His face is well-beknown to almost every institution and facet of Bonny Kingdom but more within the Anglican Communion from Bonny in Rivers State to Abuja, yet he remains self-effacing, unassuming and easy going. Fred Stephen Pepple has his personality wrapped around serving God and humanity, akin to the motto of the Men’s Fellowship of the Province of the Niger Delta, Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, which he led for years before engendering a leadership transition weeks ago.

He holds the highest title, Amaopusenibo, of Bonny Kingdom, has served various roles in various kingdom institutions one of which is the Bonny Kingdom Titled Citizens Assembly, where he was the immediate past General Secretary and currently 2nd Vice President. He is also a Wariopusenibo (Elder) in his home, Jack Manilla Pepple Chieftaincy House of Olom-Abalama (Oguede) Community in Bonny LGA of Rivers State.

In this interview with Kristina Reports Publisher, Godswill Jumbo, the immediate past President General of the Men’s Fellowship of the Province of the Niger Delta, Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, gave an outline of his service years on the saddle, the circumstances leading up to the formation of the CMF, the impact of Christianity in his life, and how the church can impact society positively. Enjoy the read!

Kristina Reports: Good morning, my brother. Please, let’s meet you.

Fred Stephen Pepple: Yeah, I’m here. My name is Amaopusenibo Sir Fred Stephen Pepple. I’m from the Jack Manilla Pepple House of Bonny Kingdom and I worship in St. Stephen’s Cathedral, Bonny. I think that’s all. Or maybe I will add that I’m the Second Vice President of the Bonny Kingdom Titled Citizens Assembly, after serving as Secretary for some years.   

For most people who know you, know you as being around the church. What would you say has been impact of Christianity in your life?

Impact of Christianity in my life? Being a Christian by the grace of God is what my life is all about.  I can’t claim to be the best of Christians. But by God’s grace I struggle and manage to live my life such that I make efforts on my own to see if I can please God and those who look up to me. My family and other members who look up to me. Serving God is one of my key points in life and what I need to do till I die. As a matter of fact, serving God and humanity is the motto – we call it service to God and humanity – of the Men’s Fellowship of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, to which I belong. So, serving God is my focus on serving humanity. That’s why even when you come to Bonny Kingdom, I serve in the traditional settings. I serve also in the church I belong to because I believe in that motto of the of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, service to God and humanity.

Talking about the Christian men’s fellowship, can you throw some light on what this is all about?

The Men’s Fellowship is an organization of the men in the church. Organization of the men where the men come under the umbrella of a fellowship, where they fellowship together like their women counterparts, where we have the Women’s Guild and the Mother’s Union. Christian Men’s Fellowship is an umbrella where the men come together to worship, and then to serve and be focused, be taught and learn things about God and serve with all their hearts and then get themselves involved in the activities and things of the church. Not just worship, not just Sunday, Sunday Service, you come to worship, and you go get to know what the church is all about. What God requires of men as leaders, what God requires of men as focused persons, what God requires of men to do in the kingdom, to do in the kingdom of man and in Kingdom of God and then to their families, how to learn and teach people how to lead their families to God.

If I get you very well. It’s all about, you know, demonstrating commitment to the things of God.

Exactly.

Service to humanity.

Exactly.

Now, we learnt you just handed over as president of the Men’s Fellowship. Can you tell us a little more about your time as the leader of the Christian Men’s Fellowship?

The Men’s Fellowship was before now known as Men’s Christian Association. I recall in 1994, I went to church one morning service and one elder, Elder Bedwell Jumbo invited me to a meeting of the men. Then, I was just an ordinary church member. I go to church and walk away. He invited me to their meeting, and I went. That was far back, 1994, about April. I was then elected the secretary of the Christian Men Association in the cathedral. Well, by the grace of God I continued and by 1997 the then bishop now late, Right Reverend Gabriel Okosimiema Herbert Jack-Wilson Pepple, retired, had formed the Men’s Christian Association at the Diocesan level where he was the bishop. So, we formed the Men’s Christian Association at the Diocesan level and then I was also elected a Secretary there. I started as an Assistant Secretary, then gradually graduated to a Secretary of the Men’s Christian Association in the Niger Delta Diocese from that 1997 till 2009. It’s not as if I could not be changed, but I had the privilege of coming back. But before then, I served two, three years as Assistant Secretary. By 2008, 2009, I was the full Secretary of the Diocese of the Men’s Christian Association.

