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‘Called to serve’: A priest prepares young leaders in a Nigerian region scarred by violence
In the fourth and final instalment of his exclusive interview with Press Crux, Fr. Kuha Indyer describes an academy helping young people rebuild confidence, develop practical skills and serve their communities.
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW · 4 OF 4
11/10/20265 min read
Worshippers receive Holy Communion during an outdoor celebration in Nigeria, in an image shared by Fr. Kuha Indyer. Photo: Courtesy of Fr. Kuha Indyer.
Fr. Kuha Indyer believes that addressing Nigeria’s problems must include preparing a new generation of leaders. In Gboko, Benue State, the Spiritan missionary has established a youth academy inspired by the motto he chose for his priestly ordination: “Called to Serve, not to be Served.”
The Peter Gierlich Youth Leadership Academy welcomed its first cohort in February 2026. Part of the Spiritan Development Centre, which he founded in 2024, it brings together Christian formation, preparation for working life and support for people living with psychological wounds.
“I may not do much to address the leadership famine in Africa, but instead of lamenting how bad our leaders are, I need to light a candle by starting a leadership academy,” he told Press Crux in a written interview.
This fourth and final instalment concludes our conversation with Fr. Indyer, following earlier reports on the closure of Catholic institutions in Ihugh, the consequences for families and the challenges facing the Spiritan mission in Gboko Diocese.
Living with fear in Benue
The academy is taking shape in a state scarred by attacks on rural communities and repeated displacement. Reporting from Yelwata in June 2025, Reuters described families who had sought safety in the town’s market, only to face another attack that burned homes and food stores. The agency placed the violence within a longstanding struggle over land, compounded by ethnic and religious divisions, which authorities had struggled to contain. www.reuters.com
Citing Amnesty International, EFE reported at the time that more than 100 people had been killed there overnight on June 13–14. The agency noted that disputes over natural resources between Fulani herders and local farmers intersect with ethnic and religious tensions in Benue. swissinfo.ch
Fr. Indyer sees the consequences in his ministry: “Our operational area is a conflict region where many people live with psychological wounds.”
Preparing young people to serve
At the time of the interview, the academy had three registered students. Its programme is intended for young people aged 18 to 35 who have completed secondary school or higher education.
For school leavers hoping to continue their studies, the aim is to help them make the most of further education. Those unable to pursue that path are offered preparation for employment. University graduates receive guidance on entering working life and contributing to their communities.
The initiative also challenges an understanding of leadership that the priest considers deeply damaging.
“Instead of viewing leadership as an avenue to serve for the common good, many view it from the periscope of personal interest which leads to corruption,” he said.
The academy draws its model from Christ, “who came to serve and not to be served.” Its five areas of formation are leadership skills, societal values, media and digital literacy, entrepreneurial skills and trauma healing.
Overcoming the belief that ‘he was worthless’
Fr. Indyer said some young people struggle with low self-esteem, social withdrawal and a sense of hopelessness rooted in poverty. These difficulties can leave them more vulnerable to drug use and involvement in violent activity.
“We have tried to inculcate in the students the fact that every human person has been created in God’s image and likeness and equipped with talents to make the world a better place to live in,” he said.
He recalled a participant who had been bullied as a child and had come to believe that he was worthless. The young man withdrew from others, fearful of how they saw him.
“I made him to understand that the wrong opinion of others about him at his tender age should not determine who he is,” the priest said.
Fr. Indyer encouraged him to recognise his abilities and rebuild relationships. According to the missionary, the participant now leads prayer sessions without fear, serves as secretary of a community savings group and earns income through small-scale poultry keeping, raising goats and selling palm oil.
“This approach has changed his mentality,” he said.
Responding to psychological wounds
Trauma healing became the academy’s fifth area of formation after Fr. Indyer met representatives of the American Bible Society at a congress of Catholic communicators in Kigali, Rwanda, in August 2026.
The approach combines small groups, listening, education about trauma, prayer and Scripture.
“We treat trauma healing as a non-clinical, trauma-informed, biblically grounded and group-based intervention,” he explained.
He stressed that the programme is not psychotherapy. It also includes referrals to health, social, legal and pastoral services when needed.
In his written responses, Fr. Indyer outlined plans to train ten people to form a team serving both academy participants and the surrounding community.
‘The currency of faith, transparency and accountability’
The academy builds on more than two decades of the priest’s involvement in education and rural development.
“Right from my seminary formation days, I dreamt of doing priestly work outside the pulpit,” he recalled.
With permission from his religious superiors, he began establishing schools in rural areas.
“I had no money in the pocket but the currency of faith, transparency and accountability,” he said.
In 2004, at a congress of Catholic communicators in Bangkok, he met a German colleague who introduced him to an organisation supporting education in Africa. Its president, Peter Gierlich, backed his first school project, Holy Ghost College in Sankera, until his death in 2018.
His daughter Anne continued that support and later helped complete the accommodation building at the academy named after her father.
Fr. Indyer said providing detailed accounts and showing benefactors how their contributions were used had been essential to maintaining their trust.
He also pointed to the spiritual foundation of his ministry: “What has been a major source of success in my challenging apostolate is prayer.”
A year of training for $200
The first cohort is expected to graduate in December 2026. Participants have expressed interest in animal husbandry, but none had yet received start-up funding from the academy at the time of the interview.
Fr. Indyer estimates that launching a small poultry enterprise would require approximately US$5,000 per participant, covering access to land, housing, chicks, feed, medication, equipment and initial operating costs.
For now, scholarships are among the most pressing needs.
“Economic hardships prevent many passionate young people from participating in our program,” he said. According to the figures he provided, US$200 covers a student’s full year of leadership training.
The academy also needs ten computers, more reliable electricity and water supplies, and additional accommodation. It currently has housing for eight students.
Other plans include a demonstration poultry farm and a hall for courses, conferences and retreats, both intended to help generate income for the centre.
Fr. Indyer invited individuals, parishes and organisations to support all or part of a project.
“Above all, we need your prayers,” he said. “Please pray for the growth of this apostolate, and ask God to grant us the spiritual resilience and strength to remain steadfast in the face of ongoing trials and regional challenges.”
One of the buildings associated with Fr. Kuha Indyer’s missionary work in Nigeria. Photo: Courtesy of Fr. Kuha Indyer.
Children play with a wheelbarrow outside a building under construction in Gboko, Benue State, Nigeria, where Fr. Kuha Indyer supports education and Christian formation projects. Photo: Courtesy of Fr. Kuha Indyer.