The Bible Society of Nigeria (BSN) is known for impacting lives. Aside from making the Word of God available to everybody in the society to promote godliness, good governance and stem corruption, greed and avarice in the country, the not-for-profit organisation co-opt into the society, the blind, the deaf and dumb, constantly feeding them with the reality that they are not just part of the larger society but that their contributions to building the nation is sacrosanct. Its effort to rebuilding a nation that would usher in new generation of forthright, focused, disciplined, dignified leaders and citizens lays on it, the burden of regular organising yearly competitions with mouth-watering prizes for the first three winners in various categories ranging from primary school pupils to secondary school students and corps members spread across the Federation. The General Secretary/Chief Executive Officer, BSN, Sanusi Samuel Adesola spoke to ISAAC TAIWO.

What is BSN?
The Bible Society of Nigeria is a member of the United Bible Societies (UBS), which is the fellowship of all Bible Societies in the world. The fellowship is the second largest body globally after the United Nations because of our membership spread. So, our job basically in BSN and UBS in Nigeria is to ensure the availability of the Word of God in different local languages. People need to know that even the English Bible we read is not the original bible but translation from Hebrew and Greek languages and partly from Aramaic to English just for the growth of the people. If there is anybody or people who adopt English as national or personal language, he/she or they must be able to read the Bible in English. This is just to ensure that the Word of God comes to people the way they can best understand. Ditto other languages either Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa and others. Our duty is to ensure the Bible is translated into different languages for people to read and comprehend. This is the primary goal of BSN.

After the Bible is translated, we also do what we call Bible Engagement. It is not enough to write the Bible or produce the Bible. We also ensure we run programmes to engage people with the Bible. BSN does a lot of programmes to engage people with the Bible. We call it Engagement, whereby we can read the Bible, set Quiz. We also make it available in different format, digitally and in hard copy. The translation does not end in the verbal language. It cuts across translation into deaf language which is sign language so that those in that category can also have the Bible. This is the reason we carry out many programmes. Just like we do for the sighted and the hearing, we also do for the Blind and the Deaf. As we set competition for the people that have their senses complete, we also set competition for those who have one disability or the other to ensure that they too are engaged with the Bible.

What is the reason for you, a non-profit organisation, going out to impact lives?
Our organisation believes that the most rewarding service we can render to God is to join him to mould lives to make people achieve their goals and uptimally fulfill their dreams in life irrespective of the condition they find themselves. We believe every human being is created to succeed in life and be an achiever. We believe that challenges are not limiting factors to fulfilling destinies. Overtime, this organisation has imbibed he culture of manifesting selfless love, giving food to the hungry, giving hope to the hopeless, bringing smiles on the faces of the less privileged and helping human beings to fulfill their destinies in life. We also expect those in government to jettison the irony of life, using the resources at their disposal meant for the populace for themselves and their families.

For example, to practically demonstrate what we believe in, we visited four orphanage homes before the Christmas. We made donations and identified with them. The homes include Heritage Home, Anthony, Nigerian Red Cross Society Orphanage Home, Makoko, Tower of Refuge Motherless Babies Home, Surulere and Bales of Mercy Orphanage, Somolu. We felicitated with them.

How do we raise funds for all these?
We raise funds through Churches and individuals to make the Bible available. BSN does not sell Bible. What we do is distribution. When we distribute, the only thing we add is the cost of importation as well as the cost of distribution. The cost of translation has never been part of it. If we want to really sell as some people assume, the least Bible in Nigeria market will not be less than N10,000.00. As a result of the support from churches and individuals, we are able to carry out our duties. However, we need to recover the cost of production; hence, we attach this to the cost of distribution.

How must does it cost to translate the Bible?
To translate the Bible to the regular language that we speak, I will say, the cost keep changing. When I joined the BSN, some 13 years ago, we use to finish translation within 12 years with a cost of N30 million. Later, it moved to N40 million, later to N60 million. The state of the economy determines the cost of production. The people in charge of the translation have to be sent abroad for training,

Currently, to translate the regular Bible now cost up to N140 or N150 million within the period of eight years. For the Deaf language, it will take us nothing less than multiplying by four or five of what it takes to translate the regular one. The reason being that in their own case, it is visual.

They have to see and recording for people to see is just like if I want to publish an advert in the newspaper or television In summary, translating the Bible into Deaf language is capital intensive.