Then, within that 2000 to 2004, the 13 dioceses in the Diocese of Niger Delta came together to form the Men’s Christian Association at the provincial level. Provincial level now comprised of four states; Rivers, Cross River, Bayelsa, and Akwa Ibom States. These 13 dioceses formed the Province of Niger Delta. But within the Province of Niger Delta, we have 13 dioceses; these dioceses comprised of Niger Delta Diocese, the Calabar Diocese, Uyo Diocese, Niger Delta North, Niger Delta West, Okrika Diocese, Ahoada Diocese, Ogoni Diocese, Etche Diocese, Ikwerre Diocese, Northern Ijaw, Ogbia and Evo. Evo is the last of the dioceses that were inaugurated. So, these 13 dioceses within the four states formed the Province of Niger Delta. Archbishop Uko inaugurated the Men’s Christian Association (MCA) in 2008 at St. Michael’s Cathedral, Aba, which is now the Christian Men’s Fellowship (CMF). That was where I was elected as the Vice President General. I served under Dr. Nnanna Onyekwere; he was the President General. I was elected as the Vice President General. So, we continued until 2015. I was elected the President General of the Province of Niger Delta and MCA.

But by that 2015, the Most Reverend Nicholas Oko, the then Primate Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, had, in wanting to make sure we have all men under one umbrella, like the women have the Mother’s Union and the Women’s Guild, decided to say, let’s have a central name, a uniform name because within that period, while we had Men’s Christian Association in the Province of Niger Delta, the areas of the West have something like Men’s League or Men’s Club. The areas in the North may not have anything and then the arrangement is so scattered, but he now thought the men should come under one umbrella and as a fellowship. So, he changed the name from Men’s Christian Association we had here. He came to River State, we mooted the idea and he now changed it and said, we better have one single name, which he now gave the Men’s Fellowship. So, that’s a uniform name we all began to use in 2015.

By that 2015, 2017, the Province of Niger Delta, where the MCA had stabilized, decided to push or move the fellowship to the national level, that is at the Church of Nigeria level. We moved, also led by Dr. Nnanna Onyekwere. I was with him; in all the movements we were together. We moved and with the support of the then Archbishop I.C.O. Kattey. In fact, as a matter of fact, he was the father of CMF. If you ask me, I can proudly say that he’s father of the CMF in all of the Church of Nigeria because it was his initiative that we move to the national level and he gave us all the support and escorted us. With the agreement of the Primate then, he took us to Abuja. By 2017, 2018, we started harmonizing with other provinces and at the end of the day, we agreed and laid our draft constitution at the table of the Primate for consideration. However, when the Archbishop Ignatius Kattey retired, definitely, the dream became weakened. But before His Grace Nicholas Oko retired, he tried to revive it and then we came up again, he handed us over to the present Primate, the Most Reverend Ndukauba, and that’s where we are now.

By the grace of God, we were called up at Abuja for a mini conference from there we moved on to other meetings to Lagos, and then finally at Ibadan. In September, October 2021, we were selected to form the steering committee of the National CMF Church of Nigeria. By the grace of God, I’m privileged to be part of the steering committee up to today. We were given a mandate of two years to make sure that we round up and have an executive of the CMF at the Church of Nigeria level. That’s what we are working on. By the grace of God, come November this year, we’ll be able to set up the body the way it should be and then, God helping us, will function at the national level.

Quite journey! We give God the glory. Now, while you were infused into the epoch at the national level to give life to the vision of the Primates to have this body standardized, streamlined and coordinated, back home, what happened? At what point did you become the President of the Provincial CMF? And then, in the course of that period before you now handed over, what can you say were your achievements?

Achievements? Well, I don’t believe in saying we achieved something in the house of God. The aim of every Christian is to win souls for Christ and that we cannot call achievement in our own life because only God will judge at the end of the day. So, I cannot say winning of souls or inviting people to serve God or encouraging people to serve God is an achievement. At the end of the day, only God gives us, tells us where we are or what we’ve been able to do or achieve. So, I cannot say that serving God is an achievement or being part of CMF or rising up to the position of a President General is an achievement. I don’t call it an achievement. I see it as a call to service and will continue to serve without looking back.  

