When Most Rev. (Dr.) Alfred Adewale Martins took over as the Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, he was stepping into the shoes of an illustrious predecessor, the Archbishop (now Cardinal) Anthony OlubunmiOkogie, and against the backdrop of high expectations. In the years that followed, there were lots of challenges brewed by the socio-economic and political situations, locally and globally, including economic recession and a global pandemic which made evangelic duties tough. But year after year, Archbishop Martins, continuing the tradition of service to the body of Christ as established by his predecessors and building upon established orders with resourcefulness and innovation, has led the Catholic community to watersheds. And today, Lagos Archdiocese is strongly positioned as a Church that stands up to the challenges of time. On August 4, 2022, His Grace clocks a milestone of 10 years as the Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, to a reclame that he has acquitted himself well as a servant of God and a purpose-driven worker in the Lord’s vineyard. His dedication to Apostolic work is consistent with his pedigree, before and after his arrival at his present Episcopal post.
Born on June 1, 1959, in Abeokuta, Ogun State, Most Rev. (Dr.) Alfred Adewale Martins, ordained a priest on September 18, 1983, was appointed the first Bishop of Abeokuta Diocese by Pope Saint John Paul II on October 24, 1997, and consecrated as Bishop of Abeokuta Diocese by Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano the following year on January 24, 1998. He was appointed Archbishop of Lagos Archdiocese by Pope Benedict XVI on May 25, 2012, and a little over two months later, on August 4, installed as Archbishop of Lagos. As Bishop of Abeokuta, it was his responsibility to forge a path on which the diocese would grow, which translated to setting up structures, drawing up the architecture for pastoral life and administration, and setting the tone for the growth of the new diocese. He and eight other incardinated priests were able to build a solid foundation for the Diocese of Abeokuta, before the call to a higher responsibility as Archbishop of the Lagos Metropolitan See. Although the Church is the same any where structure, organisation, teachings, dispositionthe Lagos Archdiocese has its peculiarities namely a large Catholic populace that is grossly diversified and the big expectations that go with the status of a Metropolitan See.
Ten years ago, there was anticipation of how the new archbishop was going to rise to the challenges. But by Apostolic tradition, and driven by his passion, Archbishop Martins has provided purposive, spirit-led leadership that midwifed positive developments which resonate within and around the Church and in the larger society. The growth of the Lagos Archdiocese under his leadership, visible in the increasing number of deaneries and parishes, is one of the defining characteristics of his era. Back in 2013, a few months after his installation, there were only seven Deaneries in the Archdiocese of Lagos; injecting impetus into the need for an expansion of God’s kingdom here on Earth, the Archdiocese of Lagos successfully increased the number of Deaneries to 15 by 2016. Currently, the number of deaneries is 20, with each having 10 parishes. Since 2012, over 40 parish Churches have been dedicated to the worship of God in the Archdiocese of Lagos. Similarly, under his leadership, there has been emphatic human capital development, of priests and religious groups, in the Church. Over 10 years, the growth has been at a geometric progressionfifty-three (53) priests ordained for service in the Archdiocese of Lagos since 2013; increase from 15 (in 2013) to 23 in male religious communities while female religious communities now stand at 29 as against 21 in 2013.
Another area of development is the prioritisation of care for the poor and the establishment of charity projects. For example, the Poor Funds projectan initiative of the Archdiocese of Lagos aimed at serving the poorest of the poor in the community that, on account of physical isolation, social exclusion and other barriers, are not beneficiaries of the state’s social safety netshas been given more impetus by the Archbishop. As an expression of the scriptural injunction on charitable act “whatsoever you do to the least of my brethren, you do unto me” the fund has been a tool of financial assistance to the poor in the community and pragmatic response to the call of the corporal works of mercy. Archbishop Martins ensured that this endeavour remains unflagging, despite the harsh realities of the present-day economy. Today, the distribution of the poor funds, which takes place every Monday after the morning Mass in the cathedral premises, has been accorded priority and commitment, which translates to an increase in value to serve a wider spectrum of people in the community. In the same vein, Archbishop Alfred Adewale Martins created the Caritas Lagos project in 2013 to assist dioceses, parishes, religious institutes and catholic institutions in need within Nigeria and other African countries. Over the years, on the recommendation of the Caritas Lagos committee, the Archdiocese of Lagos has assisted several applicants. The Caritas Lagos fundderived from a special collection in all parishes of the Archdiocese on the second Sunday of Lent every year and from donations made by people of goodwillhas been a bastion of Catholic benevolence and magnanimity to the needy.
