“This is abundant grace that God has bestowed upon me, which obviously, it is not because I deserve it, but just grace in abundance. And actually, one asks oneself, ‘Where have the years gone? Where have they gone because we just basically do the things that need to be done, year by year, and suddenly, 40 years has sprung on us?” The Archdiocese of Lagos has been agog with excitement. His Grace, Most Rev. (Dr.) Alfred Adewale Martins, Archbishop of the Metropolitan See of Lagos just clocked 40 in priesthood coupled with his 25 years in the episcopate. In this exclusive interview with the Editor, NETA NWOSU, the God-fearing and exceptionally humble Archbishop Martins shares his story on the pulpit and episcopacy. Expectedly, he speaks on his sojourn with the ‘Class of 8’. Excerpts:
How would you want to introduce yourself to the world?
I am simply a person that was lucky enough to have been born into a Catholic family, and I have had the privilege of growing up in the faith, and growing up around the Church. That was about 64 years ago. I have had the opportunity of going to Catholic schools all my life, except when I went to the university. And it’s all been a great opportunity to be born and to be brought up within the Catholic environment, of course, engaging with people from other faiths. So, I think that by and large, would be the way I would like to be known; a person that has had the privilege of being brought up within the Catholic faith, and all the values and all that the Church stands for have been part of my life since. I hope that I have tried to live according to them.
Every time we celebrate God’s goodness in your life, we always want to hear the story of your priestly vocation so far. Can you share it with us?
As I said earlier on, I had the privilege of being born into a Catholic family. And therefore, right from the beginning, we were all around the Church. Every child has to have some role to play in the parish. If you are a boy, you are an altar boy; if you are a girl, you are a chorister. And so, that was like a seatbelt for the vocation that I eventually took on. So, that was a good preparation for me, such that when I finished primary school in Abeokuta, I went on to the minor seminary in Ibadan, St. Theresa’s Minor Seminary. And of course, as you go through the minor seminary, every day, you are told that you are a priest in the making. And that settled in the mind, such that going to the major seminary was like a natural progression from the minor seminary. And by the grace of God, there were both men and women along the line that were also helpful. Apart from my parents, we had a number of priests and parish priests; priests that we came in contact with that helped to drive the vocation to the priesthood. Of course, the priests in the seminary were also very helpful in ensuring that one kept focus. So, I was ordained therefore along with my classmates, eight of us, ordained on September 18, 1983, and we have been on by God’s grace since that time. Thanks be to God.
Looking back at your minor seminary at Oke-Are, what would you consider as milestones?
Oke-Are was like a real formation ground for growing young minds along the way to the priesthood. It was an opportunity to learn the very basics of life, to learn the challenges that can be there with life, even as young children that you do not have everything that you want and that indeed, you need to make an effort to get whatever it is that you want, of course, trusting God. I’m talking like that because of the fact that we had to really struggle in order to get water, based on the fact that we were on top of a hill. And as little, tiny children that we were at that time, it was quite a challenge to go down the hill to fetch the water and bring it up to the top of the hill. Those kinds of memories stood very strong and worth milestones. And then of course, we had some of the teachers who influenced us quite a lot. We had for instance, Archbishop Alaba Job as our Rector at some point in time in the minor seminary. We had Very Rev. Fr. Fintan Daly, SMA, at some point as a Rector. Then, we had Msgr. Kehinde Sylva as a Rector. So, these men very, very much influenced on our growth through the minor seminary.
Your years at Bodija were quite eventful. Can you take us through the high-points of your years at Ss. Peter and Paul Major Seminary, Bodija?
