“No man that does not see visions will ever realize any high hope or undertake any high enterprise” was the poser of Woodrow Wilson. But Ralph Waldo Emerson put it more succinctly when he said where there is no vision a people perish.
Quintessential, eloquent, gargantuan, wonderfully and fearfully made, beautifully designed, ecclesiastically commissioned, cheerfully teethed, bracingly structured, peacefully disposed, seasoned preacher, engaging personality and towering statue.
Man of valour, industriously efficient and proficiently egalitarian is the man of the moment, the man of Gold. He is the golden preacher. Having blaze the trail in an environment and community of mediocrity, jiggery pockery and comity of distrust; in the jungle of iniquity, religious impotence and moral decadence; professional ineptitude, attitudinal bankruptcy and spiritual barbarism.
Having seen the good, the bad and the ugly, the travails of life, the mask of patience, the disappointments of faithfulness and the reward of uprightness, the resilience of hard work and beauty of endurance, he emerged the man of the moment, the gift to Christendom, the ballistic evangelist and peace ambassador.
Augustus Nunaakien Aeba, a clergy author, elder statesman, ambassador of peace, gospel jugannut, kingdom crusader, philanthropist and ecclesiastical activist was born on the 12th day of December, 1942 to parents both of Kaani origin in present day Khana Local Government Area of Rivers State in the oil rich Niger Delta region of Nigeria.
History has it that he was the last child of a family of 5 children, four males, one female. Young Nunaakien had his primary education at the Methodist primary school Kaani between 1950 and 1959. He worked briefly as a tax officer in the old Rivers State thereafter.
Because of his preordained ecclesiastical carrier, he proceeded to the Apostolic Bible College, Obot Idim Nsit in the present Akwa Ibom (though a Methodist by birth). He left Obot Idim Nsit with a Diploma in theology in 1965. His penchant for more knowledge informed his decision to take the General Certificate Examination (GCE) O’Level as a private candidate in 1974, three years after the Nigerian civil war. Not being satisfied with the feat already achieved he also pressed further and later in 1982 obtained a Diploma in Business English at the Manchester Business Training Centre, England in Great Britain.
Pastor (Dr) A.N. Aeba, as he is commonly called also has in his kitty a certificate in Christian religious studies. He was at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi for his Bachelor’s degree in theology before the challenges of a higher calling and office distorted the programme for him. Perhaps he has already got the definitive and enough evangelistic pre-requisite for his emancipative role of church leadership. He has attended several conferences both national and international retreats and workshops of international repute and has convened and coordinated so many.
This golden preacher was called into the gospel ministry on the 14th day of February, 1962 at the tender age of 20 years and was immediately posted to the Apostolic Church Luusue-Sogho, a nearby community to his of Kaani.
This preacher was to equally supervise Zor-Sogho, Teka-Sogho, Nuaga, Okwali and Akporo communities. What a great privilege to serve God, his creator. He served in these stations until 1966 when as typical of the Apostolic Church, his transfers took him around the whole of Rivers State. Thus between 1966 to 1972, he served in Barako Gokana as an Assembly worker. In B-Dere, Gokana as Assembly Pastor (an elevation) between 1972 to 1975. He was transferred to Bodo. The field Headquarters of the Church between 1975 and 1978 and again another promotion brought him back to B-Dere between 1978 and 1980.
This time as a District Pastor. He was in Nonwa-Uedume, Tai between 1980 and 1983 by another promotion to the rank of the section supervisor and Mogho between 1983 and 1984. Again, he was promoted as an Area Superintendent in 1984 and he was to head the pioneer area which hosts the field headquarters. He was here until 1989 when his transfer took him to the Bori Area as an Area Superintendent still. I guess, he served in Bori Area his longest tenure as an area superintendent.
The transfer of 1998 took him to Rumuokwurushi in Port Harcourt where another round of transfer sent him to Rumuomasi in 2002.
It was at Rumuokwrushi that his appointment as the Field Superintendent, Maritime Field (Rivers and Bayelsa States) came. Though he became an acting field Superintendent in 2001. Since then, it has been elevation galore.
It is to be noted that this Golden Preacher was called to the Apostleship of the Apostolic Church, the highest position or calling in the Apostolic Church denomination in 1977 under the leadership of Apostle G. P. Selby, a Briton Missionary and then Rivers Area Superintendent.
Apostle (Dr.) A. N. Aeba has been different things at different times in the Ministry. He was Field Finance Secretary, Field Assistant General Secretary, Field Acting General Secretary, Acting Field Superintendant, Field Superintendent and most recently the National Vice President of the Apostolic Church, Nigeria, the second highest position in the Church in Nigeria.
This celebrator knows no bombs in his leadership roles in society. He has thus held positions as Secretary, National Building Committee of the Apostolic Church of Nigeria, Chairman, Ogoni Council of Churches, member, National Trustees of the Apostolic Church, Nigeria Chairman, Registered Trustees of the Apostolic Church, Maritime Field, National Executive Council, member of the Apostolic Church, Nigeria, Executive member of the Christian Association of Nigeria CAN, South/South Nigeria, Pioneer Chairman, Christian Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (CPFN), Rivers State, Chairman, Maritime Field constitution drafting committee, Delegate, 1st Apostolic World convention in Jerusalem in 1983, visitor, and chancellor of the Apostolic Theological Seminary, Bodo etc. he is the author of the book, “Giving Life To Your Dreams. He has been a recipient of several and countless awards which this restricted citation cannot cover.
In summation, Apostle (Dr.) A. N. Aeba is a rare gem and an Episcopal colossus who has achieved positive feats to the glory of God.
He is a true man of God and a difference in this age of mediocrity when men just wake up and carry togas and encomiums of religion, claiming to be called by God when God has not even flashed them. No wonder saints, men of God, religious leaders, children of God, captains of industries, government and political jugannuts gathered at the convocation arena of the Rivers State University of Science and Technology Port Harcourt on the 1st September, 2012 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the priestly call of this man of God.
Bravo! Our father in the Lord.
Point of Law says Cheers, Sir.
Barr. Gideon Kpoobari Girigiri
08036784327
