Nigeria’s Military Has Many Born Again Christians, Says Former Warrant Officer

By Frank Oshanugor

A retired Warrant Officer of the Nigerian Army, John Igboowu Oyewole said Nigeria’s military has many officers and men who are born again Christians in spite of the belief in some quarters that because they are trained professionally to kill, they lack human feelings.

Speaking on Wednesday as a special guest at the outreach meeting of Fadeyi Executive Chapter of the Full Gospel Businessmen’s Fellowship International – Nigeria, Oyewole who trained as a military nurse at the Nigerian Army College of Nursing, Yaba Lagos explained that the military is populated by many officers and men who truly believe in God and serve Him as genuine Christians.

He noted that even though military operates in a regimented manner, the word of God has a place in the lives of many military personnel, citing example with a senior officer whom he described as his mentor and the one who helped him to discover Christ. He remarked that the officer’s humility in serving God was exemplary. Hence, he humbled himself to imitate the officer.

According to the retired Warrant Officer, in spite of the misgivings about the Nigerian military in some sections of the country, he remains proud of the military institution where there is high degree of discipline in every thing.

He pointed out that it is abnormal for soldiers to breach the rule of punctuality in any event where senior officers are meant to attend or at work in the office. Oyewole has therefore asked Christians to always adopt the same attitude of punctuality and timelines at church services or Christian-related events.

Giving testimony of how he became a born again Christian, Oyewole said he had joined the military with a mindset of coming to fight those who allegedly took over his father’s land in Ogun State, but the intention was divinely re-arranged in such a manner that instead of fighting his perceived enemies with gun, the word of God became a weapon in his hand.

The retired soldier explained that from his experience in the military, he has come to believe that every human being is created for a special purpose hence he was divinely restrained from firing a shot at anyone throughout his service.

He recalled an instance where he tried to kill an enemy in the battle, but his rifle failed him after pulling his trigger repeatedly. To him, the incident was a divine intervention which helped to refocus him in believing more in God.

Explaining the role of soldiers in a country like Nigeria, Oyewole said military personnel generally are trained to protect the territorial integrity of the country and its citizens. According to him, it would therefore be wrong for soldiers to maltreat or brutalise any member of the civil populace as some solidiers would do in contemporary times.

He advised such officers and men to desist from bringing shame to the military which is known for discipline over the years.

Earlier in his welcome speech, Barrister Chidi Uka who doubles as the Chapter President and Field Representative of the Fadeyi Chapter of Full Gospel Businessmen’s Fellowship International – Nigeria, harped on the need for Christian business men to always come together to share Bible knowledge, personal testimonies and propagate heavenly virtues that would help reshape our contemporary world.