With the outcry of moral decadence among youths in society, Pastor Peter Yakubu of Prevailing Life Ministries (Prevailers’ Arena) has undertaken the responsibility to help these youths resist temptation through a bible quiz competition, Biblepaedia, reports Vanessa Obioha
Despite the midnight downpour, the Prevailers’ Arena along the Lagos-Abeokuta expressway was packed with contestants for the inaugural Biblepaedia hosted by the Prevailing Life Ministries on an early Saturday morning.
The contestants, all under 18 and easily identifiable by their white polo shirts, exuded excitement and anticipation as they congregated in one of the halls. They listened attentively to the coordinator, who explained the competition process again. These young boys and girls, representing various churches in Lagos, predominantly from nearby areas like Oshodi and Ikeja, were determined to excel in the Bible quiz. Winning would bestow upon them the title of the inaugural Biblepaedia champions and earn them substantial cash prizes.
With radiant smiles, they descended the stairs to a different hall, transformed into a studio by Lead Pastor Peter Yakubu. A large screen and six stands, three on each side, embellished the stage. The lighting cast a gentle glow, dimming the audience area while illuminating the main stage.
At 10:00 a.m., the competition commenced with the group stages, featuring six churches, each represented by two players. They answered questions from selected books of the Holy Bible, spanning both the Old and New Testaments. The Rhema Bible Training Institute vetted the questions, and contestants had only five seconds to respond to each question. After each round in the group stage, only three teams progressed to the next stage, and the cycle continued until a final winner emerged.
Depending on the contestant’s answer, the audience cheered or gasped, creating palpable tension in the hall. Among the audience sat Pastor Yakubu, closely observing every moment and ensuring the smooth progress of the competition. Occasionally, he rose to discreetly whisper to the judges or other production crew members if he sensed any issues.
For him, the idea to host the inter-church Bible quiz was a divine instruction and a deliberate effort to instil moral values in adolescents.
He said, “Most times, we look at some of the programmes on TV and we are concerned about what our youths are exposed to. They are exposed to this ‘get rich quick without working’ mentality. So we said to ourselves, if we’re asking our children not to watch this, then there should be an alternative. So we decided that since we are in church, let’s create something for them in the church that they can look forward to, where we can remunerate them and give them cash benefits.”
The initial plan involved as many churches in Lagos as possible, but the response to the call for entries was mixed. Some were eager to participate, while others showed hesitancy, considering it was the first edition. About 50 churches showed interest when the call for entries closed in January. This number was whittled down to 25 after registration, as most entries did not meet all the requirements for registration.
Yet, Yakubu was not deterred by the number of participants. If anything, he found encouragement in the turnout, especially with the support of Christian organisations such as the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN).
“Even though they did not give us anything, they said it was a good idea. In fact, one of the organisations hopes we take it beyond Lagos,” said the pastor. “They want us to take it to other regions, like in the six political regions, for churches to compete. That’s the overall vision they see.”
Yakubu’s current objective is to establish the competition as an annual event, with plans to introduce additional programs to empower and engage the youth in the future.
He further emphasised the need for churches to take proactive steps in addressing the moral decadence prevalent in society today.
The pastor explained, “Churches can do much more than they are doing right now. If churches can create platforms for the youth to be involved in where they can also get benefits, I’m not sure the youths will go astray. If they can set up things like this, like everything we’re doing now came from our pockets.
“If churches can do that for themselves and for their youths, I’m sure most of them will stay indoors and look forward to it instead of going out and involving in ritual money or joining cults. They know that there’s something more worthy in the house of God.”
Pastor Yakubu added that most parents are responsible for their children’s wayward behaviours “because they push them to do these things.”
Beyond loving God and understanding that hard work pays, Yakubu hopes the quiz will encourage the youths to read.
“One major thing we want to achieve with this is to get the youths to read. So let’s start with the Bible and then introduce other books. We really want to get them back to reading to increase their literacy level,” said the pastor.
Although his church emerged as the third winner in the competition, receiving a prize of N100,000, Yakubu was elated about the turnout.
Two chapters of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Green Pastures Centre in Ikeja GRA and Seat of Mercy in Ikorodu, emerged as the second and first winners, receiving prizes of N300,000 and N500,000, respectively.
For Yakubu, the competition is a means of impacting humanity, a mission he credited to Engr. Kehinde Osikoya, a man he said positively influenced his life.
