MY UNSUNG AFRICAN HERO| ISHAKU SILAS DING

I.D SILAS

He was popularly known with just that, I.D Silas. The highest tag to his name until dead was Pastor I.D Silas. He was tall to a fault, you always have to look up to get a good view of his gentle face. Silas was born on 12^th February 1962 to a family that was on a mission trip. Mrs. Ding went into labor while the family was commuting to a local village for a trip to share the gospel.

His birth was prophetic about the kind of life he would live, he was always on a mission. One time, his youngest child asked his mother “Mummy why isn’t our father always with us like other fathers?” “He is doing the work of His father. He loves to be with you but you don’t have to worry whenever you don’t see him, I’m always here and His father is with you too”. Silas was an unrelenting man, he was always up to something. Either preaching to a congregation, preparing for a mission trip, serving in Kuba and All Nations Academy, being Secretary to the Local Government, traveling or giving some advice to some folks. 

Art of Silas Ishaku by Moses Silas

Immediately after graduating from Polytechnic and JETS, he received an appointment to teach CRS in CAC Kuba. Within two years, he was made the Principal of a school that was losing on its former glory. The population was dwindling down and there was a drop in academic performance. For 16 years, 1993-2009, Silas committed his life to rebuilding this centerpiece that he believed was God’s call upon his life. In between those years, Silas will turn that school into a reputable institution of learning. In 2009 when he was leaving for All Nations Academy, CAC Kuba had a population of over 1,300, it had only 80 when he assumed office. He had led the school to lift the Principal Cup of 1996, turned the thick bush around the school premises into beautiful hostel has 90 rooms and he had graduated over 600 graduates, many of whom he employed and they still regard very highly. He was given the “Pillar of Education” Award by the Alumni association of CAC, Kuba.

Silas with his family and two Niger friends, the women in clothing with majorly green. Two daughters of Silas, and his son. 

Silas was not merely a successful administrator, he was an ambitious missionary. He could not resist the urge to preach the gospel anywhere, especially in the most remote locations. Niger was his focus throughout most of his adult life. He was going there almost every year. He organized mission trips for the All Nations Gospel Ministry, a non-denominational ministry that was founded by a team of young Christian men to present the gospel to the world. Being an administrator in Silas time meant more than bearing the title of Principal and signing documents, it meant joining the masons to build the hostel, joining the students in jugging activities that took them to Kura Falls, it meant participating in sporting activities and it meant leading by example. Despite all this, Silas had a heart for God. It always burned him. Every Sunday he had a speaking engagement, of which he undertook utmost respect.  

The only surviving selfie of Silas| Shot by Silas 

Silas had a special interest for Niger people, he will always tell their stories whenever he had the chance. They came up frequently in his sermons at All Nations Academy. One time, he facilitated the visit of some Niger citizens to Nigeria. They shared the pulpit with him, I don’t recall anything they said-they spoke French. Towards the end of that service, Silas gave powerful exhortation about how the Great Commission was for all Christians.

In a time when manipulation was the key to maintaining power, Silas chose to use the leadership skills of convincing people on the relevance of what you’re doing before allowing them to participate.

He refers to himself as an adventurer, always traveling and taking numerous photos. He enjoyed snapping photos and getting involved with the natural environment. Silas had a special bag that contained all that he needed for basic living, in case of any emergency travel. 

God was so kind, he provided Silas with a wife that was kind, understanding and loved God extremely. While he was busy doing the external, she worked hard to make sure all is well at home. It turned well, sorry, Great. That marriage was not designed here, it was made from above. 

The most important character of Silas, as I reflect on his life at this point, is that he understood the relevance of building others. He developed individuals. Many of the teachers he employed were his former students, he did all he could to ensure they were not just certificate holder, they were citizens that could build society. One special student that he had to battle with was his younger brother who attended CAC, Kuba. It was told that he was very nonchalant and Silas will deal with him as though he were his own child. His nonchalance and Silas beating him became a matter of concern for many onlookers, fellow teachers and parents appealed to Silas to reduce his discipline of him but Silas would not relent. He insisted that he was bending him at the right time, that if he grew older, he will not be bendable. As I write this, this younger brother is in Abuja, working with a reputable firm and giving many thanks to Silas.

In 2014, while traveling to a PTA meeting for one of his 3 children, Silas had an accident on the road, he survived with internal bleeding, within 24 hours he died at the hospital.

Gone, but not forgotten. His extraordinary ability to look through every heart and extract the greatness in each child of God is a message that I still hold on to dearly, for if Silas had not cared to find a single string of goodness in me, I would have turned out very differently.

Silas was a strict disciplinarian and to a fault. It kept some people away from him. For instance, I was really afraid of becoming close to him (Oh, how I regret that now), I believed he would straighten my ragamuffin life. 

Silas was no saint, I believed he should have spent more time with his family, however, it is undoubtedly that the man did what he can to make a difference in the world that he lived and he made the difference. I know he is not in the ground, he is in our hearts.

(Culled From the book “Silas Ishaku Ding: A life On A Mission” by Lengdung Tungchamma and Peter Kurdor)