How Bishop David Abioye's driver became a Muslim

A former driver to renowned Living Faith Church Bishop, David Abioye has converted from Christianity to Islam. Celebrating his thirteenth Jumaat as a Muslim, the Muslim convert said he has adopted a new name, Ismail Haruna.

Ismail formerly known as Nicholas Martins said he is happier as a Muslim than he was as a Christian. “My former name was Nicholas Martins but I converted to become a Muslim,” Ismail said. “I was converted at Games Village, Abuja, I am really happy to be a Muslim (laughs excitedly),” he said.

He said he made the decision to drop Christianity after an incident relating to finance mismanagement at the Living Faith, Garden of Faith Church in Kaduna, Kaduna state. Although he did not give details into the crime, Ismail said he was convinced to drop Christianity when he sacked from his job for accepting doing wrong. “I was a driver to bishop Abioye in Winners, I started working in Canaan Land in 2001 and I worked for five years.

“Something happened and they said that when you say the truth and the same truth will set you free,” Ismail said. He said: “But, I was the only person that rose up and said this is what happened and this is the truth.” Ismail said to his surprise after telling the truth – which was expected to save him – he was laid off alongside two other colleagues of his that were truthful.

“They  laid us off and said we should stop working in the ministry. “And I now discovered and said if I am telling you the truth and you are not setting me free and other people that I know that did what we were doing that was not good,” he said.

He said all the other people who committed the same crime retained their jobs after swearing with the bible and denying the crimes. “Even today, I know they are there; they left them there and we that said the truth you refused allowing us continue with our jobs.” Ismail said the incident made him move to Abuja, Nigeria’s capital city.

He narrated how he suffered for about nine years before he could get another job to earn a living. “I now converted to a Muslim because of what happened,” he added. He added: “From 2004 till this year, I was not going to church again because I was just alone thinking.” 

He said he felt disappointed and his mind was completely made up the moment the truth failed him. During the period he started the new job, he began to admire the lifestyle of his employer. “When I saw him, I knew that this man is really doing what God wanted us to do,” he said.

“Because there are many things that I am seeing now that I was not seeing before that I did not even know about. “I was born and brought up in the north, I spent like 28 years there, grew up there but when I came to Abuja, I started practicing Islam and got converted,” he said.

Speaking about his new religion, Ismail said he was very happy to be among Muslims in Abuja on his first fasting as a Muslim. “This is the first time I am doing a fasting as a Muslim and this is the first time I am worshipping as a Muslim on this holy prayer ground (laughing),” he said. He said he was convinced he is at the right place. He further called on all especially Christians to be weary of people who claim they are truthful than people who are able to own up to their wrongdoings.