks of true leadership… Nigerians are what they are only because their leaders are not what they should be…’’

There’s a web of follow-up posers here as we are moved to step into the next stage of the conversation.

The questions to be addressed: What’s the manner of leadership deficit? Are concerns arising from restrictions to leadership along the lines of age, gender, religion, tribe, politics, education etc.? In other words, are we having issues because we’ve introduced too many rules that won’t offer many qualified hands to get into the leadership loop? They’re stopped long before the game even starts. Or is our concept of the matter so ultra-restrictive that we have settled for what I term ‘generational leadership’, that says only family circles and cronies can be in power on a turn-by-turn basis ad infinitum? Of course, none of these ‘models’ has been fruitful or helpful. They have brewed more trouble to lead many to correctly ask that they be displaced altogether for productive options.

Therefore, we were all drawn to Pastor William Folorunso Kumuyi, General Superintendent of Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM), when he spoke on leadership at the Federal University, Wukari, Taraba, a state in North-east of Nigeria, during the March 2024 edition of his Global Crusade with Kumuyi (GCK). He introduced a new feature of GCK, namely, The VIP Forum, to discuss the topic, “The Marks of the Perfect Model of a Servant-Leader.” He had an elite audience: Taraba State Governor, Dr. Agbu Kefas, one of his predecessors, Jolly Nyame, top government officials, university professors, industrialists, administrators, professionals, religious leaders and traditional rulers, among several others.

Kumuyi served them a cocktail, which he counsels is conditional to salutary leadership in all spheres of human activity: political office, civil service, industry, religion, home, academics, etc. He strategically interrogates the question of leadership, which, currently, is a burning issue, in all facets of Nigeria and Africa. And truly, no part of humanity may claim it isn’t in need of beneficial and imaginative guidance from those in authority. It is at the point of leadership that society falls or stands, fails or succeeds, flounders or sails. The fabric of leadership determines the judicious (or otherwise) of management of a people’s resources. Your riches would end in misery under a bad manager. But where there are meagre means, a creative and self-denying helmsman can create the needed wealth and opportunities for the greatness of the people.

And this is why the General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry isn’t talking about leadership without accompanying it with servanthood. What he’s simply insisting is that you can’t have a successful leader who, in practical terms, isn’t stooping. He must stoop to conquer.

Pastor Kumuyi’s spontaneous constituency is the Church and its Leader, Jesus Christ. That’s where the evangelist himself has, all his celebrated life, drawn his own guiding principles. So it’s not strange that Kumuyi raises Him as the perfect Model of the Servant-Leader he’s talking about. But let’s be quick t warn that the discourse is not about religion or its activities. Nor is it about denominational and sectarian leadership. Instead, it has to do with knowing the attributes that made Christ the Supreme Servant-Leader. Today’s leaders, Kumuyi advises, must also possess those qualities for they and those they’re leading to be of mutual benefit. What are some of these traits?

Leaders must be upright. The cleric says: ‘’You cannot be perfect without being upright, and you cannot be upright without being perfect.’’ He refers to Christ as that Perfect Leader, Who on account of that all-encompassing rectitude, succeeded in all other areas. Our leaders must also possess this moral (spiritual) bulwark. Leaders with a moral arsenal, Kumuyi argues, would have the chief priority of selfless service, as Christ had, ‘’because many things will call for your attention, but your priorities make you a leader…If you mark the model of Jesus as our perfect leader, we must have a priority (to serve society and the citizens with all energy and heart).’’

Some acclaimed Kumuyi quotes on servanthood in leadership at the session: ‘’In our leadership positions, we must do something redemptive and something that rescues people from where they are to where they ought to be…If you are succeeding, you must have successors, otherwise all the success will be burned after you are gone…As a leader, you should have successors that you do not hide your success secrets or techniques for doing good from.”

Now, Kumuyi may be throwing all these pieces of teachings at us at his GCK outreaches and during meetings right there in his Deeper Life Bible Church. A religious atmosphere may be the context of his declarations. But when we closely study them, they are lessons we need beyond the precincts of worship places; we need them more for ourselves and for those put in charge of overseeing the institutions of man. We need them individually in the home and in the community and in our professions as well as in our respective ministries.

Why this man of God is himself honoured here in Africa and worldwide is because he’s moved of God to strive to practise what he teaches. Many were surprised at the Taraba GCK in Wukari that for the first time, the event featured an international Medical Mission.

