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Oluseye Ojo
Reverend Solomon Wada, National Legal Adviser of the Foursquare Gospel Church in Nigeria, was installed recently as the new District Overseer for Ibadan District 1 of the church at Oke-Bola. It was a day many heard about how he declined the offer to serve as a commissioner in his home state – Kogi, in 1999, when he was still in the employment of Federal Mortgage Bank, where he voluntarily retired in 2001 to concentrate on pastoral work.
During the administration of a former governor of Kogi State, Idris Wada, all arrangements were concluded for the cleric, who hails from Dekina Local Government Area of the state to become a judge of Kogi State High Court. All they needed from him then was to accept the offer. But he also declined based on his conviction that being a judge would distract him from concentrating more on building the lives of young people, who are the leaders of tomorrow. In this interview, the University of Jos and Obafemi Awolowo University trained lawyer fields questions on why he took some tough decisions in life, his thoughts on Nigeria’s financial sector, among other issues.
You once rejected two important offers, to be a commissioner in Kogi State in 1999 and appointment as a High Court judge. Why?
We as human beings, we have our focus. The first thing I discovered from my secondary school is what is the purpose of God for my life. I discovered that the purpose of God for my life is to serve Him. I discovered it very early. All the times I passed through institutions, God has given me leadership. I have led in several positions. I was once the President, Christian Lawyers’ Fellowship. And all my positions are in the church. I discovered that I am not good for the secular, where you have to compromise and do a lot of things.
I want to pray everyday with clear conscience. I won’t like to bow down to pray and I will begin to think of what happened this morning. I want to see how I can be of help to people. So, I discovered that I could serve God better, serving as a minister of God. This has helped me a lot. God has used me to touch many lives, so many young people are my friends and we move together. So, the best place I discovered I can enjoy myself best is in the service of God, and not in the secular.
The secular is okay. But I discovered that if I am a judge, or if I had accepted to be a judge, I couldn’t have been here today. I was already called upon and everything had been done. Those that worked it out had finished. All they wanted from me was yes, and I said no. They were disappointed. The same thing happened when I was to be made a commissioner. I have had series of secular appointments, series of them. But each time they come, I would ask God what He wanted me to do, and God would tell me: ‘don’t take it.’ Once the Lord says I should not take it, I would not take it. The only luck I have is that I have a good wife, who understood these things perfectly, and my children – two of them are lawyers, and they understood these things very well. It is only my last child that pressurised me then, saying ‘Daddy, you need to be a judge.’ I said no and I explained to them why I wouldn’t be a judge.
My local government protested. My brothers protested. Everybody protested. Moreover, that time that they were calling me to come and be a judge, one of my relations was already a governor in Kogi State. So, it was just to take it. But I didn’t want to take anything like that and set up myself for politicians. I don’t even go with them. We don’t have anything in common. The best thing for me is what I am doing. So, I made up my mind a long time ago and the Lord is helping me.
When you look back, do feel you should have taken up the appointments?
No. Let me tell you, my legal practice in Ibadan here is doing well. It is not because I am working too hard. No, I don’t work too hard. In fact, this year, I don’t remember how many times I went to court. But God keeps on blessing me. So, I have no regret at all.
If you are talking of material benefits, what my office has achieved these years, if I have to be in civil service, or in the bank, I couldn’t have had, even a quarter of it. So, materially, it is like God saying seek ye first the kingdom of God and its righteousness and all other things, God has been blessing me with them. So, I have no regret at all.
You were an active player in the financial sector when you were with the Federal Mortgage Bank. So, what are your thoughts on the kind of changes you expect in the sector for the betterment of Nigeria?
Today, everybody is pursuing money, personal benefits. Policies are made so that some people can benefit from them, not national benefits. Our policies on foreign exchange, for instance in some years past, they made them, and you would transfer foreign exchange to the market. Like the former Emir of Kano said that some people stayed in their houses and all they would need to do is to buy 10,000pounds and go and sell and make over 100,000pounds. He said that is not how to do banking. And that is the kind of banking we are doing today.
