John Kennedy Opara is the Executive Secretary of Nigerian Pilgrims Commission. In this interview, the hardworking and brilliant man revealed so much about his life and job. Read on…
What was your childhood like?
It wasn’t an easy one but I want to tell you that God moves in the affairs of men. When I was growing up, my mother and father used to tell me a lot about our Lord Jesus Christ and eventually they had to entrust me into the hands of a Catholic reverend father –I was actually on the verge of becoming a catholic priest –who modelled my life to the point of becoming a catholic priest. But, things did not work out the way I wanted it. I want to say with all sincerity that I thank God today. That initial foundation is what got me to where I am today. Anywhere I am, I see myself as God’s servant working for him and doing what pleases him and the ultimate goal for me is to make heaven. My father had six of us; three boys and three girls. I am the first child. Initially, my father was in the military, he worked for the Imo State government and later became a businessman.
You said you were on the verge of being a priest; what changed the dream?
The foundation that was made was so solid that the closest friends I had around me at that point in my life were catholic priests and my mentor reverend father Ben Agbomanu did everything humanly possible to make sure I am what I am today. He was a wonderful priest and I lived with him and saw myself trying to be like him because I wanted to get closer to God. He was an epitome of hard work, honesty, dedication and commitment to God. I was moving from one parish to another with him and people used to call me father’s boy. I was proud of that name and I used to tell my friends I aspired to be a parish priest but God had other plans for me and that ambition never saw the light of day.
Looking back, has your view towards life changed even though you didn’t make it to the seminary?
You know living with a priest and living a religious life really patterned my life. It changed my thoughts about life and my mentality. I started seeing things more from God’s own side than the worldly side. Even at the university, I was the catechist. I was communicating and ministering to people because I saw the opportunity to minister and share the word of God. I never allowed that to pass by. It got to a point that when I came to Abuja, I was elected the president of Full Gospel Business Men’s International Fellowship for 10 years before I was elevated to the post of International Director of the Full Gospel Business Men Fellowship International, Worldwide. I was the first black man to serve in the world planning committee for three consecutive times and it gave me a lot of exposure and it was an encouragement because it helped me to remain focused.
I was the first member of that fellowship that started the airlift of members of the fellowship; that is, taking Christians to visit places like Senegal, Gambia, Sweden, Burundi and many other countries. In Burundi, the country’s President was amazed when he saw what we did there. All these things didn’t just start overnight, it was because a proper foundation was laid and I had to build on that because the Bible says if the foundation is not right, you build on nothing.
How has the name Kennedy impacted on your life?
John F. Kennedy (JFK) was a great leader. He was a man that inspired people. One of his famous quotes that really inspired me was when he told the American people: ‘The success and failure of our country lie in your hand but as a president, I will do what I can’. That made a lot of sense to me. This commission did not have a building, I always tell myself I will do what I have to do to make it happen. In the race of life, nobody remembers the person who came second; they always remember the person who came first. I always believe I am in the race to win. And that was why when I was honoured in America last year as the best public servant in Africa, I told myself that is the beginning of the journey, I have not started yet. I must be able to make a mark and that is what JFK stood for, he made a mark. He was the change Americans were waiting for and he brought that change and I believe I am the change Nigerians are waiting for and I have to bring that change starting with my commission. I mentor all my staff and lead by example. I am doing my best for people to remember me for something.
How will you describe your first day in secondary school and academic performance while in the school?
My first day in secondary school was fun. I remember I was a bit confused and everything looked new to me but by and large, I got by. Far from being a cliché, I was always taking the first position from primary school. Then one thing my principal used to tell me was that my dressing was impeccable; I made sure my uniform was always neat and well ironed with well-polished shoes. And I always came first in class so much so that when I didn’t make the first position in my first term in secondary school but came third, I broke down crying. But in subsequent examinations, I was able to take over the class.
What subject was most challenging to you in school and why?
It’s Physics; because I am a scientist. My first degree was Biology from University of Calabar. My master’s was in Biology and my Ph.D from tUniversity of Jos. I have been privileged to do other programmes abroad. I am an alumnus of Harvard Kennedy School of Business, Masachusset in Boston. In those days, there were some equations in physics we had to work on and I used to tell my friend ‘this mathematical aspect of physics I don’t like it’. Eventually, I had a teacher, Dr. Sunny Eridua, who inspired me a lot; he will tell me, ‘John, you always get 90% or more in other subjects but you are always struggling with physics with 70 why don’t you learn to like it?’. I bought books on physics, read more and in less than a term I was able to pick up.
