From Priscilla Ediare, Ado-Ekiti
Rev. Fr. Peter Olowolafe is the Chairman, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Ekiti State chapter. A native of Ilawe-Ekiti in Ekiti South-West Local Government Area of the state, the man, who is in his 40s, will soon retire from his position as CAN chairman after serving out his term. He spoke to Saturday Sun on his call into the ministry, his life generally, and his likes and dislikes.
Tell us about your journey into the priesthood.
It started when I was enrolled at the Corpus Christi College, Ilawe-Ekiti. Corpus Christi is a Catholic school. There, we had the experience of having a Rev. Sister as one of our teachers. As a Catholic from childhood, there was that longing to serve God. After secondary school, there was a need for me to retake WASSCE. Because of that, I went to Ekiti State Government College for a year. And after that, I applied for the priestly formation under the Catholic Diocese of Ekiti. I was admitted and sent to the John of the Cross-for a year of the spiritual programme. That year, the formation was purely prayer formation. I was sent to All Saints Seminary for my philosophical and theological studies. It lasted for seven years. After another four years of studies, I came back to Ekiti Diocese for my pastoral experience. Thereafter, I went back to the seminary for another three years of theological studies. On December 28, 2009, I was ordained a Deacon at St Patrick’s Catholic Cathedral, Ado-Ekiti. Some days after the ordination, I went back to the seminary to complete my formation for the last six months. After six months of study, I came back home and was posted to Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Emure-Ekiti. I was finally ordained a priest on September 18, 2010, at St Patrick’s Catholic Cathedral, Ado-Ekiti, by the Catholic Bishop of Ekiti, Most Rev. Felix Femi Ajakaiye.
When did you become the CAN chairman and how many years have you served?
I have been the CAN chairman now for three years. I was inaugurated with my executive members on July 1, 2019. And the tenure, according to the by-law of CAN in Ekiti State, is for three years. Therefore, by the grace of God, my tenure will come to an end on June 30, this year. That is to say, on July 1st, there will be another inauguration for a new chairman. However, last year, there was an amendment to the CAN national constitution, which shows that from July 1st this year, the new chairman is going to stay for a single term of five years. But, in my own case, I am to stay for three years.
You have been the chairman these three years. Could you share your experiences with us?
The experience has been full of good memories, though, sometimes sad. This is because of my being among other denominations that I am not used to. I am a pure Catholic and lived all my life in a Catholic environment. I went to Catholic primary and secondary schools. I went to a Catholic seminary for my studies. Therefore, being among other denominations at the beginning was hard for me. It was hard to adapt to their form of prayers. As a Catholic, we pray mostly silently. But in other denominations, it is the other way round. I was not used to it. Therefore, I had to start adapting. There was one occasion a pastor said to me, with all seriousness: ‘Father, you are not saying ‘Amen’. There was a kind of ecumenical prayer and they answered Amen, Amen, Amen, and I just said, Amen. And, he said: ‘Father, make it loud.’ I told him: ‘please, don’t worry. I know that God understands with me.’ By and large, after these years, I have found out that the other denominations too have a lot to offer. I have learned a lot from them. And I will still continue to love to be among them even after ceasing to be the CAN chairman. During this year, I have had cause to visit almost all the churches or denominations. I have had cause to visit the CCN churches, that is, the white-garment churches. The first time I was there, they asked me to remove my shoes. It was a shock to me. Therefore, I had to get a nylon bag to put my shoes inside. Since then whenever I am going for their occasion, I don’t put on shoes. I put on palm slippers. But when I am going for a meeting, I would tell them I can’t remove my shoes. I have had cause to be at Pentecostal churches for prayers and programmes. Given the experience so far, I think I am happy and I appreciate God for giving me the opportunity.
If you are not a priest, what line of trade or profession would you have gone into?
I would have gone into business. My father was a cocoa merchant trader. I was fully involved in his business. As a matter of fact, in 2001, I applied to study Economics at the Obafemi Awolowo University, (OAU), Ile-Ife, and Accountancy at The Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti. That same year, my contemplation of becoming a priest was becoming stronger. So when I applied to become a priest and sat for the exams, I was given admission immediately. That’s how I let go of my ambition to go to a university or Polytechnic. I am happy being a priest today.
You look good as a man. Do you get advances from women? If yes, how have you been coping with this?
Yes! I do get it. What I do is try to smile. Sometimes, they would call me on the phone and have some conversations. Sometimes, we meet at functions. I relate with them as sisters and to the elderly ones as mothers. Though it has not been easy, I think I am enjoying the moment.