Laity developmentespecially leadership training as well as projectsis another area that has received the Archbishop Martins effect. In keeping with the dictates of the Second Vatican Council which emphasises communion and involvement of all Christ’s faithful in the advancement of God’s kingdom, the Archbishop through various media, has pushed forward for a structure of co-centrism against the pyramid structure of former tides. This has, since 2015, led to key Laity projects including Leading for Faith Mission (LFM), Antioch Pastoral Institute, St. Gregory School of Pastoral Music, Cecilian school of music, St. JohnPaul II School for Marriage and Family, Diploma in Catechesis and the implementation of Parish Guidelines for Pastoral Councils, Finance councils and Human Resource Management. The past decade has been characterised by the development of new directorates, commissions and academies, and the reinvigoration of existing ones to further the evangelisation mission of the Church in the Archdiocese of Lagos. New institutions such as theEvangelisation Commission, Caritas Lagos, and St. Gregory Diploma School of Pastoral Music have emerged to deepen the understanding and practice of the Catholic faith while existing directorates and units, such as the Marriage and Human Life Unit and the Social Communications Directorate were strengthened to become effective. In education, the flagship institution of the Archdiocese, Augustine University which took off in 2013, has come of age as a citadel of higher learning in the Catholic tradition of providing excellent education. Relentless effort to scale up infrastructure development was matched with the pursuit of accreditations for courses that include Communication Technology, Engineering, Law and Medicine. The Archdiocese has also moved to provide lower-cost secondary education by founding new secondary schools specifically tailored to the educational needs of lower-income families. An example is St Kizito College.
There is also the St. Augustine College of Education which was revamped to meet the need for teachers and educators in various fields of study. Also, there is the recently returned Archbishop Aggey Memorial Secondary School which is being remodelled into a vocational learning institution. In the area of health, new clinics have been built in areas where their need has been identified while older clinics are being upgraded to the status of hospitals. By and large, one of the key landmarks of the first decade of his tenure as Archbishop of Lagos is the Priest Home project. Indeed, the noble idea of enhancing the lives of Archdiocesan priests in their retirement had been mooted for a long time. Archbishop Martins moved it from the realm of ideas to reality when he constituted a committee to work on actualising the project. Today, the St. John Mary Vianney Priests Home project is mission accomplished. With his exemplary leadership, Archbishop Martins has been a shining example for the Christian community. His driving force, however, is very simple: “I am one person who believes that I must do everything possible to fulfill the purpose for which God created me and sent me into the world- to strive more and more to know God first, so closely as to love Him and serve Him in the different ways required of me.” His reflection on his stewardship of the Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos“There must be something that God knows I am in a position to do in Lagos, that’s why he made it happen”underscores an edifying ethos that should be imbibed by all who work for God.
A more robust outlook of his leadership trait is encapsulated in his musings on what he considered some of the remarkable achievements of the past decade: “What comes to my mind immediately is the reformation of the pastoral council, Laity Council and Finance Council. I thought that it is important that we had those councils at the parishes first of all because if we have parish councils that are properly constituted and set up and had clear goals and directions with clear-cut committees and bodies, people will engage in different aspects of the parishes as to realise the goalsthe goals of liturgy, the goals of care of people within the parish, the goals of the administration of the parish. And of course, the finances of the parishes need to also be streamlined in such a way that the parish priest does not have to grapple with all the issues concerning finances, but rather leave that to a group of men and women who have expertise in that area to help and then the laity council can also be constituted in such a way that the societies can function in a way that the members will realise the purpose of their membership, which is, helping people to grow in holiness of life.”
Ten good years as Archbishop of Lagos Metropolitan See was summed up simplistically by him this way: “Overwhelmingly, there has been unity of purpose and a disposition to achieve the goals of the church.” As he clocked a decade as Archbishop, the race for the next decade has already begun, and Most Rev, Alfred Adewale Martins has his vision ready. “Growth,” as he succinctly put it, is “always a goal to be realised.” Given the track record of the past 10 years, the Catholic community should by now have an idea of how the next 10 years will be driven by purpose, persistence, faith and commitment to spiritual works. According to Archbishop Martins, the process will not be left to him and the clergy alone but will involve active participation from the laity. As he hinted: “I am looking forward to a time when every person in the archdiocese will willingly become a tool of evangelisation.”
