‘Making the down-trodden better citizens thrills me

Rev. Carol Ighele

Reverend Carol Ighele is a pastor with the Holy Spirit Mission Church. Their Happy Family Chapel has over 60 branches, outreaches and neighbourhood assemblies. Rev Ighele had her tertiary education in France and Nigeria, graduating in Accounting and receiving a postgraduate diploma in Computer Science from the University of Benin.

She worked as a banker for 14 years, resigned after rising to a managerial position before coming into fulltime ministry with her husband Bishop Charles Ighele. This dark-complexioned and amiable woman is a mother of four and a presenter of the ‘Marriage and Family Intimacy’ (MAFI), a television programme known as the ‘Happy Family’ since 1995.

This woman of God has some other aspects of her ministry that rekindle her passion for women besides preaching the word of God to them.

“Aside from preaching the word of God, I’m also interested in marriages and families, as well as the youth, both male and female. I have a programme that is called ‘Intimate Gist with Mama’ which is strictly for single ladies until they are married. Then there is also another one known as ‘When Mama Prays’ which consists of ladies that are 16 years and above. It is a praying and teaching conference of family and marriage, which includes the challenges women go through because of their gender,” she explained.

 What challenges are women passing through based on their gender, you may ask.

“There are many challenges really. As you grow up to become a woman, people would begin to talk to you and you want to know how you can handle such emotion. Then another challenge is that many women have been battered and bruised. Some even raped by their father. Such women are most often emotionally hurt and are withdrawn due to what they had been through in life. They withdraw themselves into their shelves and react very negatively to the society. In my programme which is known as  ‘When Mama Prays’, I take my time to talk and counsel such people, letting them know the way out of their predicaments. I also talk to them about the word of God pertaining to each and every problem confronting them,” she stressed.

What aspects of her calling do she enjoy most?

“I really enjoy all the talents that God has given me but the one I enjoy most is lifting the souls of the down-trodden. I mean people that are nobody, hungry and have nobody to help them. Men, women, families and children who no one is taking care of; girls who were raped by their fathers and you see their mothers looking the other side because they don’t want their marriage to crash. I enjoy seeing people down there in the valley being drawn to God and lifted up. In other words, making the down-trodden better citizens is what thrills me a lot,” she said smilingly.

There must be challenges lifting up the souls of the down-trodden. Or has this been all rosy?

“No, it hasn’t been all rosy. It’s quite challenging I must tell you,  but with the help of God and the Holy Spirit I have never relented because I see it as part of my calling from God. The challenge that confronts me in this aspect of my calling is finance. Some of those people that are down need financial help. It’s not just enough to tell them God would bless you or lay hand and pray for them without giving them something.  It’s not proper to leave them empty-handed. You see a young girl of 17, for instance, who has been impregnated and she is roaming the street because there is nobody to accommodate her, I can’t see such a fellow and look the other way. Such a girl needs accommodation and help. She needs to be made to learn a trade which of course is a way of empowering her. So, to rehabilitate such girls is very costly and I have been doing that. I consider that as one of the major challenges. Another challenge is that it is shocking when you find out that more than half of these people that were helped, who got pregnant and you are helping to rehabilitate them  still go out again and make the same mistake they made at first. You see them fall back on my arms begging to be forgiven,” she bemoaned.

But that definitely is annoying. Would she still stretch out her hands and accept them back?

“Yes, who am I not to forgive them? That is why I keep saying that when you are not called into this ministry, you can easily get angry at them and walk them out. A girl who got pregnant accidently goes back to do it again and again after trying to help her is naturally annoying. You are more likely to give up on them or walk them out. But I don’t do that. Some have been rehabilitated and they went back to their vomits three or four times and they came back to beg for help. I do consider and start training them. But the good thing is that some of them, after being rehabilitated, come out to be good citizens. I have sponsored some in the university and they came out well, graduated and they are good people in the society today. And this gives me fulfilment,” she emphasised. 

ADAEZE AMOS