Policies are made for personal interests. It is not for national interest. Financial sector is in comatose. All of them, what they are doing is just buying and selling. How many of them can finance real sector of the economy? Funny enough, you will see them giving out, every year, huge profits. A lot of them are fake profits. They are not realistic profits. What business are they doing that they would make that kind of money? All we are seeing is that people go to banks, take money and expend it anyhow. Look at the list of people who owe banks. Are they people in the real sector of the economy? No. They took the money to buy planes, some of them to buy personal property all over the place. Nobody is bothered about the economy.
All we are doing is how money could be available for us to share. But if our financial sector continues in this way, I can’t see any future. But as a Christian and as a leader, I am praying everyday that God would touch the hearts of those in charge of our economy, our leaders to take viable decisions that will help to translate the economy.
You are a lawyer, and two of your children are also lawyers. Did you influence their choice of profession?
Never. I did not influence them to become legal practitioners but I rather guided them on choice of carriers. I was perplexed when a friend we met while pursuing our masters program in law in OAU confronted me with the thought that I influenced my children to the same institution to read law. I told him that I was prepared to guide and support my first son to make a career in fine arts if not that he was admitted to read law. By the grace and mercies of God, our last son completed his master degree in Public Health in UCH last year and intends to proceed further.
Has any of your children shown interest to become a cleric like you?
My children, as adults, have the right to take their decisions as to whether they may accept any political or judicial appointments in my state. However, as a responsible father, I have been sharing my personal experiences with them. They are aware of how many times I have to respectfully decline such offers in the time past. I am not sure anything has changed. I shall rather encourage them to seek God’s kingdom in all their endeavours.
You are a senior cleric in the Foursquare Gospel Church and also the National Legal Adviser of the church in Nigeria, in addition to running a law firm. So, how do you relax?
The grace of God has been sustaining me in my secular and ecclesiastical responsibilities. I believe the Lord who fore knew what my future shall be, started preparing me for leadership right from my days in Government Secondary School, Dekina, Kogi State and various higher institutions I attended thereafter.
In my days in University of Jos, the Lord granted me the opportunity to serve as the president of the Fellowship of Christian Students (FCS); the largest Christian group on the campus. I also served as the President of FCS Joint Campuses Fellowship comprising all higher institutions in Northern Nigeria. Grace also availed me the opportunity to serve as President, Christian Lawyers Fellowship of Nigeria (CLASFON) Nigerian Law School, V.I, Lagos. Our commitments way then to our church programs were exemplary. There was no dull moment, as we were either on the field evangelising, singing in choir or participating in drama. Most of the services that some youths are being paid for in our churches nowadays were joyfully offered without a dime. We never knew that God was preparing us for leadership then. Am glad that I learnt early enough how to balance my service to God with my legal practice. I know where my priority lies. The Lord who has prepared me ahead of time shall continue to guide me in various positions he has placed me; especially the recent appointment as the District Overseer, Ibadan 1 of the Foursquare Gospel Church.
Do you have time to socialise?
Of course, I mix very well and enjoy the company of friends and brethren. As a lawyer, socialisation is utmost and as a pastor, meeting people of diverse backgrounds is part of my day-to-day engagements. I enjoy Christian fellowships and singing.
Can you tell us about your favourite food, colour and clothes?
My favourite food is pounded yam with vegetables or beans soup cooked with bush meat. I have no specific colour but definitely am not a fan of red colour.
How do you handle advances from ladies or women in the church?
I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me. Our female members have equal opportunity to access their Pastors as their male counterparts. However, caution must be observed to avoid any iota of scandal or embarrassment to ones ministry and integrity. For instance, I always involve my wife or any matured woman in the church while counselling an opposite sex. Private or suspicious meetings are totally eliminated. Indeed, I love travelling with my wife and most times attend functions together. Above all, prayer is the master key since we are living in an evil generation.
Can you recall some of the childhood pranks that you played?
I appreciate God for my upbringing. I can remember vividly an occasion in my primary school when an elderly man asked me to buy him a bottle of alcoholic drink. I obediently bought it for him. Curiously, he poured some in a cup and asked me to drink. When I tasted, it was like poison in my mouth. Since then, I have never tasted anything alcoholic. Also, I have shared my testimony severally to the effect that my wife was my first and only girlfriend. I believe that due to my early conversion into Christianity and coupled with the grace of God upon me, I was not exposed to playing pranks that boys of my age indulge themselves.