Bodija Seminary was also a great formation ground for us. From the Archdiocese of Lagos, eight of us went in the same day. And that was a milestone for us because we never have had as many as that going to the seminary at the same time from the Archdiocese. Therefore, the kind of relationship that we had was so very helpful. So, that number that went together was able to stick together; were able to relate with one another in such a way that we could easily be referred to as a ‘Class of Eight’ because we were bonded together. That was a very helpful part of our formation progamme in the seminary. And then again, as a student, you wanted to do the best possible in order to pass your exams. So, the ability to come together as groups to study is also something that stays in my mind. But we also had the opportunity of coming together to practice how to deliver homilies. That stood in my mind also because it was very helpful that group of the students can come together, give themselves something to talk about. And it helped us really in many ways. Then, of course, with the fact that one had different kinds of roles to play in the life of the seminary. That was very formative for me also, and it created a deep impression upon me that helped me. For instance, at some point in time, I was doing the work of what they called the fumarian, I had to at some point in time, being the students’ bursar, going to buy materials, foodstuff in the market, and ensuring that they cooked them and we went to bed, at a point in time, being the school prefect. All of these were helpful; what we might call milestones that were helpful in the whole process of formation, such that it was a happy situation we were in; happy environment, challenging, many times. Sometimes, there are lots of anxiety; ‘Will I make it? Will I not make it? Is everything going on well or not?’ Anxieties were there, but basically, it was very happy times that we always looked back at and laugh over or just smile at the kind of things that God did for us at that time.
You and your classmates were referred to as the ‘Class of Eight’. How did that name come about?
Well, of course, it’s the fact that we were just eight in number; that was basically the thing. But then, the fact was also that we bonded well that we were like outstanding in the group of seminary students in some way. But of course also, the fact that in the Archdiocese of Lagos, at the time we were ordained, we were the highest number of seminarians ordained at the same time at that point in the life of the institution. So, the Class of eight just kind of stood out as a result of this. And by the grace of God, even though we have had some of us who have gone to Heaven, we still refer to ourselves as the Class of Eight because we are eight in this world and in heaven. And so, we are very glad to be recognised as that.
Did you have a nickname while at the major seminary, and did anyone in the Class of Eight have a nickname?
Well, I cannot remember any specific nicknames, except of course, nicknames that would come from what names we bear. Like Alphonse for instance, for an Alphonsus, or Martine for a Martins. Well, of course, some people called me Omojeje and all of that at that time. But basically, it’s just nicknames that came from the names that we bear.
The first few years of a priest are learning curves; what would you say are the lessons of your early years as a young priest?
As a young priest, I had the privilege of being asked to take responsibilities for things. And that made me to recognise the need to listen and learn from those who were older in the priesthood. And if you have been a priest in charge of a parish when you are just about a year and a half old in the priesthood, naturally, the need to learn, to ask questions, to seek advice will be there. That was a learning experience that I had because of the kind of responsibilities that I was asked to take. Then, going to teach in the major seminary. I think I was three years old as a priest when I was asked to go and teach. In other words, those were for me opportunities to learn to be serious with whatever you asked to do, and then to learn from others who are there. So, those were outstanding things. Of course, it was also a time when we needed to recognise the fact to be careful because at that time it used to be said that if you didn’t get killed in the first year, it is likely that you will survive for a longer period of time. So, learning to be careful was one of the things that were there at that time.
You were at the verge of studying for a PhD when you were recalled to be the Bishop of Abeokuta. How did you take the news?
Yes, indeed, I had just completed my master’s degree programme at St. Andrew’s University, Scotland, and I had just begun the doctorate programme at the University of Edinburgh when the news came. I must say it was pretty unsettling for me. Pretty unsettling, not because of the degree that I was going to give up, but rather because of the fact that I didn’t think that that was what I should be doing at the time that I was called to do it because I was at that time enjoying my work as a teacher in the seminary, and indeed, I was looking forward to completing my PhD and come back home and go back to the seminary. And so, when I had to truncate the programme and then go to become Bishop, it was very unsettling for me and pretty difficult to turn around my mind. However, I was lucky, I was blessed in the fact that I had a parish priest in the host parish that I was living in Edinburgh, who arranged for me to go to a monastery and spend some time in prayer and reflection and conversation with a retreat moderator. That helped me to get my mind stabilised. And then, I began to think about what I have been called to do. So, as for the direct question, it was unsettling. But the grace of God, obviously took over, and all was well.