Whereas the translation of the Bible for the common people on the condition that funds are available with other factors in place can be achieved within six or eight years, the deaf translation can take about thirty years. So far, we have been able to do 222 Bible stories for the Deaf. We have just started the New Testament and from the expert opinion, to complete the New Testament, the synoptic Gospel, Mathew, Mark, Luke and John will take us 12 years. It will take us the minimum of three years to complete each book. I will be lucky if I can finish the four books before I retire. So, if we are translating the one of the Deaf for N150m, it will cost us about N750m to translate that of the Deaf. For the Blind, we do not translate. What we do is to import Braille Books and distribute for free. Currently, it is N20,000.00 per set. If the man on the road who has his senses complete is finding it difficult to buy Bible or get a copy of the Bible, how do you expect a blind man to pay for the Bible. So, through the help of our sponsors, we are able to give out their Bible and we have given out over 140 sets to individual blind people. Some of them are in Schools reading law and some are in secondary schools. Some use theirs for devotional in their homes. We are happy that God is using us to impart lives of the Deaf and the Blind.

Can you mention some of the beneficiaries?
Recently, we were in Nigeria Braille Press and Library, Surulere, Lagos. The person who oversees the library wrote to us to come to their aid with a view to stocking their empty library. We saw it as a challenge. We gave them ten sets of Braille Bible which was N70,000.00 per copy totaling N700,000.00 to support the School. The same thing goes for the School for the Blind in Oshodi where we have our Bibles. We have given Bibles to all the Blind Schools in Lagos. In fact, the Blind Schools across Nigeria have our Braille Bibles to teach their students who when they graduate from School, still request for copies and we give them.

In the case of the deaf, we started with them by buying Television, DVD Player for them so that when they are in their Churches, they can fellowship together using the Bible stories. We have soon gone beyond that and we now have their Bible in SD card. So any deaf man that has an Android phone can easily have the Bible. The SD Card is given for free for all of them and we have given out thousands of copies. We have the Deaf Translation office at Ibadan. Out of nine staff, seven are deaf. Only two are not so that if one is on leave, one can be on ground and all of them understand the sign language. The seven know where the people are, the community of the deaf. Whenever their Bible is available, they go to those locations and share.

We also do community testing for the deaf. Recently, we were in Kwara State and the testimony was overwhelming. Some people did not believe that we can have Sign Language Bible, but by the time they saw it, they were surprised. In fact, we have done that in all the States in the West. Whenever we do the dedication, we invite all the deaf and give SD cards and when they get to the Churches, they give to their members. Whenever they are having Bible competition for the deaf, we also send SD cards to them. We tell them for this competition, we are looking at the story of creation or the birth of Jesus. They would have listened to it or watched it. We now ask them questions based on what they have watched or listened to and this is what takes place during our competition. It is always a keen competition, and we are happy we are imparting lives.

The price of SD cards are in thousands and a lot of deaf schools in Nigeria have benefitted from the usage.
These include some major schools in Lagos like Federal Science, Yaba Tech among others.

Elaborate on the competitions.
We organise competitions for children in Primary schools, students in Secondary schools and NYSC graduates.
We do not exclude the blind, deaf and dumb as the various schools also have their competitions. First, second and third positions go home with prizes which include cash.
We do all these to prepare them for their future and make them better Nigerians and these are our contributions to the society. Despite the harsh economy, we sustain this and carry out the exercise every year and it costs millions of naira. The last NYSC competition gulped up to N10 million as we have to fly them to Lagos and accommodated them for two days in a hotel. We allow them to interact and make friends.

Aside winning a laptop and books for the last edition, the over all best went home with a cash prize of N400,000.00. We spend close to N50 million to organise for primary and secondary schools. In addition to other gifts, their own cash prizes starts from N100,000.00 for the overall best to N50,000.00 for runners up.
We also support the winners of NYSC graduates to join professional bodies, obtain scholarships and support them.

Your advice to government, Nigerians
My advice to the government is to be sincere. The government should stop playing the Ostrich game, because as long as the laws are for the poor and not for the rich, the country is going nowhere. We should avoid sentiments in the area of religion, tribe and politics. Nations that are moving forward today are governed by law with no respect for people. They abhor political sentiment and uphold their Constitution. Then majorly, in addition to upholding honesty, hardwork, integrity, there should be respect for the Constitution. If we the follow Constitution without tribal sentiment, religious bigotry and punish every erring Nigerian without respect of persons, Nigeria will surely be great.

Nigerians should stop worshipping political leaders and stop going to political appointees with caps in hands.