A HISTORICAL ANALYSIS OF THE EMERGENCE OF NEWER PENTECOSTAL CHURCHES IN ADAMAWA STATE, NIGERIA FROM 1975 TO 2008 EDWARD ROKULEGODO ISHAYA 204507747 THESIS SUBMITTED IN FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY, IN THE SCHOOL OF RELIGION AND THEOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF KWAZULU-NATAL 2011 PIETERMARITZBURG i ii DEDICATION This work is dedicated to my father Ishaya Mbaye-Adiyoel Gelnodji, my mother Marie Makeoundoh Ishaya Gelnodji and all my teachers in life. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to first thank God for granting me the opportunity to conduct this research and bring it to conclusion. The journey took many years and could not have been completed without the grace of God. I wish to state that the identity of some of the persons who provided the information recorded in this work has been disguised and it is my hope that no one will get hurt or be disadvantaged in any way as a result of my work. Many persons and organizations helped me during the six years it has taken to research the topic and to write down the outcome of my studies. I particularly want to thank my supervisor, Professor Philippe Denis, for tirelessly guiding and encouraging me throughout this period. I sincerely thank him for his patience and the skillful way in which he guided and motivated me. He was my „piston‟. Without him this work would not have come into being. I would like to thank the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) for granting me a scholarship to study at the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal, Pietermaritzburg campus. I also thank the Lutheran Church of Christ in Nigeria (LCCN) for recommending me for the LWF sponsorship and for releasing me to undertake the study. Furthermore, I would like to thank the church leaders of the various TEKAN churches (COCIN, LCCN, CRCN, RCCN, HEKAN, EYN, ERCC, Mambila Baptist Convention, CCCN, NKST and RCCN). I am grateful as well to Bishop Christopher Abba, Bishop Markus A. Ibrahim, Dan Babayi, Japheth Tonmwaso, Leonard Nzadon, Fillibus Gomma, Maxwell M. Barde, Bishop Peter Makanto, Bishop Jinga Lucious Mayo, Denis Ibrahim Gereng, Christopher Busari, Livinus Obi, A.A. Alaku, Malo Maloson, Yakubu Bulama, Amson A. Hamman, Yakubu Joseph, Emmanuel Akewete and many others whose names I cannot all mention, for willingly granting me interviews. Some allowed me to come back several times for follow-up interviews. My special thanks go to Musa A. Gaiya and Dogara Gwamna for opening their private libraries to me, thus allowing me access to some rare books on Pentecostalism in Nigeria. I want to thank Andarawus Dauda Gava, James Reynolds, Gibson L. Ezekiel, Philemon Emmanuel Ayuwaja, Daniel Luka and Solomon A. Anthony for helping me with the type-setting of my manuscripts and for solving whatever challenges the internet presented me with and for simply cheering me up when I needed it. iv My appreciation also goes to the following churches: the Redeemed People‟s Mission, Deeper Life Bible Church, Living Faith-Winner's Church, Fountain of Life Ministries (FLM), Upper Room Cathedral and the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), for opening their doors to me for participation in their services and for observation of their activities during the research. I am also very grateful to Gary Sande for helping me to obtain the latest map of Nigeria, produced by the United Nations, and to Habila Kakaba, Nehemiah R. Lussa and Ozumba Nichodemus who have, when necessary, functioned as proxies in the gathering of information. I particularly want to thank George Scriba, Margret Rossou and Mama Maphumulo of LTI for making my stay at 29 Golf Road, Scottsville, pleasant and peaceful. This has in no small way helped me to settle down and to get started at the University. I am most grateful to the faculty and the staff at SORAT who have all been most supportive. I thank them also for their comments and discussions at the various PhD seminars which helped considerably with the content of the thesis. My sincere thanks also go to the History of Christianity Department, the History of Christianity students and lecturers, for scholarly contributions at the different departmental seminars. You have helped me greatly in re-assessing my submissions and directed me towards correct formulation of my observations. I most particularly thank Annalise Zaverdinos, my librarian at LTI, my adviser, my friend and my editor, as well as her parents for editing my work and also for making their home and flat let available to me for one year. Thank you for giving me a home away from home. Your kind gesture shall remain indelible in my mind for as long as I live. I thank the thief who broke into my study and removed my computer after I had completed all my work in August 2011. That set-back was a challenge I thought I could never overcome but in fact you