How would you narrate your story as the Bishop of Abeokuta Diocese and the successes you achieved?
Well, Abeokuta Diocese was a diocese that people had been looking forward to for a long time. And when the diocese was created by the Holy Father, we were all grateful to God that that jurisdiction was created. We were all grateful to the Archbishop of Lagos at that time, who midwifed it. And then, there was such a grand swell of enthusiasm to make things work. And therefore, going there as a bishop, I was already blessed with a situation that would be helpful in achieving the goals for which the diocese was created. That is not to say that there were no difficulties. In fact, there were challenges that we had to face. First of all, the number of priests that was available. There were nine of us, including myself that were the priests of that diocese. There were a number of priests of Lagos who were working with us. And that was how we started. So, there was a challenge of the number of priests. It was a fertile ground, so to say, but with challenges of making the seeds grow. But then, with the goodwill of God’s people, with the focus of the priests, working together with their bishop, and the lay faithful, we were able to overcome the initial challenges. And then, by God’s grace, we were able to achieve some successes; if you call them successes in terms of the things that we were able to do, such as the schools that we were able to start, the setup of the administrative structure that we were able to have, the working out of a pastoral plan for the growth of the diocese. And then, generally ensuring that as the diocese was growing, and we were having more priests, there was also be the growth of the faith of people within the diocese, especially because our diocese had quite a good number of the Pentecostal churches located within it. So, it was for us a challenge such that we were able to come out with a slogan such as ‘one man, one woman, one combat alia’, challenging ourselves to evangelisation, that each person should make an effort to bring in one person to accept the faith as we ourselves did. So, that’s the kind of situation which Abeokuta Diocese started and began to grow.
You were elevated to become the Archbishop of Lagos in 2012, what will you consider as milestones in these past 11 years?
The grace of God has been very abundant. And I think that if we were to think of milestone, it will be if we are thinking in terms of what God has done for us in these past years. It will be the fact that more and more, we have a sense of unity in action, a sense of everybody feeling the sense that he needs to do something for the growth of the Church. Well of course, in any situation, we still find a few people who are sitting on the fence. But in general, I think by God’s grace, we have been able to achieve a situation in which there is unity of action, unity of purpose in achieving the purpose for which an ecclesiastical jurisdiction is created. But apart from that, I think that has helped or assisted by the guidelines that we worked on, in order to guide the Laity Council in its operations, to guide Finance Council in its operations, to guide parish councils in its operations. So, these were helpful as a road-map for unity of action, unity of purpose. I think the fact that everybody feels engaged with the Church is very helpful. So, that’s one area that I think God has been very kind to us. However, we have also been thinking and talking very seriously about formation; formation of the laity on one hand and formation of the priests on the other hand. And so, the whole area of leading formation that has been part of our lives these past few years have helped to form leaders of associations of the lay faithful so that they in turn can be instruments for forming the follower-ship in the faith within the archdiocese. And I believe too that our effort to ensure that each unit of the archdiocese, unit meaning deaneries are able to function in unified manners, with deans having measure of authority in carrying through their unique programmes. I think that has been a milestone that we can point to also. Then of course, apart from that, by the grace of God, we have paid attention to education; education in terms of getting our institutions to function more maximally than before. Institutions, meaning secondary schools, primary schools, and then, the establishment of new schools, such as the St. Kizito at Iju and the one at Bodije. We have had by God’s grace, growth in terms of the the Augustine University, growing in its journey into the future. Then, our College of Education is a lot more stable in terms of number, in terms of administration, and so on and so forth. So, these are things that God has done for us that we can count as milestones in these last few years.
Archbishop Martins is indeed 40 years a priest. How do you feel clocking 40 years as a priest in God’s vineyard?