But while you shy away from beating your own drum and shining your own shoe, kind of, did you meet any form of challenge? Maybe, people standing up to your leadership? Maybe, people accusing you of misappropriation of funds? Maybe, anything that undermined your administration, your leadership?

Christ told his disciples that if it is like this for me, I don’t know what it will be for you. I don’t know what it will be like for you. So, serving God is a thing of the mind and it’s something that if you want to do it, you don’t consider the challenge because the challenges must come. It must come. But if you are focused and know what you want to do, the challenges don’t make any meaning, because as they come, they go. You notice that what you think is going to be a burden, a smoke coming up. You just watch it evaporate and you continue what you are doing. Just have a stable mind. Challenges, the only thing I thank God for is that, physically, healthwise, my challenges were under control. Like before this last conference we are enter at Isiokpo, last week, I had some health challenges that would have ordinarily prevented me. But because I knew I was going for the things of God, I just followed up my medication and by the time I got there, I was okay. I was able to manage the environment and do what I have to do.

But the word I will not forget in a hurry. As for all our challenges, accusations and all that, I’m privileged. I’m lucky I didn’t have any of that. All through my service here as secretary of the Cathedral, as secretary of the diocese, and up to my time as a President General, I never had anybody accusing me or telling me of anything. Nobody did, at least, not to my knowledge. The only one that, you know, almost ruffled me was, I was supposed to have or I scheduled an election for the last conference on the eve of the conference; that’s Friday evening at Isiokpo during our executive meeting because we must have an executive meeting preceding the general meeting or conference. I realized that I have something that ordinarily will stop the election. Ordinarily, decision we have taken in the previous meeting, if implemented will stop the election. And the election is supposed to be the greater part of the conference because we need a new executive, a new body to manage the CMF, having been there since 2015. Ordinarily, my tenure is supposed to have expired and I don’t believe in sitting tight in an office. So, I thought new blood should come in and then we backed them up and move on. But in that meeting, I realized that there’s something that can ordinarily stop the election, not the meeting. And it really disturbed me that night. It disturbed me. But while we’re in the meeting, as we were talking, I was praying, because all my burdens I quickly hand over to God. That’s my secret. I was praying. I got to my hotel room that evening. The first thing I did was to kneel down and pray and tell God that this is the major challenge I have. Now, by time we came out the next day, that Saturday, 08:00, was scheduled to come in for the Holy Communion Service and start up the activities. Before, you know, the Archbishop was there and everybody, I just first of all, went to the altar, knelt down and prayed and told God, I have a challenge. I have a problem which may likely stop this thing and I was calm after that in that meeting when the meeting started. Now, our chaplain, the Bishop of Ogoni Diocese, Right Reverend Dr. Solomon Gberegbara was there, and Right Reverend Nwala was also there and then the Archbishop.  

When we started, all I had to do was run the meeting. Then along the line a problem shared is a problem half solved. I called up my predecessor and told him that I have a burden since last night. You were not in the last night meeting. But this is my burden, can we discuss? I presented it to him quickly, we put our heads together and resolved on something, and by the time we got to that point, all the chaplain, the bishop asked me to do is to address the congregation and I stood up. By the time I finished the address, everywhere was calm. They just accepted everything I said and it flew. And that has been the practice. So, if you have challenges, just tell God and then don’t bother about it. It has been the one secret I have, but you are privileged to have heard that from me. Just tell God and remain calm. Watch it go.

Now talking about your predecessor, if you were to say this is one person who was supportive, would he make that list? I mean make the list of those who you can say, these are the people, the core support, the strength, the fillip you got to be able to perform as President General. 

Sir Dr. Nnanna Onyekwere is a friend, a brother. Sir Dr. Nnanna Onyekwere is a friend and a brother. One thing he did that shook me was when my mother died; he came all the way to Abalamabie for my mother’s funeral. I never expected him. He’s a friend. Since I met him in 2007. Our first meeting was at our first provincial meeting at Uyo. He’s a man himself and my Vice, Sir Chuks Boms, and the elder brother of Sir Onyekwere, Chief Barrister Isaac Onyekwere, that one I will say they are godsends, these three men. As far as that responsibility was concerned, Sir Dr. Nnanna Onyekwere, Sir Barrister Isaac Onyekwere, his elder brother, and Sir Chuks Boms, where God sent to work with me. We were brothers. I never see them as friends. We are brothers. They took me as their brother. I will also not forget Sir Blessing U. Minini, and the man who took over from me now, Sir Dr. Leonard Ikoko from Bayelsa. He was my secretary and he took over now as President General from me. In fact, we are brothers, when we sit together, you will know that God just put us together, packaged us together to deliver the work and we are doing it happily. Nobody one day had any argument with anybody for this number of years we served together. Nobody had any argument amongst us until I left office on the 22nd of July 2023. So, I never had any challenges. And talking about my predecessor, he is one man I will want to be with anytime. He is one man I wouldn’t have any regret knowing. If I have a privilege of working with him again, I will, again and again.

