•Colonels Friday and Glory Ayanam
Lagos was agog today, Saturday, August 24, 2024 when new leadership was installed to take charge of the running of The Salvation Army in Nigeria.
The event which took place at the national headquarters of the organisation in Somolu, Lagos State, witnessed the formal installation of the couple, Colonels Friday and Glory Ayanam, as Territorial Commander and Territorial President for Women’s Ministry, respectively.
Conducted by Colonel Samuel Baah and assisted by his wife Colonel Theresa Baah who both lead the international organisation in Malawi, the event witnessed hundreds of members (Comrades) many of whom had travelled down from across the country to catch a glimpse of the colourful programme.
•Colonels Samuel and Theresa Baah
The venue of the event, Igbobi Corps hall, was jam-packed with excited Comrades, friends and religious leaders from other denominations.
Colonel Samuel Baah who was the Special Guest of the occasion, charged the new leaders to always remember that they’re now the Spiritual Father and Mother of all the Comrades and Friends of The Salvation Army in Nigeria Territory, as such, should be good shepherds to the flock, just as the Master Jesus Christ is to mankind.
In his goodwill message, Very Rev. Evans Onyemara, General Secretary of the Christian Council of Nigeria (CCN) said, ” You have come to serve God and your people at such a critical time as this in the history of our nation Nigeria.
“We expect that God will use your services to wipe away tears from the eyes of His children. We must inform you sir and ma, that the expectations of the people are high. We also pray that the good relationship of The Salvation Army and the Christian Council of Nigeria shall flourish better and blossom under your watch.
“It is our sincere wish and prayer that the good Lord blesses your tenure with the plenitude of His grace, goodness and mercy. That He endures you both with wisdom and great health; and grants you peaceful and prosperous tenure as you shepherd His people”.
The new Territorial President for Women Ministry, Colonel Glory Ayanam, thanked all guests for making out time to honour them by attending the installation service. She said it never occured to her that she and the husband would return to lead The Salvation Army in Nigeria as they were already preparing for their retirement later in the year.
She however prayed that the grace of God which is boundless, will be upon them to give good leadership.
In his message to the congregation on the topic, “Soliloquy: The Art of Speaking to Oneself” based on Luke 15:17 – 24, the new Territorial Commander, Colonel Friday Ayanam declared that by the grace of God and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, he and his wife will always follow the footsteps of Jesus Christ to ensure that The Salvation Army in Nigeria remains united in love with one another.
According to Ayanam, there can be no progress and development without love, unity and total submission to the Will of God, the creator of mankind.
He particularly harped on the acronym SIP: Status, Inclusiveness and Purpose.
“My administration will be focused on these three letters in order to move Nigeria Territory of The Salvation Army forward. “When we come to the church, we should keep our earthly Status behind. Inclusiveness will be my watch word just as we shall focus steadily on the Purpose of God in our life,” he narrated.
The event was spiced with classical music which The Salvation Army is known for, including renditions by the Brass Band, Songsters Brigade, Timbrelists, among others.
Officers, Soldiers and Friends who were in attendance could not conceal their excitement and joy as they bared their minds to The Frontier about the coming of the new leadership.
It would be recalled that the past two years under the immediate past leadership had been very challenging to the organisation in Nigeria. The period witnessed several allegations against the then leadership bodering on sexual immorality, financial impropriety, high-handedness, among others, some of which attracted uncomplimentary reports in a section of the media, and this greatly polarised the membership.
Although change of leadership is a regular and common feature of the largest denomination known internationally for its humanitarian services, The Frontier reliably gathered that this particular change of guards was not unconnected with the said allegations.
As one of the leading comrades who pleaded anonymity for obvious reasons said, “I am the happiest person today. I thank God for this change (of leadership) effected by our international leader, General Lyndon Buckingham. The image of our organisation was almost dragged in the mud. But we prayed for a change. And today God Almighty has answered our prayers.”
Another Comrade who did not also want to be named said, “The Salvation Army is a Holiness Movement. That is our first creed before any other consideration. We are a Movement of people who are Saved and have dedicated themselves to Serve God and humanity, hence our Motto: Saved To Serve (SS), a symbol which we all proudly display on our uniform. But unfortunately, the past two years or so were very challenging. It was as if we had deviated but thank God for answered prayers.
“You can see for yourself that the Officers (pastors) and Soldiers (members), young and old, are very happy for this change.
“My prayer is that God will guide our new leadership and give them the grace to put back our renowned and well respected organisation in Nigeria in the front burner of worship and saving of souls and humanity, to the glory of God.”
Speaking exclusively to The Frontier, the Public Relations Secretary of The Salvation Army in Nigeria, Major Daniel Ekong, agreed that there were a few challenges in the organisation between last year and early this year. He said no organisation is immuned to challenges but how the leadership handles such challenges is what makes the difference.
Ekong, however, would not delve into details of the “challenges” which his organisation faced during the said period.
Rather he said, “The Salvation Army around the world will always focus on its mission of preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ and meeting human needs in His name without discrimination.”
A brief profile of the newly installed leaders shows that Colonels Friday and Glory Ayanam have passed through the ranks since they were commissioned as Officers of The Salvation Army in 1988.
The couple served in various capacities in Nigeria before they were appointed to serve as Divisional Leaders in Harare, capital of Zimbabwe.
They afterwards returned to Nigeria to serve where Colonel Friday Ayanam was later appointed as Chief Secretary while his wife, Colonel Glory Ayanam was appointed Territorial Secretary for Women’s Ministry (TSWM).
From Nigeria, they were appointed to Ghana in same capacities and later to Kenya East.
They were transferred back to their home country Nigeria two months ago where they have today been formally installed to take up the overall leadership responsibility.
From their testimonies, the entire comrades of the organisation believe that the new leaders will use the vast experience, which they have garnered from within and outside the country, to move The Salvation Army in Nigeria forward as never before.
Founded in 1865 in East End London by William and Catherine Booth, The Salvation Army came to Nigeria in 1920.
The Salvation Army adopts military terms and ranks in its operations around the 132 countries of the world where it operates.
According to its Mission Statement: “The Salvation Army, an international Movement, is an evangelical part of the Universal Christian Church. Its message is based on the Bible, its ministry motivated by the love of God. Its Mission is to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in His name without discrimination.”