Impressed by the leadership profile of Kumuyi, some 20 medical doctors, 30 nurses, and over 25 other professionals, like pharmacists, dentists, laboratory scientists, etc. from USA, UK and Nigeria decided to key into Kumuyi’s vision and provide free medicare for the crusade participants and the people of Wukari.

The takeout here is that a truly serving leader not only improves the lot of his people but also, he is able to draw kindred spirits to his country, who will add value to the land for enduring progress, peace and prosperity.

In Nigeria and Africa, we can change the paradigm for good as our leaders rejig themselves and we all work hard to reform the (s)election process for leaders.

•Ojewale is an author and journalist in Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria.

Yahaya Bello and the EFCC Quandary: The Devil is in the Details

Ayoola Ajanaku

The dust is yet to settle, following the efforts of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to arrest the immediate past governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello last week, on the heels of the anti-graft agency preparation to arraign him over corruption charges. This development is more than what meets the eye, as it’s laden with intricate details that are the kernel of this lucid treatise.

The attempt to arrest the ex-governor led to the gestapo like siege to his residence located in Wuse Zone 4, FCT earlier. Officials of the EFCC cordoned off the road and entrance to the residence of the former Kogi State governor for most of Wednesday.

Despite the heavy presence of EFCC operatives around Bello’s residence, his successor in office, Usman Ododo, paid him a solidarity visit. Ododo arrived the erstwhile helmsman’s residence in the afternoon and was cheered by the loyalists of the former governor who were present to give support to their embattled principal.

Also, while the siege on Bello’s residence was still on, two conflicting court rulings emerged in respect to the attempt to arrest of the former governor by the EFCC. One of the rulings, which came from a Kogi State High Court sitting in Lokoja, restrained the EFCC from arresting, detaining or prosecuting Bello.

Justice I.A Jamil, who gave the order in a ruling last week, stated that infringing on the fundamental human rights of the former Kogi helmsman is null and void except as authorised by the Court.

“By this order, the EFCC is hereby restrained from arresting, detaining and prosecuting the applicant except as authorised by the Court.

“This is a definite order following the earlier interim injunction given,” he averred.

In another twist in the yoyo-like locomotion of multiple judicial pronouncements, however, the EFCC obtained permission from the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja to arrest the ex-Kogi State governor in preparation to his arraignment on Thursday.

Justice Emeka Nwite granted the warrant this afternoon at the instance of the EFCC.

Love or hate Yahaya Bello, the pertinent questions begging for answers in this litigation are:

The EFCC had in March indicted Yahaya Bello, in an alleged diversion of about N100 billion, an offence said to have been committed months before he assumed office as governor in September 2015. If any third party dissects the budgetary appropriation of Kogi State and it’s IGR dispassionately then the numbers do not add up. The former helmsman met a humongous liabilities and backlog of non-serviced facilities accruing to the Confluence State that had to be serviced. The pervasive prevarication that colossal funds found it’s way into his pockets amount to ‘Alice in Wonderland’ tales.

The anti-graft agency had joined Yahaya Bello in the amended suit alongside the Chief of Staff to Kogi State Governor, Alli Bello, and one Daudu Suleiman, who was re-arraigned by the anti-graft agency before Justice James Omotoso of the Federal High Court, Abuja.

The ex-governor was not a defendant in the original suit, and was not in court on the said day.

Justice Omotoso had granted an accelerated hearing in the matter and had also ordered that all forms of objections must be kept in abeyance till the address stage and the charge were read to them.

In the first count, the former governor, and the two suspects were accused of conspiring with each other in September 2015 and converting N80, 246, 470, 089 to their personal use. For contextual and editorial alignment, the goalposts of allegations have witnessed shifting and amendments.

What court Order did the EFCC appeal against as well as the reason behind it?

It is a cogent fact in public domain that the EFCC appealed against the Order granted on the 9th of February, 2024 by the High Court of Kogi State, the said order was an order restraining the EFCC from inviting, arresting or detaining the Applicant vide Notice of Appeal filed on 26th February, 2024.

Also, the EFCC further asked for a stay of  Execution of the Interim Order at the Court of Appeal on 21st of March,  2024, which request was refused by the Court of Appeal.

However, on the 6th of March, 2024, in defiance of the interim Orders and their own pending appeal against the interim Order, the EFCC proceeded to prefer a 17 Count(s) Charge before Justice Nwite of the Federal High Court against Yahaya Bello.