First of all, a feeling of gratitude, gratitude to God that He has counted me worthy to be a priest, and then helped me going in these last 40 years. A feeling of an abundance of grace that I have been called to some certain offices within the 40 years, first of all as Bishop, and now as Archbishop. This is abundant grace that God has bestowed upon me, which obviously, it is not because I deserve it, but just grace in abundance. And actually, one asks oneself, ‘Where have the years gone? Where have they gone because we just basically do the things that need to be done, year by year, and suddenly, 40 years has sprung on us? So, we are grateful to God. We are grateful to people who have been our support all these years.
What would you consider the high points and memorable incidents in your 40 years as a priest?
High points! There are many areas. First of all, the day of ordination itself was an extraordinary experience that you walk into a Church as a deacon, and by the grace of God, you come out a priest with all the graces that God gives. So, that was a very momentous occasion for me, and I suppose also for all my classmates, and indeed, it has to be for all priests. I was shocked when I was asked to be bishop, but again, when you set into a role, and you feel the grace of God coming through persons that are just there to help to get the work done, that for me is momentous. It’s an experience of life that one cannot put any value; financial value or material value upon. And of course, I was appointed the Archbishop of Lagos. That was one thing I did not think of, even in the wildest of my dreams. But then, the grace of God just keeps one going.
Every journey has its own challenges, what would you consider as the greatest challenges you have faced so far as a priest these past 40 years?
Well, I must say thanks be to God I have not had personal challenges that one can consider a big challenge or a major challenge. As far as health is concerned, God has been good to me. As far as life is concerned, I have not had any serious difficulty. So, thanks be to God for that. However, in the work itself, one of the challenges of a bishop is not to have adequate number of priests to do all the work that needs to be done. That has been quite a challenge. I have to go here and there in order to get help to minister to people in their different areas. But thanks be to God also that the challenge is there, but there are more and more young men coming to embrace the priestly life. They are in formation. Many more are getting ordained. So, the challenge is that as soon as you get a number of men that get ordained, you begin to have need for more because by the fact of their work, the ministry, the apostolate, the number of areas to touch, begins to expand also. So, that’s why it’s almost like a constant challenge; you get some, the more you get, the more you begin to have need for, as far as priests are concerned. So that’s one area. Also, the area to get adequate funds to do what you need to do. You want to buy a piece of land in a state like Lagos for instance; the price is up there in the sky. Yes, we are blessed with more resources than many other dioceses all over the nation, in terms of material resources, but the cost of doing things in Lagos is such that also creates challenges for the bishop, trying to think of how to ensure that we get what we need. However, with finance councils being there, with new ideas coming on, obviously, that itself is also a challenge that we are able to contain. I must say that one of the big pastoral challenges is the need to ensure that the faith that we profess conforms to the life that we live; how to help ourselves to ensure that the way we live our lives are not different from the faith that we profess and the values that we profess. So, that is a constant challenge that we must continue to think about, and the catechesis that is needed to ensure that we reach a point where life and faith are so synchronised that you do not see any gap between the two. So, these are things that I think about as a bishop, and then, of course, ensuring that if challenges arise, we are able to deal with them before they get out of hand, but otherwise, no challenge we can’t cope with.
What do you have to say to your classmates who are celebrating with you?
Congratulations! We have made it to 40. And by God’s grace, we are going to continue to strive to become better version of ourselves. We will continue to support one another, so that we can fulfill God’s will for us when He made us into priests. Let us keep on supporting one another.
40 years so far as a priest, 25 years so far as a Bishop, later Archbishop of Lagos, what do you look forward to?
I look forward to becoming a better version of myself. I think that what should be one’s greatest goal is to try to become better and better every day. If one is ascending higher in the grade of goodness, I believe that all other things will fall in place. So, that’s what I look forward to. And then of course, at the end of life, that I go to heaven.