Elderly ones? Are you saying you also get advances from women who are older than you?
When I said elderly, I mean not too old but maybe a year or two older than me. I get to know their ages when I interact with them.
As a Rev. Father, what is your perception of women?
Women are special human beings. For almost 12 years now that I have been a priest, I believe that without women, our society would be in trouble. They are so powerful and so strong. I always celebrate them in my church. As a matter of fact, some men in my church always have reasons to quarrel with me because of women. I believe they are strong and I have been managing myself and relating with them. I am a celibate priest. As a celibate priest, I can’t run away from women despite the fact that I am not married. The majority of my members, of people in the society, are women. Therefore, our kind of relationship has always been motherly and sisterly. In every family, you will know that the presence of a woman is very important.
What could you say about the marriage institution and the alarming rate of divorce?
Marriage is a divine gift to humanity. If you look at the book of Genesis, chapters one and two, God created man and woman. He created them equal. He created them for love, companionship and procreation. But when you look at the rate of divorce today, you will discover that many of our young people are not ready to endure. And there is no way you can bring a man and a woman together without the spirit of endurance. Our fathers and mothers lived their lives till old age and to the fullest, not because there were no challenges in their journeys. But because they persevered, understood, and communicated. What we have today is that instead of our young people communicating with each other, they use social media to communicate with friends outside. A man would not speak or listen to his wife. His wife would not listen to her husband but would be listening to friends outside. What we need is a man and a woman getting to the stage of marriage. And, having agreed to marry each other, they should be ready to accept each other. Marriage is not a bed of roses. A woman and a man coming together must understand that they are not from the same backgrounds. And, they don’t have the same experiences. Every man and woman going into marriage should understand that marriage needs understanding, patience, and communication. They should rely on God for help, meaning that they need to pray, tell each other their stories, and learn to apologise when they wrong each other.
Some men of God indirectly say that God is not against polygamy. Do you agree?
No! That is not biblical. In the book of Genesis, chapter 1 verse 27, the Bible said that God created them male and female. He created man for woman and woman for man.
Do you have any bad habits?
I don’t know how to define bad habits. All I know is that I am not a perfect man. Every day, I am striving toward perfection. There is an adage that says every saint has a past and every sinner a future. I may not be able to point at any bad habit. But all I know is that being a product of a man, sometimes, I might be too authoritative. And, that gets people angry. But it may not be intentional. Sometimes, I might have shouted. And, when I realise it, I would apologise. Somebody once said to me that it is very easy for me to say ‘I am sorry.’ For me, whenever I realise my mistake or even without people telling me, when I look at the mood of people and their reaction, I know that I have gone beyond my boundary. Immediately, I would apologise, and that for me is a sign of humility. I think when you are able to say, ‘I am sorry,’ that will heal the wounds.
How do you unwind?
Whenever I want to relax, sometimes I watch American and Korean movies. Sometimes, I get catfish pepper soup with Eva wine. And, with the children around me, we can sit down together. Even my altar servers, we would play. Sometimes, I may take a walk out or visit friends. We chat, we go out. If it is during the day, we may go out to an eatery to have lunch.
What are your likes and dislikes?
I like people who are straightforward and truthful. I don’t have any reason to doubt people. I always believe people. I always trust people. And, therefore my dislike is simple: just don’t lie to me. Be sincere and truthful.
What do you say to sex scandals and other vices involving men of God?
This is because of the unfortunate situation we have in Nigeria. Many people are in the church because the economic situation called them into the pastoral ministry. And, if the economic situation has called you into the pastoral ministry, you should know the next thing. Why they are there is to have their economic needs, and basic needs met. It is not about people, the holiness of life, or morality. If somebody is working towards his daily bread, then anything goes. The means justifies the end.
What would you say about the issue of blasphemy and the killing of people because of it?
I will never support anyone blaspheming any religion. Every religion has its own sanctity. But there is no religion that should be honoured more than the life of any human. Human life is sacred. It is a gift from God. No human life should be taken because of any religion. Even if you blaspheme God Himself, I don’t think He will kill you, let alone human beings killing another human being because of God. Such action is condemnable. It is a murder case; a case against the law of Nigeria. The President was sworn in to protect lives and property of Nigerians. Therefore, if another human life has been taken, I believe that He and the government of Nigeria should stand up and fight for the lives of those that have been killed. And, anyone found guilty should be brought to book.