made me learn to pick up the pieces and now I have a story to tell and an incident to remember. I wish to say a big thank you to my brothers, sisters and relatives, especially my brother-in-law Richard Alphonse and his family for opening their home at Lagos to me whenever I travelled to or from South-Africa for study purposes. My sincere appreciations go to Bishop William B. Lautai, Amb. Wilberforce B. Juta, Dr. Martin Bimba, Prof. Adamu Baikie, Mr. Adams Musa, Mr. John Kenedy Opara, Mr. & Mrs. Philemon Musa, Mr. Emmanuel Philip Duru, Mrs. Fibi N. Nadah, Mrs. Angelina N. Jaja, Gen. Hassan M. Lai, Peter Bartimawus, Sa'idu B. Titus, Musa Habila, Air Commodore Raymond J. Peters, Air Commodore Ruth Kaltume Habiba Garba, Cecilia Ida, Murna Sakaba, Njidda Boijam, v Adamu Dandaura, Andrew Biyapo, Javan Tagboroso, Elmond Yahaya, Al'ajibi Ira, James Garba my son-in-law, Benjamin M. Falu, Titi Malik, Michal Bongi and Rahila Ishaya; I say a big thank you to you all for encouraging me and for being supportive whenever I needed you. Finally, my profound gratitude goes to my wife Parmata and our children Sarah, Nodji, Musa and Vicky, for all their love and for the sacrifices they have made in order to help me succeed. vi ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS AC Apostolic Church AFCS Associate Fellowship of Christian Students AG Action Group (as related to a previously dominant party in Western Nigeria) AG Assemblies of God (as related to Assemblies of God Church) AIC African Initiated Churches BME Babban Majalisar Ekklesiya CAC Christ Apostolic Church CAN Christian Association of Nigeria CBM Church of the Brethren Mission CEO Chief Executive Officer CLASA Centre for Law and Social Action CMS Church Missionary Society COCIN Church of Christ in Nigeria CRCN Christian Reformed Church in Nigeria CRI Class for Religious Instruction CSM Congregation of Sisters of Mercy DLBC Deeper Life Bible Church EFCC Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EKAS Ekklesiyar Kristi a Sudan EYN Ekklesiyar Yan'uwa a Nigeria FCS Fellowship of Christian Students FMDM Franciscan Missionaries of the Divine Motherhood GCC General Church Council GDP Gross Domestic Product GO General Overseer GS General Superintendent HEKAN Hadadiyar Ekklesiyar Kristi a Nigeria HIV/AIDS Human Immuno-deficiency Virus/Acquired Immuno-deficiency Virus Syndrome LCCN Lutheran Church of Christ in Nigeria LCCS Lutheran Church of Christ in the Sudan vii LYF Lutheran Youth Fellowship MFMM Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries NCYG Numan Christian Youth Group NECAS North East College of Arts and Science NPC Northern People's Congress NYSC National Youth Service Corps OIC Organization of Islamic Conference PDP People's Democratic Party PFN Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria RCCG Redeemed Christian Church of God RPM Redeemed People's Mission SAAPS South African Association of Political Studies SIJ Sisters of the Infant Jesus SUM Sudan United Mission SUM (D) Sudan United Mission - Danish Branch SUM (SA) Sudan United Mission - South African Branch TEE Theological Education by Extension TFM Truth Foundation Ministries UMCN United Methodist Church of Nigeria YMCA Young Men Christian Association ZME Zumuntar Matan Ekklesiya viii TABLE OF CONTENTS TITLE PAGE i DECLARATION ii DEDICATION iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iv ABBREVATIONS AND ACRONYMS vii TABLE OF CONTENTS ix ABSTRACT xv MAPS xvii CHAPTER ONE - 1 INTRODUCTION 1 Background of the Study - 1 2 Preliminary Research - 8 3 Purpose and Objectives - 9 4 Research Problem - 10 5 Hypothesis - 10 6 Methodology - 11 7 Summary - 14 CHAPTER TWO - 15 LITERATURE REVIEW, WORLD VIEWS, TERMS AND TITLES 2.0 Introduction - 15 2.1 Literature Review - 15 2.2 The Culture and Possible Worldviews within Nigeria - 47 2.3 The Worldview of Adamawa People - 50 2.4 Terms and Titles . - 54 CHAPTER THREE - 56 CHRISTIANITY IN NIGERIA AND ADAMAWA STATE - 56 3.0 Introduction - 56 3.1 Nigeria - 56 3.2 Religion in Nigeria from 1970 to the Present - 57 ix 3.3 Adamawa State at a Glance - 66 3.3.1 Location - 67 3.3.2 Inhabitants of Adamawa - 68 3.3.3 Religion in Adamawa - 70 3.3.3.1 African Traditional Religion - 70 3.3.3.2 Islam - 72 3.3.3.3 Christianity - 73 3.3.3.3 (a) The Lutheran Church of Christ in Nigeria (LCCN) - 77 3.3.3.3 (b) The Ekkelesiyar Yan‟uwa a Nijeriya (EYN) - 82 3.3.3.3 (c) The Catholic Church in Adamawa - 85 3.4 Political, Social and Economic Factors - 88 3.5 The Church and the State in Nigeria - 93 3.6 Summary - 100 CHAPTER FOUR - 102 DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS - 102 4.0 Introduction - 102 4.1 Responses and Categories of Respondents - 102 4.2 Reasons Pentecostals give for leaving Mainline Churches - 105 4.3 Reasons for which the Mainline Churches believe their Members leave for Pentecostal Churches - 105 4.4 What the Mainline Churches Hear the Pentecostals