The history of Christian evangelism in Plateau State has over the years, brought up fiery men of God who have defied all forms of persecution in preaching the gospel.
But none has been as powerful and outstanding as the late Apostle Paul Gunen Gofo Gindiri who was popularly known as Baba Paul Gindiri and Mallam Paul Gindiri.
Just like his namesake the Apostle Paul in the Bible, Baba Paul Gindiri was an embodiment of a fearless preacher who dared to tread where mere mortals dared not. He combined charisma with a knack for saying things as they were. He was not afraid of death or intimidation and knew that the ultimate aim was to pass his message across no matter whose Ox was gored.
Baba Paul Gindiri was not just an ordinary preacher of the gospel of Christ but was known to be so fearless and powerful that he could go into a Muslim community and preach the word and always ended up converting many of them.
Baba Paul Gindiri will be remembered for being a firebrand
evangelist and revivalist who was not only bold but confrontational in his preaching style while his role in the spiritual awakening swept through Plateau State and the entire Northern states from the 1970s through to the 80s.
Those who grew up in the era when Baba Paul Gindiri held sway will quickly tell you that he was not just a charismatic preacher but one endowed with a magnetic and captivating pull which always drew his audience to him wherever he went.
In his lifetime, he led major spiritual revivals across Plateau and Central Nigeria in the 1970s, which were noted for attracting huge crowds.
Baba Paul Gindiri was born into a royal family on March 3, 1935, in Punbush village of Kasuwan Ali District in Mangu Local Government Area in present-day Plateau State. He was of the Pyem ethnic group, one of the large ethnic groups in Mangu.
According to a biography on the life and times of the enigmatic man of God, his transformation and conversion to Christianity began with a dream where Jesus Christ appeared to him, urging him to abandon his sinful lifestyle and follow him. This led him to enroll in the SUM Junior Primary School in 1944, a move that faced opposition from his father who was a local chief.
We are told that before entering full-time ministry, he worked as a mason’s apprentice, a tin miner, and later as a professional driver and mechanic after attending driving school in 1951.
Known for his frontal method of preaching, Apostle Paul Gindiri was notable for his confrontational style of evangelism where he often used both the Bible and the Quran to challenge his Muslim audience on Islamic tenets as he was also well-versed in that as well and was said to mostly trounce them whenever debates cropped up.
Like Paul the Apostle who defied the odds by going into enemy territory to preach the word, our own Apostle Paul Gindiri was also known to frequently go into Muslim-dominated areas including Emirs’ palaces to preach.
Though he was an active member of the Evangelical Church of West Africa (ECWA) Bishara 1 in Jos, Apostle Paul Gindiri was a key leader in the “New Life for All” (Sabon Rai Don Kowa) evangelism movement, leading the National Gospel Team from 1964 until his death.
He was also a vocal critic of government corruption, especially during Nigerian military regimes, and was deeply respected by the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN). He was truly a voice for Nigerian Christians, especially the persecuted Christians in Plateau and the Middle Belt.
He was famous for his criticism of inept governments and institutions in Nigeria, especially the military, and was fearless in his attacks on falsehood, immorality, dishonesty, and corruption in government and in the Church.
Unlike most men of God today, Apostle Paul Gindiri did not depend on members of his congregation for his upkeep as he funded his ministry through his own successful businesses, including a transportation company and a stone-crushing business. He personally purchased many of the trucks used by his outreach teams and paid his staff members and members of his evangelical team from his own pocket.
He was married to his lovely wife, Lami and they had seven children -six boys and one girl but sadly, the daughter, Victoria, tragically died in a motor accident in November 1990 while traveling with her father to a preaching outreach.
Apostle Paul Gindiri suffered a stroke in 1993 that left him partially paralyzed and passed on to glory on April 8, 1996, following a battle with prostate cancer.