Who told us that the word, ‘Olorun’, which the Yoruba use to refer to God, or Obatala, doesn’t represent God? Or that Chineke, used by the Igbo people, is not valid? These are all words that people use to describe the Almighty based on their context and understanding.
The General Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of the Bible Society of Nigeria, Samuel Sanusi, during a courtesy visit to Punch Place, spoke with Josephine Ogundeji on the challenges of printing hard copies of the Bible in the country, among other related issues
How has the Bible Society of Nigeria sustained its mission of Bible translation and distribution despite financial and logistical challenges?
The Bible Study Society of Nigeria will be 60 years old next year as a Bible agency in Nigeria. The story started in 1804 when the first Bible society was formed in the United Kingdom. So, three years later, the agency moved to Nigeria. The Bible Society of Nigeria was inaugurated on February 8, 1966. Before that date, the BSN was operating under the supervision of the British and Foreign Bible Society, and the Bible House in Apapa was serving as a distribution centre.
However, after 60 years, we still face challenges. Some people assume all we do is provide Bibles, but we do far more than that. Our work spans five key categories. The first is Bible translation. Nigeria is one of the most linguistically diverse countries in the world, it ranks fourth globally in terms of the number of languages. We have about 500 local languages to work with. So far, with BSN and other Bible agencies, full Bible translations exist in only 35 Nigerian languages.
Of these, BSN has done 37, and we’re currently working on 10 more, which include both entirely new translations and revisions of existing ones. Whether it’s a first-time translation or a revision, the same detailed process must be followed.
However, many people don’t support us simply because of this translation work. When people hear that BSN is an NGO and non-profit, they question why we don’t make money from selling Bibles. If we’re not making profit, they wonder why we’re selling them at all.
Back when I joined BSN 15 years ago, we used to say it cost N30m to translate a Bible over 12 years. Today, due to inflation and economic conditions, it costs nothing less than N150m to translate a Bible into a local language, assuming everything goes smoothly: no resignations, no major setbacks, consistent funding, and an eight-year completion time.
For example, we recently completed a Bible translation in a spoken language in Kogi State. Because the language had Yoruba roots, we were able to complete it in six years, spending over N90m on translation alone. But we don’t print Bibles locally. We usually produce them in India or China, which means we also have to factor in the cost of production, shipping, and customs duties, customs don’t care that it’s a Bible being imported. They charge standard fees.
All costs considered, the total rises to about N120m. From that, we can only produce 10,000 copies. If we were to sell those Bibles at a profit, we would need to price them at no less than N15,000 each. The question then becomes: who will buy it at that price? In Nigeria, people expect the Bible to be free. Someone may pay N1m for a tablet, but they still believe a Bible should be given away. Even if we priced it at N10, they’d still ask why it’s not free.
For instance, the Okun Bible is currently sold at N2,000. How is that possible? It’s because we raise funds and mobilise resources. When donors support a translation project, we’re able to reduce the final cost. If we had to recover the full translation cost through sales, many languages would never get a Bible.
In which Nigerian language was the first Bible translation done?
Contrary to popular belief, the first Nigerian Bible translation was not in Yoruba, but in Efik, completed in Calabar. Yoruba came next, followed by Igbo, then Hausa, and later other languages like Ebira, Sefwi, and Igala. A turning point came in 1965 when a church leader from old Eastern Nigeria, Dr. Akanu Ibiam visited Canada and observed the structure of national Bible societies.
Inspired, he returned to Nigeria and advocated the establishment of a national Bible society. This led to the formal founding of the BSN on February 8, 1966. Though Bible work in Nigeria dates back over 200 years, this marked the beginning of the BSN’s structured national operation.
Today, the BSN focuses on five core mandates, the foremost being Bible translation. Nigeria is among the countries with the highest linguistic diversity, with over 500 local languages. However, only 35 Nigerian languages currently have a full Bible, and of these, BSN has translated 27, with 10 more currently in progress. Translation is a massive undertaking. For context, when I joined the BSN 15 years ago, translating a Bible cost about N40m. Today, due to inflation and operational complexity, it costs at least N150m to complete one translation.
If any team member drops off or funding delays arise, that figure could climb. One of our most recent projects was the Okun Bible. It took us six years and over N90m to complete the translation alone. Production happens overseas, often in India or China, so we must also account for shipping, customs, and import duties.
How can Bible translation remain faithful to original texts while respecting cultural and linguistic contexts without causing theological misunderstandings?
People asked, ‘Why are you still bothering yourself with translating the Bible?’ And I responded, ‘If you say ‘download, what has not been produced, can it be downloaded?’ If I haven’t done the translation, it won’t be available for you to download. On the issue of translation and the many versions of the Bible, each time people bring this up, I laugh because of knowledge.
There was a time in the news when they said the NIV was a demonic Bible, a satanic Bible. When we gave out free English Standard Versions, people said, ‘Ah, in that Bible, they omitted a verse.’ What many people don’t know is this: when the Bible was originally written, there were no verses or chapters. That came later.
