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Ituah Ighodalo is a seasoned Accountant and the popular Pastor of Trinity House, a mega church on the Lagos Island. He is loved by many for his aura, simplicity and intelligence. Aside these, he also has a very friendly disposition. The paramount concern of this cleric is moral decadence in Nigerian children and he’s on the forefront of Operation Critical Rescue, an initiative for parents and teachers. In this interview with Sunday Sun, he reflects on the genesis of moral decadence in today’s youths, his own lifestyle amongst other issues.
Does your childhood have anything to do with your passion for erring youths?
I never had any challenges while growing up. I had a very balanced upbringing. My parents were very disciplined and financially comfortable. They were strict but they also encouraged us to be independent. I’m a pastor and leader, I’m involved in Nigeria, and I’m concerned about Nigeria. I deal with children, teenagers and adults who need psychosocial help.
What would you say is the basis of moral decadence among youths? Do you blame parents, teachers or the media?
The rot starts at the head and it’s not just in Nigeria; it’s all over the world. Narcotics business is big and thriving. Drug barons don’t care, they just want to make their money and unless we have very strong leadership which can drive home the message, we’ll continue to have problems. But we are not going to relent. What we are trying to do in our Critical Rescue Mission is to begin to speak and deal with juvenile delinquents and preach this gospel all over the place. If you know how many people out there who are not okay, who are dealing with one issue or the other like the driver, the houseboy, the housemaid taking advantage of a young child, you’ll be amazed.
The statistics is unbelievable and these children are adults now and are imbalanced. When you say a lasso is promiscuous in those days, you just think she’s just being naughty but now, I know parents are to be blamed and it’s not her fault. A particular girl said to me she couldn’t stop having sex.
I asked her why, especially as she’s a Christian and we have taught godly living and she retorted “How can I stop what started at age three, it’s in my blood and I can’t think of any other thing”. I don’t know how she’s coping with her husband today, as I haven’t seen her in a long while.
Does your childhood have anything to do with your passion for erring youths?
I never had any challenges while growing up. I had a very balanced upbringing. My parents were very disciplined and financially comfortable. They were strict but they also encouraged us to be independent. I’m a pastor and leader, I’m involved in Nigeria, and I’m concerned about Nigeria. I deal with children, teenagers and adults who need psychosocial help.
What would you say is the basis of moral decadence among youths? Do you blame parents, teachers or the media?
The rot starts at the head and it’s not just in Nigeria; it’s all over the world. Narcotics business is big and thriving. Drug barons don’t care, they just want to make their money and unless we have very strong leadership which can drive home the message, we’ll continue to have problems. But we are not going to relent. What we are trying to do in our Critical Rescue Mission is to begin to speak and deal with juvenile delinquents and preach this gospel all over the place. If you know how many people out there who are not okay, who are dealing with one issue or the other like the driver, the houseboy, the housemaid taking advantage of a young child, you’ll be amazed.
The statistics is unbelievable and these children are adults now and are imbalanced. When you say a lasso is promiscuous in those days, you just think she’s just being naughty but now, I know parents are to be blamed and it’s not her fault. A particular girl said to me she couldn’t stop having sex.
I asked her why, especially as she’s a Christian and we have taught godly living and she retorted “How can I stop what started at age three, it’s in my blood and I can’t think of any other thing”. I don’t know how she’s coping with her husband today, as I haven’t seen her in a long wh∫
It’s the grace of God. I don’t do anything out of the ordinary. I watch what I eat. I drink a lot of water and take life easy.
How do you relax when you are not preaching?
I spend time with my wife and children. I don’t consider my job too demanding or stressful, so I don’t need to unwind from it. Of course, I need to rest, because the body needs rest but I don’t consider my life stressful.
You have seen a lot as a minister of God. What has life taught you?
First, life has taught me I must fear God, love Him and work hard. Secondly, it’s what you give to life that life gives back to you. It’s called the law of harvest. Thirdly, there must be a commitment to love people; to look after people and be concerned. It’s what you do for people that live after you not what you do for yourself.
At what point did moral decadence begin in our national life?
These problems started about 30 to 40 years ago, when some parents started missing it and when some leaders started misbehaving, when Nigeria became really hectic, and some parents knew that children couldn’t learn on their own but did little about it. When I was growing up, my father used to wake us up at 5am to say our prayers, do our chores, make our beds, brush and have a quick breakfast before heading to school.
