On June 29, 2024, I became a certified chaplain. I joined the International Association of Chaplains, after training with the Regnum International School of Chaplaincy. Why did I embark on this training? Why did I take up a role often meant for religious leaders? Last year, I visited a colleague at a correctional center in Abuja.
He was imprisoned for blasphemy. A leader of our humanist association, this colleague was serving his sentence at the Kuje prison. While I was waiting to see him, I noticed some other people who were also in the waiting room.
They were holding their Bibles. They were pastors who came to do some prison ministry. It was a Sunday, and they came to preach to prisoners.
I learned they were waiting for the Christian chaplain to come and usher them in. After about 30 minutes, the chaplain or the officer in charge attended to them. Later, I inquired to know if there were humanist chaplains.
And they said there were none. Of course, I was not surprised. I asked if they would allow humanist chaplains to minister to the prisoners.
They advised me to go and discuss that with their bosses at their head office, along the airport road. I thought of going there before I left Abuja, but later changed my mind. I needed to prepare very well for the meeting.
To make a strong case, I needed to know more about chaplaincy, and also get trained as a chaplain. After some online search I contacted and enrolled in a chaplaincy school, the Regnum International School of Cha.