By Etatsemi Onoriode
The history of the cathedral church of St Luke Sapele, formerly known as St. Luke’s Anglican Church, covers a period over a century ago. The church was actually founded in the year 1901 when Bishop James visited the town during his Episcopal tour.
From then on, the church in Sapele grew rapidly from the few worshippers that started from the veranda of one Mr. James A. Thomas through the assistance of Mr. John Okitipi in 1901. Later, a large provisional church house was built of wattle, mud and thatch. 
That church house was dedicated for worship on 11 June, 1905 where the first Baptism was carried out by Bishop James Johnson. Available records show that the growth of Christianity in Sapele area was essentially the work of Bishop James Johnson of Niger Delta Pastorate between 1901 and 1917 when he died.
This great church called St. Luke in Sapele became a full fledged cathedral on the creation of Sapele Anglican diocesan on September 19th 2008. Since July 2015, the members of the Cathedral church of St. Luke have refused to enter their cathedral to worship. They have
insisted on the removal of their Bishop, Rt. Revd. B. A Erifeta JP who has been accused of financial impropriety, high handedness and maladministration. They have equally submitted a 67 count allegations ranging from stealing to immoral activities to the Anglican Authorities who have been accused for refusing to do the needful by members of the Sapele Diocese Anglican communion. The members of the cathedral have remained vehement on their resolve to continue their service not just outside, but along Boyo road Sapele.
This is the very first cathedral where members worship outside all over the world. Bishop Erifeta made history in April 2014 when he disbanded the over one hundred old cathedral choir even when the elders prayed him to rescind his decision because of the innocence of the choir in the matter for which the Bishop accused them. The Bishop drove the elders who were between the ages of seventy- ninety years old out of his office; He vowed to set up his own choir but to no avail.
As we speak, the building has been abandoned and taken over by weeds while inside the auditorium is dirty, a sign of not being used, over a long time. Members have since last year been worshipping outside along Boyo road near the cathedral. They have erected canopies to conduct their services every Sunday. The church since the outside worship, has witnessed a lot of revival as many of those who left the cathedral on account of Bishop Blessing Erifeta alleged unbearable attitude have all returned to the church with several positive testimonies.
If you may ask, why worship outside? The outside worship is to protest the continued stay of the Bishop. Some of the allegations against the Bishop among others was that he denigrated the church when he turned his staff upside down in the alter and placed curses on members of the church, corruption, misappropriation, mismanagement of church funds (in 5 years the Bishop from the diocesan statement of account spent over N101m for himself excluding his salary and allowance), forgery, abuse of elders of the church and several others not befitting a man of God. Very remarkable events were the collapse of the cathedral pulpit when the Bishop was having bible study with his clergy on the 17th Feb 2015, and recently the pulpit of Our Redeemer Anglican Church Sapele crashed when Bishop study with his priests on 27th September 2016. He however promised to fix it.
Regrettably, the bishop failed to get Gods message. One of the priests, Venerable O.E Okpara who preached in the cathedral using the platform of the pulpit after it was repaired, died weeks later.
After this incidence, the members of the church wrote a petition to the primate elucidating on the above allegations against the Bishop. Members have expressed grave concern and Dismay on the insincerity of the church authority to uphold the truth. The matter has been to the domain of traditional rulers in the area, police zone 5 Benin, the court etc. The people perceive injustice by the church authorities and this has made the resolution difficult. It was reported that the panels set up by the church authority was skewed to give the Bishop an advantage and the people rejected them, insisting that there must be fairness.
All the Anglican churches in Sapele and environs are unanimous on the bishop’s removal as they have stopped remitting money to the diocese until Bishop Erifeta is removed. Currently, all the churches are witnessing massive development since the stoppage of assessment which was more or less, the Bishops feeding bottle as alleged by the members.