What was your social life in school?
I remember very clearly in my secondary school, I never went out with anyone but I knew I was close to someone who usually held my hands; we laughed and talked –that’s it. In the university, I never went out with any one person apart from when I met my wife. I was like a model; my nickname was ‘Bob Saint’. The ladies used to admire me a lot. They used to tell me, ‘This man, you want to die a saint’.
Was it that you didn’t find any lady attractive?
I was restrained because I was the catechist and the custodian of the church. It was really difficult for me. I always believe you must mean what you preach and preach what you mean; I was always on the pulpit talking to the ladies and gentlemen to live right. I know I had a lot of admirers. There were those I admired too. I couldn’t do anything about it.
What was it about your wife that struck you?
Funny enough, in the university I taught her Catechism. I was the preacher at her confirmation. She is a very intelligent, sincere, honest and hard-working woman. In her class, when she was taught something, one didn’t have to teach her again. She has sterling qualities and above all, she is very prayerful. I told God that anybody I went out with, I must marry so that I didn’t have to stress myself picking from various women. In most areas of my life where I am not able to meet up, she is always there for me. We left school right about the same time. We courted for three years and why it took that long was because I didn’t have money to marry her. She said she was going to wait for me which she did. She waited and that’s why I am really indebted to her. We have been married for 14 years now and blessed with two children.
Who do you admire?
I have come across great men but one man that has stood out without fear of contradiction because he is my boss, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. He is a man with wisdom; I admire him so much. I also admire President Barack Obama and Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye.
Are you still within the Catholic faith?
I was born a Catholic. My position is very simple: I am born a Catholic but I am a Pentecostal by fellowship. I always tell people I am an Anglican by association because many friends of mine are Anglicans and when they do their programmes I have to join them. Many of the fathers who have blessed me and inspired me to be who I am today are men of Pentecostal fellowship and I fellowship with them. When I visit them I hear the word of God and my faith increases.
The present situation now in Nigeria borders on violence and the string that connects it is religion; what is your take on this?
I want to say that no religion encourages destruction of lives. No religion allows people to take lives. People don’t understand the meaning of religion; religion is something every man or woman is free to worship and wherever he wants to worship. It mustn’t be that I must get you to worship in my church or mosque. God created us as Nigerians; he created us Christians, Muslims and some don’t go to church. No matter how I try or everybody tries, all Nigerians cannot be Christians. It is practically impossible. There is no way every Nigerian can become Muslim even if we have 20 Muslim presidents back-to-back. It is unfortunate that someone will kill in the name of religion. It is not acceptable at all and I want to say I have a lot of respect for my Muslim friends. Most of what is happening is politically motivated acts cloaked in religion. And I tell you politics will fail you, human beings will fail you, and the only thing that is permanent is God.
As a Christian body and a key player in that domain, what is the body doing to smoothen the edge of this crisis?
I have taken part severally in some of the inter-religious dialogues and meetings and the Christian Association of Nigeria’s president has been calling series of meetings between Christian and Moslem leaders, all for us to find a common ground to understand ourselves better. I and my friend, the Hajj Commission chairman also relate a lot. I will give you a practical example. Before we got our present headquarters, we were accommodated by the Hajj Commission for three years. We were given accommodation at no cost. It got to a point they had to move away from the building accommodating the two commissions because we couldn’t stay together as we were growing and the space constraint was there. A Moslem leader conceded his accommodation to me, he was the landlord and I am the tenant. And when I finished after three years, I gave him the key and I said ‘Bello, I am very grateful’. I invited him for the commissioning of our own building and he obliged me. He did what most of my Christian brothers would never have done. I can never deny him anything he wants from me. I always believe that we are the change that others see and you must be the change that the world must see. I always tell people that the greatest sickness today is not HIV but lack of love.
One of the burning issues at the ongoing national conference is to reduce government sponsorship of pilgrims to the holy land, thereby making pilgrimage a personal affair with some delegates advocating the full review of the commission, what is your comment?
I read about it and I said the greatest challenge they had was the issue of communication. What they should have done if the delegates wanted to do a thorough job is to invite the Director-General of the Hajj Commission and me to tell them about these commissions. By the way, they don’t know that these commissions generate a lot of revenue which we pay to the federal government. We generate money here. When pilgrims pay what we call administrative charges; also, the ground handlers and air carriers pay administrative charges too. That money goes to government and government can bank on our internally generated revenue. My own model is to leave an organisation that is self-sustaining and pay its overhead without relying on government.
