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Table 5.8. Non-accordance of church membership to known member of secret societies
Item Clergy/Pastor Laity
Non-accordance of church membership to known members of secret societies
Agreed Disagreed Agreed Disagreed
% % % %
15 88.2 2 11.8 301 91.8 27 8.2 The insistence that members should publicly renounce secret societies was attested to as one of the Nigerian Baptist policy matters that caused conflicts in churches of OBC. The above table shows that 88.2% of the clergy agreed that implementation of the policy on non-accordance of church-membership to known members of secret societies and those who refused to renounce secret societies publicly was a source of conflicts. Only two pastors forming 11.8% of the clergy disagreed that implementation of this policy resulted in conflicts. At the same time, 301 of the laity, that formed 91.8%, said that Baptist policy on non-accordance of church membership to known secret cult members caused conflict in OBC, while 27 respondents that formed 8.2% of the laity, disagreed. By the above majority claims, it is evident that there were conflicts in some churches of OBC as a result of implementation of the Convention's policy on membership of secret society. This assertion was also corroborated by Rev. S.O. Adeoye,1 the formal pastor of Laka Baptist Church, Ogbomoso. He said that he insisted that every member must renounce belonging to secret society. Over one hundred of the church population renounced their membership.
The above conflict was not without its attendant effects. Akanmu said that, when the church began the implementation of the policy, there was crisis. One man verbally assaulted the pastor in the church. Some people left the church because they did not want to renounce membership of secret societies. A number of these people came back to the church. There were those who made false declaration; some of them latter on confessed to the pastor of the church. A youth testified that he had spiritual and economic breakthrough only after he renounced membership of secret
1 Interview with Rev. S.O.Adeoye in Ogbomoso
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societies. The church's commitment to fervent prayer was on high degree during that time. There were few individuals who died in secret society. They could not call on the church so they were not accorded Christian burial rites.
5.3.2. Non-allowance of pastor to engage in herbal medicine in Ijeru Baptist Church in 2001
Ijeru Baptist Church, one of the Baptist churches in Ogbomoso metropolis, was founded in 1898 in memory of Rev. Winn.2 Although there had been other conflicts in the church apart from the one treated within the period of this research,3 this conflict was on Baptist policy of the NBC which OBC subscribes to.4
Revd. Dr. G. A. Ajadi was called to pastor Ijeru Baptist church in 2001. Some of the youth rose up against his appointment. The conflict began not quite long that the pastor assumed the pastorate of the church in 2001. Two main allegations were levelled against the pastor. They alleged that he was practising traditional medicine and also engaging in another full-time appointment as a lecturer in University of Ilorin.
Ajadi5 himself agreed that he was involved in the production and sale of a malaria herbal medicine called ―Ajadilopaa:anti-malaria spice(Herbal preparation)‖.
The drug was made from combination of herbs(mimosaceae 35%m/m; xylopica 25%m/m; allium cepa 30%m/m; zinngiber offiinale 10%m/m) to meet his personal health challenge. Around July 1985 after he returned from overseas where he went to study, he had a serious malaria fever. All metachephin he used did not work for his recovery. He taught he would die, so he began to write his will. For days he could not eat, close his eyes or sleep. By intuition which, according to him, ―is superior to intellect,‖ he began to read on botany and to gather together herbs. His wife was worried, warning ―e sora o, a o mo igba ti e di babalawo”, (be watchful, we do not know when you became an herbalist)6. Revd. Dr. G. A. Ajadi said that his ''guarding angel'' told him to stop collection of herbs at a point in time and to pound the
2 J.A. Atanda. 1988. ed. Baptist churches in Nigeria 1850-1950. Ibadan:University press. 134-135.
3 O. A. Oludele. 2004. Schism in church development: a case study of Ogbomoso Baptist mission work. M.A . project, department of Religious Studies, Faculty of Arts, University of Ibadan, Ibadan.
65 – 67.
4NBC 2003. Book of repots… 203
5 Rev. Dr. Ajadi Ajadi Aged 72years. Interviewed September 2012.
6Interview with Revd. Dr. G. A. Ajadi in his personal house on September 2011.
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collections together. He yielded to the intuitive leadership of the guiding "spirit". He used the medicine for his malaria. Within a period of time, he began to experience sound health. He was finally cured of the ailment. To ascertain the potency of the drug, he gave it to his children when they had malaria fever. It worked for them. He subjected it to test by some professors of Medicine who attested to the potency of the medicine. Some national dailies captioned the acceptability of the drug that "instantly cures". He claimed that the herbs had been presented to World Health Organization.
The pastor went to Ijeru Baptist Church for the first time in November 1998 on visit for trial sermon. Other two pastors were invited but he was finally called.
Before the final call, he served as the church pastor while on two years' sabbatical and accumulated leaves between 1999 and 2001. When he was finally called to be the full-time church pastor, he made known his involvement in a malaria herbal drug called ―ajadilopea:anti-malaria spicce‖. He gave a pack of it to the search committee who went to him at Ilorin. The people who went were of the view that such a pastor with international recognition would make their church known. However, it was discovered that the representative of the youth intentionally refused to go with the search committee. This might be because of their disapproval of inviting a pastor who engaged in herbal medicine. The youth president affirmed that the youth did not accept the pastor because of the issue of traditional medicine he practised.
Revd. S. O. Ogunleye7 and Akano8 said that the conflict in Ijeru Baptist Church escalated after a revival conducted by Evangelist Niyi Adedokun. The dispute had been brewing before the evangelist was invited by the church pastor. However, the revivalist, during the revival time publicly advised the pastor to either quit the church and continue with the herbal medicine or drop it and move on with the ministry. The youth were happy, in that it was the revivalist invited by the pastor who vindicated their stand. On the other hand, the pastor claimed that the youth were the one who influenced the revivalist. The conflict got escalated. The Executive Committee of the church was dissolved. A caretaker committee was elected but the youth were not included.
7 Interview with S. O. Ogunleye aged 72 years Saja Baptist Church Ogbomoso September, 2011
8 Interview with Akano 60 years Union Baptist Church premises Ogbomoso
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