The former Dean of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), the Archbishop of Kaduna Province, and the Bishop of Wusasa Diocese, the Most Reverend Dr. Ali Buba Lamido, retired recently after 27 years of meritorious service in the Lord’s vineyard. The first Fulani Bishop in Nigeria speaks with ISAAC SHOBAYO on a myriad of issues, including his sojourn in the ministry and the challenges of being a Bishop of Fulani extraction. Excerpt:
KINDLY share an insight into your background?
I was born in Shelleng, in the present-day Shelleng Local Government of Adamawa State. At the age of five, I was brought to Vom in Plateau State to live with my late aunt. I grew up in her house and became a Christian. I attended St. Andrew’s Primary School and later Kagoro Secondary School. I obtained my Grade 2 Teachers Certificate from Katsina Teachers College. I worked with Jos Local Government for a year before joining the National Veterinary Research Institute (NVRI), where I was among the pioneer staff that started the staff school. Afterward, I went to seminary, where I pursued further studies and eventually became a full-time priest with the Anglican Church. I obtained various academic certificates, including a Bachelor of Science in Social Studies, a Master’s in Church History, a Doctor of Ministry in Missions, and a PhD in Philosophy specializing in Sacred Theology. I was also awarded a Doctor of Divinity. Throughout my career, I served in various capacities within the Anglican Church, eventually becoming the first bishop of Wusasa Diocese, Zaria in 1997. I am of Fulani extraction from North East Adamawa State, married, and have three children.
With your Muslim background, what were the challenges you faced when you coverted to Christianity and became a priest, for that matter?
Initially, I faced minimal opposition from Muslims when I converted to Christianity in the early 1970s. However, as time passed, I encountered more significant challenges, particularly from Christians who were suspicious of my Fulani background. Despite being accepted within the Anglican hierarchy, I still faced discrimination and persecution, especially due to the stereotype associated with the Fulanis. I have been targeted for kidnapping and have had to relocate for safety reasons. Discrimination based on both my faith and ethnicity has been a recurring issue throughout my career.
Before your retirement, did you live in Wusasa, Zaria (cut-in)?
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No, for safety reasons, I have not lived in my Bishop’s Court in Wusasa, Zaria, for nearly four years. I relocated to areas where I feel more secure.
You mentioned that you faced persecution on both sides. How did you reach the level of bishop before your retirement and be accepted by the Christian hierarchy?
When I rose through the ranks to become the Dean of the Anglican Church of Nigeria, my acceptance was not without opposition. Although I was elected by the majority, there was still significant resistance, particularly due to my Fulani heritage. However, I ultimately gained acceptance within the House of Bishops, albeit with ongoing challenges and discrimination.
How do you personally feel about the stigma against Fulanis in Nigeria?
The stigma against Fulanis is unjust and traumatizing. While it is true that some individuals from the Fulani community have engaged in criminal activities, it is unfair to generalize and label the entire tribe as criminals. People should be judged based on their actions rather than their ethnicity. It is important to address criminal behavior on an individual basis rather than attributing it to an entire tribe. As a Fulani Christian, I reject the stereotype and advocate fair treatment based on individual merit rather than tribal affiliation.
It is quite unfortunate that Nigeria, at this crucial moment, is facing quite a lot of challenges, and insecurity is one of them. What is the way out of this quagmire?
The way out of it is that the government has the will power to fight it. You see, like Boko Haram, the government has been fighting the soldiers of Boko Haram, but they are not being considerate enough to really fight their sponsors. Up to now, we do not know their sponsors. The government has to know them. They know the sponsors. They know those who are encouraging this Boko Haram internally and externally. But the government has failed to mention them or give them the support they need. So that is a minus for the government and for security agents. Then the government has to overhaul its security architecture. The security system encourages a lot of corruption. If you look at the budget in the last 10 years, you will discover that the government has spent a lot of money on security: the buying of weapons and military equipment, and so on to fight these incidents. Where is this equipment? Where are these weapons? Now, government after government, you will discover they will campaign publicly that they will fight security. But it seems nothing is being done about it. Now you tell me, as a journalist, and let us be sincere with ourselves, how many kidnappers have been prosecuted in this country? How many Boko Harams have been prosecuted in this country? To the best of my knowledge, none. They are giving them amnesty and then recruiting some of them unknowingly, as much as they can, into the Nigerian army and police. And this is also another minus that is not helping our country.
Now about the way out again, I think the president, as Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces, has the power to declare a full-blown war against this criminality. But it has not been so. This is where we are with insecurity. The president ought to declare a total war against them. I am sure that with will power and proper determination, we can fight this war against banditry and insurgency within a month, if we are serious. And you can see that even in our national parliament, there has never been a debate or a bill passed on what kind of punishment to use to punish kidnappers and bandits. And this has become a topic of debate. This is a total menace to the country. Nobody talks about what you do to get rid of them. I think they should have had a law to have a mobile court that would sit every day, and any bandit that is arrested can be dealt with accordingly. But they leave them in the hands of the police. And the police, in most cases, will not take them to court for prosecution. They are released back into society, and they are recycled into society. So we need to be honest with ourselves; we cannot continue to politicize the issue, and that’s what we are doing. That is why this issue has lingered for so long. Now you just imagine what our country has turned to today. The inflationary rate has grown very, very high. People can no longer afford to eat. The poverty level has increased. What do you expect from society? Increase in criminality. That is what it means. So bad governance is part of it. And so long as security is politicized, this issue of banditry and this thing will continue. And it might consume the whole country.
Sir, back to the issue of your retirement, are you saying that the challenges you faced forced you to retire?
Yes, my life has always been targeted; the government knows; the DSS knows; the military knows, and the police know. They even arrested the people who planned to kidnap me. They were shown on national television channels three years ago. These criminals have been released into society, and the position and the zeal with which they have to arrest me or kidnap me have always been there. So what would I do then? [Except] to resign my job and look for a safer place for me and my family. But that is not the only case; there are several people like me who have left their job in search of their daily bread, which can no longer contain it, and have relocated. So if you go to the North West, for instance, most people from the southern area have already relocated. There’s no business going on. There’s no work going on. And so work has been left for the bandits and the government. So that is the problem.
With your retirement, are you saying your life is still being threatened?
Yes, that is it. I’m always in Lagos, Abuja, or Jos; I don’t stay in one place. That is financially and psychologically demanding for me and it is traumatizing too. These are some of the things that we talk to the government about, but there is never a listening ear on this.
So there’s a threat to your life; did you resign on account of this?
Yes, the threat was very high, including for me and my family. I had no option but to leave work. That is the reality.
So what advice do you have now, or what suggestions do you have for the government over this insecurity?
The advice has been constant. The government should come out, fight it out, and restore peace and order in the Nigerian nation. All that they are talking about—investment, inviting investors, and so on—will not work in the midst of insecurity. So they should fight and restore peace and order in Nigerian society all across the country—East, West, North, South, and everywhere. Let there be confidence in the government that lives and properties [of the people] are all secured because we have security. With that, the Nigerian nation will move. But without that, we are in a very sorry situation.
What’s your next move inow?
I’m looking for a place where I can walk freely and where I can be secured. That is the next thing for me, and you know, for a citizen to begin to dislike his country means a lot at my own age. At 63, I am beginning to dislike my own country simply because they cannot provide security for me. I have to look elsewhere. That is the problem, and I’m not alone. There are millions of people like that, especially the young ones. They do not have confidence anymore in the nation because of this. So that’s the situation.