The early church fathers, realising the need for reference, decided to divide the Bible into chapters and verses. That happened about 300 or 400 years ago, just to make referencing easier. So, if you read the King James Version, and the translators felt a particular sentence should be divided into two and given separate verse numbers, someone translating the Revised Standard Version might say, ‘I can merge it together.’
So, you might find in KJV that John, Chapter 1 has 30 verses, but the NIV might list 28, because some of the verses have been joined together. However, if you read carefully, most of the modern translations include a footnote to let you know that other translations render the verse differently or have included an additional sentence. Meanwhile, the translators have already told you in those front pages what to expect.
Why does he dislike it?
One day, his son was reading with him at home and asked, ‘Daddy, your Bible is not correct. This grammar is wrong. How can you say spake? It should be spoken.’ But King James still uses ‘spake’”. That’s old English. Modern translations avoid such outdated language to better serve current readers.
Now, some years ago, we had a challenge with the Hausa Bible. In the first translation by the Bible Society of Nigeria, the word Allah was used to represent Almighty God. Later, new translators came in and called a consultation meeting. We told them, ‘We didn’t insert that term; we’re not native speakers of the language.’
But the whole Hausa-speaking community in the northern region agreed to change the word from Allah to Meduka. So, we changed it. But some people didn’t follow that change and went ahead to print Bibles using ‘Allah’. Now, wherever there was Allah, we replaced it with Meduka. And then the problem started.
Can you tell us how the problem began?
Some people began to ask, ‘Bible Society, why did you change Allah to Meduka?’ All of that created unnecessary drama. So, what’s the solution? I wrote a press release saying that Nigeria does not need more religion. What we need now is a way for people to live peaceful, blessed lives.
Who told us that the word, ‘Olorun’, which the Yoruba use to refer to God, or Obatala, doesn’t represent God? Or that Chineke, used by the Igbo people, is not valid? These are all words that people use to describe the Almighty based on their context and understanding.
What you call Olorun might mean something else in another language. But to you, it represents the Almighty God. So, if someone says, ‘The translators must have used the characteristics of Satan to choose the word Esu’. As we know Satan is about evil, about bad things. The one who does wickedness is called Esu.
If you go to the root of the word Satan in English, the translators likely asked themselves, ‘What word can we use to represent this being?’ And they chose Esu because it represents, in Yoruba thought, the worst personality, one who rebels against God. He was called Lucifer before he became Satan, the devil. So, what other word could be used for the worst of God’s creation?
Now, perhaps that’s why the editors said: ‘In our language, if we use Sango, people may attribute some good qualities to him. But Esu, that’s the real one for evil.’ Yet, don’t you think there is still a mischaracterisation here because the devil existed before Esu?
If that is the case, then it’s up to church leaders to carefully consider these things, so we don’t face the same controversy we had with Allah and Meduka. If Yoruba church leaders say, ‘Let’s use this word,’ the day it’s changed from Esu to something else, people will begin to say, ‘This Bible is a demonic Bible.’
Remember the Tiv Bible? In the first edition, there was no mention of witches and wizards. The Tiv community said they didn’t have such concepts. Others asked, ‘How can you say there are no witches and wizards when the Bible says, “Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live”?’ It caused a major uproar. So, in 2018, we released a revised edition. To this day, both versions—the old and the new—are still in circulation.
What was the effect of releasing a revised version of the Bible?
The revised edition corrected some errors, and in it, the word Satan now appears in their own language. We produce these translations to defend our faith. Every local translation is subject to the nature of the language and its concepts. By the grace of God, we work with certified Hebrew scholars on our team. For every translator we engage for any project, they are trained by both local and international experts.
Besides understanding their native language, they must understand Hebrew principles, translation theory, and consensus theory, and apply that knowledge when translating from the Hebrew text. That’s why, when we do translations, we bring together speakers of different dialects from the community, along with church leaders, for what we call a community review.
After the draft is completed, we conduct team checking, then bring in an external consultant. Before final approval, we return the draft to the community, accommodating different dialects. The church leaders are asked, ‘Do you agree with this translation?’ If they say, ‘No, this word is not from our language,’ we must reach a consensus. For example, in English you say, ‘As white as snow.’ But I’ve never seen snow. So, in my context, I’d say, ‘As white as wool,’ because that’s what I know.
How does the government support the Bible society?
We do not receive any government intervention. During Fashola’s administration, which was a Muslim-led government, he wouldn’t attend our events—even when invited. Sometimes, he would send donations like ₦1m or ₦500,000. When Ambode was in office, he responded once and gave us ₦2.5m. But overall, there is no consistent government intervention.
Even the Christian Association of Nigeria doesn’t support us. CAN has its agenda, and supporting the Bible Society of Nigeria or other Bible agencies isn’t part of it. In fact, their involvement often costs us more. Any money channelled through CAN for Bible work never reaches the Bible agencies.
PUNCH