Pastor of Church Without Walls marks 60th birthday with a colloquium on Nigeria, launches memoir

It was a gathering of carefully selected individuals who cut across family, friends, and church acquaintances.

The date was Thursday, November  6, at the Capstone Resource Centre, Yaba. It was the 60th birthday of  Beulah Tokunbo Johnson, an inspiring teacher of God’s word and a people builder. He is the Senior Pastor of Capstone Church, also known as Church Without Walls.

Apart from celebrating a life that has impacted many people over the years, the event was also planned to discuss Nigeria’s current situation. This is in line with Pastor Johnson’s passion. He has, over the years, confessed his love for the country and has seized every avenue to be part of bringing solutions to its many problems.

He said at the event that he would not just want people to come and celebrate with him, eat and go, but also to come share thoughts on how the country can get out of the economic and social malaise it found itself in.

He also used the event to present his autobiography titled Family Tree…lessons for men across three generations. But the burden for Nigeria seems to get more attention at the programme, which kicked off at about 3 pm.

The colloquium

Three resource persons, Prof. Dapo Thomas, Pastor Kola Ayeye and Pastor Joseph Thompson were on ground to share their thoughts on the Nigerian question.

Prof Thomas, who lectures at the Lagos State University, set the tone of the colloquium, drawing attention to the degradation in the country while also noting that there is an absence of a collective responsibility among Nigerians, making it difficult for the country to overcome its misery. ‘If that sense of devotion is there and there is a commitment to a national course, it won’t take long for Nigeria to pull through,’ he asserted

Kola Ayeye, who is the Lead Pastor of Friends of God Fellowship and a foremost finance expert, however, went further to identify corruption as the underlying problem dragging  Nigeria back. He pointed out that until corruption is rooted out, Nigeria will keep going in circles.

Giving further insight, he said, before the advent of this current republic, the per capita income of Nigeria was around 500 dollars. It grew to 2000 dollars under President  Olusegun Obasanjo, and it grew again to 3000 dollars under President Goodluck Jonathan. But the per capita income has gone down to 850 dollars in the last couple of years.

He explained that there is a correlation between integrity and economic progress. If we are talking about poverty, it will be difficult to overcome it if there is corruption in the land. The most transparent countries are the most economically  successful countries.”Ayeye said.

He insisted that the reason Nigeria will remain poor is corruption. “If we solve the problem of corruption, we will make progress as a nation.”

Ayeye reasoned that one of the corrupt practices of the government is using proceeds of the country’s natural resources to fund bureaucracy. This is a sure way to poverty. It’s either you save the proceed of your natural resources or you use it to build infrastructure. Countries that do this prosper. But if it is spent on running government bureaucracy, such a nation will end up a poor nation.”

Botswana example.

Citing the example of Botswana, he said, ‘The man who wrote the economic blueprint of Botswana is a Nigerian professor. The country is not as sophisticated as such, but its per capita income is 7000 dollars, ours is 850 dollars

He emphasised that Nigeria’s problem is largely a lack of transparency and corruption. ‘There is a high economic dividend in integrity, he said. He “The biggest gift we can give Nigeria is for a greater percentage of us not to take a bribe and for the government to follow due process in all its dealings. And this has to start from the church.

“If the mass of Christians can take an integrity oath and stand by it, it won’t take long for  Nigeria to be great again. It is foolishness to think we can prosper if we are corrupt and lack accountability. It will not happen. “

Nigeria and hubris

In his assessment of the Nigerian situation, Joseph Thompson, a leadership and EQ consultant who travelled from the US to honour Pastor Tokunbo, noted at the event that the corrupt system in the country is rooted in hubris. By hubris, he meant pride, trying to be who we are not.

‘Until we understand our limitations and accept our reality, we won’t be able to make progress. There is excessive pride among our leaders. Because our leadership is steeped in hubris, God is against us. The Bible talks about God resisting the proud.

According to him, ‘good leadership requires values and morals. It’s about surrounding yourself with the right kind of people and redefining reality.

The church, he noted, must begin to live according to its calling. ‘We should live in a way that our lives will inspire others and thereby  want to serve our God.”

The speakers expressed confidence that Nigeria can still come out of its misery if only the vast majority are ready to do the right thing. They believe this can be set on track by the right kind of leadership.

Family Tree

The height point of the event, which lasted for about three hours, was the public presentation of the autobiography of the celebrant, titled Family Tree: Lessons for men across three generations.. It is a carefully crafted book that has been endorsed by notable people from different strata of society. It is described as a necessary collection for underdogs who truly desire socioeconomic emancipation.

Kemela Okara, Pro Chancellor and Chairman of Council, University of Africa, Bayelsa State, says of the book, “”From the very first pages, you’re drawn to Johnson’s remarkable story telling gift, unputdownable narrative  that opens a window to a bygone era of Lagos “

In his assessment, the Pro-Coach for Africa’s Visionary Leaders Corporations and a serial author,  Debola Deji Kurunmi, says, “Family Tree will especially resonate with readers interested in Nigeria’s history, the African diaspora, faith traditions, and memoirs that interwine personal and cultural legacy.’

The celebrant’s daughter, Oyin Johnson-Awoniyi, says of the book, ‘The family Tree is more than a memoir. It is a living archive of Lagos, of heritage and of the power of legacy.”

For Ayodeji Abodunde, the celebrated author of The Messenger: Sydney Elton and the Making of Pentecostalism, the book is ‘Funny, poetic, inspiring and absolutely brilliant.’

Indeed, the book, a 13-chapter inspiring document, tells the story of a life that evolved from the labyrinth of tragedy to a season of triumph.

Written in simple, down-to-earth English, it conveys graphic accounts that are familiar to those in the age bracket of the celebrant who had an experience of Lagos.

Apart from entertaining the reader, the author devotes ample space to writing about the 13 lessons he learnt in his six decades of life.

Fellowship

The celebration turned out to be a place of fellowship and networking. It was a platform to connect with old friends and some notable church leaders, including Pastor Jimmy Odukoya, whose parents were mentors of the celebrant.

The atmosphere was convivial. It was indeed a time to honour the grace of God in the life of Pastor Johnson, whose impact in ministry was. described as real and contagious by many at the event

Pastor Thomas summed it up in his words, saying the reason he still has hope in Nigeria is that people like Pastor Tokunbo Johnson and his wife are still in the country, impacting lives and doing exploits.

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