Written by: David Simon Dzalla
Most Rev. Dr. Stephen Dami Mamza, a fine and fearless clergy of Adamawa State extraction was born about five decades ago in Bazza, Michika Local Government Area.
Widely read in Philosophy and Sacred Theology from the famous St. Augustine’s Major Seminary Jos and Makurdi Campus as well as Development Studies in Kimmage Manor, Dublin, Ireland. He was ordained a Catholic priest for the Diocese of Maiduguri on April 13, 1996 and appointed bishop of Yola Diocese by Pope Benedict XVI on February 18, 2011.
In the course of his service to the Holy Roman Catholic Church, he has served in various capacities both as pastor and administrator. He is a founding member of Adamawa Peace Initiative (API), member, Institute of Chartered Mediators and Conciliatory (ICMC) and the current chairman, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Adamawa State.
When he was persuaded to take up the office as state CAN chairman, he inherited a CAN that operated from a rented apartment in the LCCN Cathedral, Jimeta. He started the building of a secretariat from scratch on the land allocated Christians by the government of Mr. Bala Ngillari in the heart of the state capital. Within the period of one year and six months, Bishop Mamza was able to muster funds to build a brand-new secretariat worth over N115 million naira.
In the almost three years of his administration as chairman CAN, Adamawa state, he has been able to restore confidence and respect to the Christian body in the state, which before then was a huge shame.
On a weekly basis during his office hours, people irrespective of creed or culture come with issues of medical bills. Even people who would have been homeless due to inability to pay rent, have benefitted from his benevolence.
Every forth night, Bishop Mamza gives food to the less privilege through the church as part of his support for the needy.
In the Northeast mainly ravaged by the dreaded Boko Haram insurgency, he gave over three hundred widows soft loans to improve their source of livelihood.
Bishop Mamza has given scholarships to over 270 indigent children varying from nursery to senior secondary schools.
These have not in any way affected his performance as Catholic Bishop of Yola. Since his installation as bishop, there have been remarkable changes in parishes of the diocese. His priests have been provided with adequate means of transportation to enhance their services to the people of God and the education sector of the diocese is also a beneficiary of the benevolence of His Lordship.
Bishop Mamza also views health as a major wealth of the people. The diocesan owned hospital, St Francis Hospital, Jambutu now wears a new look, more staff engaged and medical equipment procured to enhance their work. With the staff of mission schools and hospitals placed on enhanced pay to enable them be in a right frame of mind to give in their best in their duties.
As one of the ways to raise funds for the church, His Lordship has taken a time-off to erect the Bishop Dalton Plaza, a seventeen block of one story-building.
As Catholic Bishop of Yola and Chairman CAN, Adamawa State, a state with a large number of Muslims, Bishop Mamza has not allowed religion to be an impediment to his relationship with the Muslim community in the state. He has extended his right hand of fellowship to the community. He has founded more than three dialogue groups, where both religions can dialogue and coexist in the state. Indeed, His Lordship had single-handedly sponsored a Muslim, Alhaji Saad Adamu to Rome in October, 2017 to study Interreligious Dialogue in an effort to the ensure the two major religions in the state understand themselves in order to live in peace with each other.
It is important to state here that in the last four years before the advent of the present administration in the state, there had been multiple of communal clashes, as Catholic Bishop of Yola and in his capacity as the chairman of CAN, Adamawa State, His Lordship had ensured that relief materials were made available to the victims to alleviate their sufferings.
At the peak of the Boko Haram attacks and the attendant overflowing of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the state, Bishop Mamza willingly converted his Cathedral compound to an IDPs camp, where he kept over 4,700 of them and provided food and healthcare services for them.
The Bishop also embarked on the rebuilding of 200 houses completely burnt down by the rampaging Boko Haram militants after a horrible attack on Guyaku community of Gombi Local Government Area.
He also facilitated the supply of water to sixteen communities with high population density of IDPs.
With the help of his German partners, His Lordship organised support for 180 abducted women and girls. The first 100 women received N196,000 each to support their livelihood.
The culture of mentoring and volunteerism has also been instituted in the young people of Adamawa State. The youths who volunteered to work for the cause of the IDPs have since remained very active in the discharge of humanitarian services.
Bishop Mamza has unofficially made himself a 'friend of the prisoners'. He celebrates every Christmas and Easter with them. Without class distinction, he freely shares food and drinks with the prisoners. He has also been able to secure the freedom of 85 prisoners by way of paying their fines where applicable.
Bishop Stephen Dami Mamza is best described as a compassionate leader with unlimited integrity, discipline, courage, humility, faithfulness, transparency and accountability. To Bishop Mamza, all monies donated or paid to the church and CAN goes first to the bank for accountability purposes.
Bishop Mamza offers all these humanitarian services without religious, tribal and regional bias.
His Lordship plays badminton, listens to soft music, shares jokes, travels and meets people as a way of relaxation.
#Written by: David Simon Dzalla#