The federal government of Nigeria does not sponsor people on holy pilgrimage. They sponsor doctors and nurses; at times 50 doctors and nurses each, same thing is applicable with the Hajj. People say what is false. In last year’s operation, we had an increase in the number of self-sponsored pilgrims of 100 per cent. We are not sitting pretty; we are doing all we can to encourage self-sponsorship including adverts on radio and word of mouth and the turnout is unbelievable because this is what they owe themselves. We are also using it to transform the citizens of this country. What is pilgrimage all about, in the NCPC, pilgrimage is used as a tool for moral and spiritual transformation. We believe that when Christians go on holy pilgrimage and are spiritually transformed, they will come back as citizens of our great country and move Nigeria forward and pursue peace where the enemies of peace may be sited. And I have testimonies of people who have been touched by God. Any responsible government will always look out for the welfare of its citizens.
It is practically impossible for any government to fold its hand and say we are not interested. Massive movement of Nigerians entails a lot in the diplomatic circle and other areas. No country will deal with you as an individual, like the Hajj that goes with more than 100,000 Nigerians. Is the confab telling the federal government to just sit down and watch them?
The offices set up by the government are for administrative convenience. When you have a commission administering the process of pilgrimage, it gives a standard. Why we are not able to achieve what we want to achieve is because we do not plan. I believe what government is doing is commendable; many people are gainfully employed. For example, part of our success story this year is our own Christian pilgrim guest house. Christians are lodged there and this generates revenue –it’s not free. I think something is missing somewhere for people to advocate the scrapping of the NCPC and the Hajj commission and it’s very unfortunate. We are also doing something new; we are partnering with the ministry of agriculture, exposing our pilgrims to the area of agriculture. They can learn how to farm and do other things when they get there. It’s a rare privilege.
Do you think one of the reasons some delegates are advocating the scrapping of the commission is because it is perceived as a jamboree where money is thrown around?
At times, people try to rubbish goodwill. Sincerely speaking, most serious-minded Moslems I have met pay for themselves and sponsor others for Hajj. When you talk of the dollars given to pilgrims, it is seen as free money from the Nigerian government in local parlance –a state government might decide to sponsor some people to go because the welfare of the citizens cannot be toyed with. If a governor wants peace and his citizens to be morally and spiritually sound, if he wants to project what his achievements are and make sure people understand and help him, he has to begin to package people to behave like human beings. If you check the budget of a state, ask me how much percentage is that, it’s insignificant. For example, Akwa Ibom State is one of the best states in Nigeria now, in terms of governance and infrastructure. Governor Godswill Akpabio sponsors his citizens on pilgrimage yet that does not stop him from transforming the state, with all due respect to other state governors. I am not saying that people should use government money to sponsor pilgrims. I am saying you must give respect to things of God rather than castigating it and making it look like a caricature.
Is pilgrimage all about outbound travel because we are having a surge in inbound religious tourism and what is the NCPC doing about the influx of people for religious tourism with several indigenous churches?
I was at the last Holy Ghost congress in early June and what we have done since we came on board is to introduce what we call the local content. We now have Nigerians who are into ground handling services, providing services to inbound pilgrims and work with different churches. There are so many of them who can take care of people coming from different countries. We register them to empower them. The churches are aware and have responded positively with some registering their own ground handlers with us and the government makes money from this; they pay tax and other levies.
Do you intend going into politics?
I am one man that cannot do anything except the Lord speaks to me and tells me what to do. He has never told me to go into politics. Everything has to be the Lord leading.
How is the new pilgrimage route, Greece, doing and for those yet to embark on holy pilgrimage, how do you guarantee their welfare will be taken care of?
Since we started, one of the things I told God is that every year we must do something different. This commission is run on four cardinal values: commitment to God, integrity, excellence and team spirit. Commitment to God in the sense that all the pilgrims must be able to visit all the holy sites to understand the old and new testaments. Part of the New Testament is in Greek where you find current Thessalonica, Athens and then you move to Rome. The pilgrims have been enjoying it. In terms of taking care of the pilgrims, we have gone a step further apart from the local content. We usually do the bid opening and we have the list of the best hotels where pilgrims stay. That is what we give our ground handlers. The welfare of the pilgrims is more important to me than any other thing. We also work on the social content of the pilgrims.
– Courtesy: THISDAY