Being a woman in leadership has not always been easy. Nigerian Pastor Monye met significant resistance, but prevailed.
PHOTO/COURTESY.
When Pastor Monye-Akinshipe Olubunmi Olushola boarded an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Uganda on March 14, 1997, she was not just changing countries, she was surrendering a life of comfort, career success, and familiarity for a calling far bigger than herself.
Pastor Monye, now the national coordinator of The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) network in Uganda, recalls that Uganda was just another name on the map to her, one shadowed by stories of war, poverty, and political turmoil. But over the last 28 years, it has become her home, her mission field, and the place where she has poured her heart, soul, and life’s work into transforming communities and inspiring generations.
“I did not come for profit or fame, I came because I believed God was calling me to serve people I did not yet know. Today, I am not just a missionary, I am a mother figure to thousands, a spiritual leader, and a beacon of faith across Uganda.”
The Nigerian beginning
“I was born and raised in Nigeria to a wealthy father who owned huge plantations of palm wine trees and cocoa. We lived well, I had access to education, opportunities, and a promising career. I joined the National Electric Power Authority (NEPA) as a receptionist, but by the grace of God and through sheer dedication, I rose to the level of assistant manager. “My life was stable, structured, and successful. But all of that began to shift in 1996 when my late husband, Pastor Monye Israel, was sent by RCCG to assist a fellow pastor in Nairobi, Kenya. One evening, he met a young Ugandan couple, Richard and Jackline Oba, who were touched by his preaching. They pleaded with him, “Please come to Uganda, we need churches like yours, we need to hear this word too.”
“Their cry moved him. He returned to Nigeria with the conviction that Uganda needed us. Along with Pastors Prince Obasike, Damola Farima, and AD Cokes, he made a short exploratory trip to Uganda later that year. When he came back, he told me, ‘Ugandans speak English, they are warm, hospitable, and open to the Gospel.’ Then he looked me in the eyes and said, ‘Let us go.’
Culture shock
“I did not want to come. My family protested, reminding me of Uganda’s troubled past under Idi Amin. I was earning good money, living comfortably. Why throw it all away for uncertainty?”
My family pleaded. “But then a voice warned me, ‘If you refuse to go, and your husband stays behind, the responsibility for lost souls will be on your head.’ That was enough for me.” So she resigned and followed her husband into the unknown. When they landed in Uganda, everything was unfamiliar. The airport through their eyes looked modest, the roads rough, the city quiet.
“But something in my spirit felt at peace. We settled in Minister's Village in Ntinda and started the mission from our sitting room. We went from door to door, preaching to Ugandans and inviting them to join us for prayer. Slowly, people came. Neighbours became congregants, and strangers became friends,” she recalls.
Eventually, the church decided to rent the main hall of Ntinda School for the Deaf for Shs100,000 a month. By 2000, with help from RCCG Nigeria, they established Dominion Sanctuary Church in Kanyanya.
15,000 souls and counting
From that humble living room, the ministry blossomed into a vibrant and far-reaching movement that continues to grow and transform lives daily.
Pastor Monye is now the National Coordinator of The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) network in Uganda.
What began with a few neighbours praying together now stands as a spiritual powerhouse. Today, RCCG Uganda has firmly established 32 parishes spanning the central, western, and eastern regions of the country. These churches collectively serve a thriving and committed congregation of more than 15,000 members. Each parish acts as a beacon of hope in its community, offering not only spiritual nourishment but also social support, counselling, and development programmes that uplift lives beyond the pulpit.
“But numbers have never been my focus. My greatest joy comes from witnessing the lives that have been transformed along the way. I find fulfilment in seeing the widow who rediscovers joy, the orphan who finally finds a safe haven and family within the church, the struggling single mother who learns to hope again, the addicted youth who turns their life around, and the teenager who chooses to follow Christ over the crowd. These stories are the true milestones of my mission. Each transformed life is a testimony that reminds me why I answered the call to come to Uganda,” says Pastor Monye.
A woman among men
Being a woman in leadership has not always been easy. Pastor Monye recalls having met with significant resistance. Some of the men openly challenged her position, questioning her authority as a pastor.
“In Teso region, they claimed that by standing in the pulpit, I was setting a bad example for their wives and encouraging them to be disobedient or rebellious. It was a painful moment, but I chose not to retaliate. Instead, I remained steadfast in my calling,” she recounts.
She chose to lead with humility and grace, which gradually softened their hearts. Many of those same men later became supporters of the ministry, and some even brought their families to church. “I believe that when a woman serves God faithfully and remains humble, the fruits of her labour will silence even the harshest critics” she notes.
Laying roots
Pastor Monye says her husband’s death in 2006 was one of the most painful seasons of her life. “Many people thought I would pack my bags and return to Nigeria, where I had family, a past, and familiar ground. But something had shifted in me. I had already fallen deeply in love with Uganda, its people, its rhythm, its warmth, and its possibilities. The mission we had begun together was no longer just his; it had become mine, entirely and unshakably. I could not walk away from what we had built. I stayed, and I have never once regretted that decision,” she says. Having grown up in Uganda, her children consider themselves more Ugandan than Nigerian.
“They speak Luganda, enjoy matoke, and relate deeply with Ugandan culture. Uganda has shaped them into who they are today,” she reveals.
Serving with compassion
At a time most churches are consumed by prosperity and material gain, Pastor Monye has made preaching love, sacrifice, and sincere service her mission. “I always tell my pastors, if you truly want to lead, you must be willing to serve first. Do not pressure people for money—serve them, support them, walk with them in their struggles. Let your life be an example of the Gospel in action," she says. “If you ask people to fast, make sure you are fasting too. If you ask them to love, you must have already shown love.”
"Uganda, my home’’
The pastor notes that Ugandans are peaceful, warm, and God-fearing. They may not worship like Nigerians, who are known to be loud and expressive, but their faith runs deep. “This land welcomed me when I had nothing but a calling. Today, it is my home. I understand the challenges here. I have built relationships. I have loved, cried, and rejoiced with Ugandans. This is where I belong,” she says. My favourite Bible verse is Hebrews 12:14: “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.” “And that is what I try to do every day, follow peace, live holy, and serve with everything I have.”
The future
The pastor says her mission is just 60 percent complete and is focusing on education next. She notes that many children, especially in rural areas cannot afford school and she wants to change that. ‘’I have bought an acre of land in Manafwa in Mbale District and another in Kisozi in Kamuli District where I plan to build schools, from nursery to tertiary level, so that no child is left behind,” she says.