Recently, the Bishop of Warri Diocese, Rt Rev, Christian E. Ide, the Bishop of Oleh Diocese, Rt Revd U Aruakpor, Bishop Erifeta himself and a clergyman were seen moving from house to house of notable members of Sapele Diocese, including Sir Newton Ejiro Omoko (JP), Chief E.K. Gbragada, Chief Omatseye the One 1 of Warri Kingdom, Sir, Simon Agbaroli, Chief J.I. Efemini a prominent Chief in Idjerhe Kingdom e.t.c, pleading that Bishop Erifeta be allowed to continue as Bishop of Sapele.
This entire visitation was like ‘carrying coal to Newcastle’ even at that, the people still insist that Bishop Erifeta be placed on compulsory retirement or moved to any theological institution.
An elder of the diocese, Sir Simon Agbaroli told this reporter that he was baptised into the membership of the Anglican Communion in 1952 and since then, he had been a very active member where he had used his time and resources to promote the gospel of Christ. To him, his grouse with the Bishop who assumed the leadership of the Sapele Diocese few months later after they were carved out from Warri Diocese is that he Bishop Erifeta became power drunk, and very arrogant and forgot his very role as the spiritual head of the church, as he rained insults on anyone who crosses his way.
Sir Agbaroli said he was made the head of a committee that constructed the diocesan alter which Bishop Erifeta knew about through one of his clergies. After the completion of the beautify alter done by him and his committee, through the financial contribution by a member of the church, the Bishop who was not satisfied came around, positioned one of his legs on a pew and started raining abusive words on him.
According to Sir Agbaroli, when the Bishop emerged, he started, ‘what is this Sir Agbaroli, is there anything wrong on your head’ what kind of work is this? That is, he Bishop was referring to the alter that was just completed.
Sir Agbaroli then replied to the Bishop ‘My Lord Bishop, there is nothing wrong with me. I came to this church as a little boy very well even though i am now old, yet i will leave also in good health. Because i am not sick’
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Sir Agbaroli said this case with the Bishop is a very little one because very many people have left because of the ill treatment they have received from their Bishop. He added that this and many other offences added together were the reasons why he refused to accept the plea from the Bishops including Erifeta himself who came to beg for forgiveness in his office recently. He told journalists that the church has resolved that the Bishop must go and so shall it be.
A parishioner from Saint Andrew’s Anglican Church, Abeke Road, Sapele who does not want his name on print said he is 100% in support of the Bishop removal. He argued that if Bishop Erifeta remains as the spiritual head of the church, the diocese will remain static and will never move forward. Our Primate is not helping matter to resolve the issue. Over 19months since the crisis is on, our Primate has never seen any reason to come down to investigate this matter. From my own observation, i feel the Primate is taking side with Erifeta since he fails to go down to the root of this matter. Nevertheless, i believe ‘the will of God will be done on this issue someday’. Everybody in the diocese has resolved that the Bishop must go for the church to move forward because he can never change.
Pa. Daniel Erabor, an elder within the St. Luke Cathedral Boyo Road, Sapele also added his voice has he posited that Bishop Erifeta can never be a leader over him in Sapele Diocese any longer. He stressed that the disregard and disrespect Bishop Erifeta has shown to them are enough reasons for him to go. The church of God can only move forward when men of Honour and good virtues are in control over the flock of Christ, he concluded.
But another member, Mr Ufuoma Mudiaga has divergent view of this situation as he posited that even though the Bishop has haired and since he is human, he should be pardoned and given a second chance to correct all his wrongs. According to him, ‘since the embattled Bishop
has suffered this wahala, all these while i think he will change if given a second chance’.
The public relations officer of the diocese Mr. Churchill Akure, said he wondered why the issue still linger on up till now, Because his lordship Bishop Erifeta through several settlement meetings had tendered his defence before each committee set up for that purpose in
a documentation form.
He confirmed that the Bishop and others have gone round the elders of the Sapele diocese and hopes that the situation will improve.