The EFCC went further to resort to self help when on the 17th of March, 2024, it approached the same Federal High Court, Abuja, via an Ex-parte application and without informing the said court of the interim Order and their pending appeal against the interim order, to obtain an arrest warrant against the same person in respect of whose Order they had appealed to the court of appeal.

Akin to the above, if indeed the EFCC has nothing to conceal, why are they trying to muddle up the issues on account of the main judgement that was also subsequently delivered in the same High Court of Kogi State without recourse to the interim order that they appealed against and requested to be stayed, which request was refused?

The EFCC claims to have extended invitation to Yahaya Bello’s quarter immediately after his tenure elapsed on January 27th 2024. He has challenged the anti-graft agency to produce a copy of this invitation, including the delivery date and the recipient’s name and endorsement. There’s confidence on his part that they cannot provide ample evidence to this effect.

This sudden attempt at trying to confuse unsuspecting public with sentimental press statements and mug shot poster emblazoned with wanted message in capital letters. These actions intended to impugn and malign Yahaya Bello would not help them clear the infraction and abuse of the judicial process to give a dog a bad name to hang it. It’s a recurring decimal and standard MO of the anti-graft agency to embark on the route of smear campaign on suspects in a bid to gain an edge in the court of public opinion.

Again, by the admission of EFCC to the effect that they were at the Court of Appeal on the matter, and at the same time, approached a Federal High Court without informing the court of the subsisting order and appeal, is an admission of abuse of judicial process, and a fraudulent deceit of the court that has led it to granting conflicting Orders while appeal was pending.

This approach is a grave infraction of due process of law, subsequently, the statement issued by the learned counsel representing EFCC in the said matter amounts to trying to justify the infraction in a media trial which is unethical and not allowed or recognized in the legal profession.

The NJC should seriously investigate this matter as the conduct of the EFCC lawyer is clearly unethical and smirks of “Jankara” and “Boju Boju” practice of circumventing due course of the law.

The EFCC had appealed the order on March 11, 2024 and sought a stay of execution in Appeal No: CA/ABJ/CV/175/2024: Economic and Financial Crimes Commission v. Alhaji Yahaya Bello. The Court of Appeal did not grant the stay of execution, but fixed yesterday for hearing.

The appeal, however, failed to take place as the registrar told journalists that the appeal was not listed among the cases for the day.

The latest development in this jurisprudential tango, the embattled immediate past Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello said he was ready to appear before the Federal High Court in Abuja to answer to the 19-count charge the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, preferred against him.

Though Bello was absent for his arraignment, he briefed a team of lawyers who addressed the court on his behalf on Tuesday. A member of his legal team, Mr. Adeola Adedipe, SAN, told the court that his client would have made himself available for the proceedings, but all he clamours for is the strict adherence to the rule of law.

“The defendant wants to come to court but he is afraid that there is an order of arrest hanging on his head,” Adedipe, SAN, submitted.

Consequently, he urged the court to set aside the exparte order of arrest it earlier issued against the former governor.

Adedipe, SAN, contended that as at the time the order of arrest was made, the charge had not been served on his client as required by the law.

He noted that it was only at the resumed proceedings on Tuesday that the court okayed substituted service of the charge on the defendant, through his lawyer.

“As at the time the warrant was issued, the order for substituted service had not been made. That order was just made this morning.

“A warrant of arrest should not be hanging on his neck when we leave this court,” counsel to the defendant added.

Time will tell where the pendulum will swing, as Yahaya Bello is fighting a battle of his life to untangle himself from the charges filed by the Nigeria’s anti-graft agency earlier that has caught the attention of all and sundry.

In a nutshell, the pontification of prominent Lutheran pastor in Germany, Martin Niemoller rings a bell in this scenario. “First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out -because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out – because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me – and there was no one left to speak for me.”

Regardless of his exact words, Niemöller’s message remained consistent: he declared that through silence, indifference, and inaction worse things happen. Alas, reverse is the case in this part of the world, as an individual is not presumed innocent until proven guilty. The hounds and irate mob are out and baying for blood aided by apparatus of power with a predetermined ploy to have Yahaya Bello’s head on a plate via the guillotine.

•Ayoola Ajanaku is a Communications and Advocacy Specialist based in Lagos, Nigeria.