Now, having handed over have the mantle of leadership to your successor, what’s next for the CMF from your end? Are you going to like, go fully into retirement? Or will you still be working from the back end to support? What should we expect?

Like I said, our motto in the MCA that metamorphosed into CMF is service to God and humanity. I’m getting into my mid-60s. I don’t see anything that will make me sit back. I have a covenant with God, and part of the covenant is to make sure, make it possible that I serve Him. And I’m not going back. Today, I’m an ex-officio of the Christian Men’s Fellowship in the Province of Niger Delta. Having been a past President General, I’m now an ex-officio member, I’m still ready and willing to serve in the cathedral. I’m a member. Even if I have gotten by the grace of God up to the national level. But it gives me joy that’s the family, that’s my first family, the Christian family is my first family. That’s the reason I have my peace, I have my joy. I serve in the kingdom, in the community. But what I got from the Christian world, the environment of the church, it cushions me to serve in the kingdom. That’s why when the challenges of the kingdom come, I align it to what I know from the church and I relax. It will also fizzle away. And then you move on with your life.

Another man I will not fail to appreciate in my life, in that service at the provincial level is Sir Diari Adasa Brown. Each time we meet at a provincial level, you know that you have a brother who come from the same place with you. And again, because we speak Ibani. We talk together so many times before. I was elected President General at Okrika in 2015 and this is while I was canvassing for somebody else. He just came around and whispered to me that, Iri ani ndiari bo oh; Iminga juo duo ari (You are the one they are looking at; you are here referring to someone else). I thought he was joking and I said no, no, o balama, just let’s work on this man. He said, wait, and see. And that was it. So that’s one man I have my love and respect for.

We know you’re a very busy man before we let you go so that you can attend to other things. Let’s know, what is the distinction between the Christian Men’s Fellowship and the Knights of St Christopher? Knights of St. Mulumba?

I think knights of St. Mulumba is of the Catholic Church, while St. Christopher is of the Anglican Communion. They are both arms (organizations) of the Church. All knights are expected to be members of the CMF but not all CMF members are knights. Investiture as a knight is the prerogative of the Bishop. The CMF is an umbrella body of all men in the Church. I don’t know how it came about, but I know that I was privileged to be knighted in 2010. I don’t know what I did.

You are a member of both bodies?

Yes, I serve in both bodies. I’m a knight. I’m a member of the CMF. Like I said, it’s automatic if you are an adult male member of the church. You’re an automatic member of the Christian Men’s Fellowship. You may not be a knight because being a knight is at the discretion of the bishop of the diocese. But being a member of the church makes you automatic member of the Christian Fellowship.

Let’s wrap up with this. Now, you served up to the highest level in the CMF, and then you are also like in a privileged class of the Anglican Communion. Now, there has been this concern that Nigeria has so many churches; in fact, your community, Bonny, alone has like about more than 500 churches. The concern is, has the church actually played its role in molding society into what it should be? 1s

In my view, the church is trying, depending on the angle individuals will look at it, from whichever angle you look at it, the church is trying. I must say that today the church seems commercialized. That’s the major problem we have. Forgive me if I say in the Anglican Communion that for you to be a pastor, or be called a pastor, even if you have your Master’s degree or PhD, you must go to school through the School of Theology before you are called a pastor. In the Anglican Communion, I don’t know of other churches, but there are churches today, just because you’re an adult man, they call you a pastor, and you begin to preach. If it is in the Anglican Communion, after when you indicate interest that you want to be a pastor, you go to the theology school, you come out, you serve for about three months before being brought before the bishop who will lay hand on you and you are called a pastor. You serve, go around other places for about three months or so before the bishop will finally lay hand, and you are called a pastor.