By 2pm, my father would leave whatever he was doing and come to pick me up in school and if he couldn’t take me home he would take me to his office, sit me down and we would be looking at each other until just before 5pm when he took me home. By 6:30pm, my mother would be back home from work and guess what? You must be waiting for her to arrive and as she was coming, you were to meet her by the car, open the door, carry her bag and follow her into the house.
As she relaxed, changed her dress and ate you would have to be by her side. After dinner, she would then tell you to go out and play but you must be back to the house by 7pm. Unfortunately, parents after her generation are just running up and down, struggling for money. These parents need to be talked to.
You really look stylish, does it have to be designer’s?
Not necessarily. I just wear things that suits me, things that I’m comfortable in. Most of the things I wear are just simple. I’m comfortable in most things. Some are designer’s no doubt but it’s not a question of whether it’s a designer’s or not. It’s about what it looks like and whether it fits. Most days, I dress according to my mood, and where I’m going, because I can find myself at Muson Centre and the next minute I’m at Sheraton or Aso Rock. The next minute, I can find myself in church and the next minute I’m preaching the gospel in some villages. In the morning, I try to dress for all events.
You hardly wear native. Why?
Of course I wear native on weekends and even to church at least, one Sunday a month. We just want to feel Nigerian; we just want to feel African.
As a cleric what’s your advice to parents?
Parents should make up their minds that they are ready to be parents and do their best for their children. It’s not even a family or a home thing per se; it’s a national thing now, because if we don’t do it, in another 20 or 30 years we will not have a nation that we can recognize as a nation. There will be no values and when there are no values there is no nation.
It’s the grace of God. I don’t do anything out of the ordinary. I watch what I eat. I drink a lot of water and take life easy.
How do you relax when you are not preaching?
I spend time with my wife and children. I don’t consider my job too demanding or stressful, so I don’t need to unwind from it. Of course, I need to rest, because the body needs rest but I don’t consider my life stressful.
You have seen a lot as a minister of God. What has life taught you?
First, life has taught me I must fear God, love Him and work hard. Secondly, it’s what you give to life that life gives back to you. It’s called the law of harvest. Thirdly, there must be a commitment to love people; to look after people and be concerned. It’s what you do for people that live after you not what you do for yourself.
At what point did moral decadence begin in our national life?
These problems started about 30 to 40 years ago, when some parents started missing it and when some leaders started misbehaving, when Nigeria became really hectic, and some parents knew that children couldn’t learn on their own but did little about it. When I was growing up, my father used to wake us up at 5am to say our prayers, do our chores, make our beds, brush and have a quick breakfast before heading to school.
By 2pm, my father would leave whatever he was doing and come to pick me up in school and if he couldn’t take me home he would take me to his office, sit me down and we would be looking at each other until just before 5pm when he took me home. By 6:30pm, my mother would be back home from work and guess what? You must be waiting for her to arrive and as she was coming, you were to meet her by the car, open the door, carry her bag and follow her into the house.
As she relaxed, changed her dress and ate you would have to be by her side. After dinner, she would then tell you to go out and play but you must be back to the house by 7pm. Unfortunately, parents after her generation are just running up and down, struggling for money. These parents need to be talked to.
You really look stylish, does it have to be designer’s?
Not necessarily. I just wear things that suits me, things that I’m comfortable in. Most of the things I wear are just simple. I’m comfortable in most things. Some are designer’s no doubt but it’s not a question of whether it’s a designer’s or not. It’s about what it looks like and whether it fits. Most days, I dress according to my mood, and where I’m going, because I can find myself at Muson Centre and the next minute I’m at Sheraton or Aso Rock. The next minute, I can find myself in church and the next minute I’m preaching the gospel in some villages. In the morning, I try to dress for all events.
You hardly wear native. Why?
Of course I wear native on weekends and even to church at least, one Sunday a month. We just want to feel Nigerian; we just want to feel African.
As a cleric what’s your advice to parents?
Parents should make up their minds that they are ready to be parents and do their best for their children. It’s not even a family or a home thing per se; it’s a national thing now, because if we don’t do it, in another 20 or 30 years we will not have a nation that we can recognize as a nation. There will be no values and when there are no values there is no nation.
