Fr. Festus' Story

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Rev. Festus Ejimadu is a Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit priest. He was born in Nigeria but is now a citizen of the United States. Since 1987, he has called the United States home, where he has pursued postgraduate studies and finally finished his priesthood formation. He has served in numerous parishes in the Detroit archdiocese since his ordination to the priesthood in 1993. He is currently the pastor of a suburban Detroit church.

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Fr. Festus began visiting Nigeria shortly after his ordination in 1993. His first journey to Nigeria was so distressing that he attempted to help his fellow villagers by sending food and medical aid with the help of a parishioner in the United States. Poverty is pervasive and severe in Nigeria. Multidimensional poverty affects around 63% of the population, or 133 million people. This means they lack necessities such as food, clothing, education, healthcare, and basic living circumstances. Over 82 million Nigerians live on less than a dollar each day. The World Bank estimated Nigeria's poverty rate in 2020 to be 71%, based on a benchmarked poverty threshold of $3.20 per day. Multidimensional poverty is more prevalent in rural areas, where 72% of the population is poor, compared to 42% in metropolitan areas.

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Despite these factors, most Nigerians are incredibly resilient, master improvisers, and even the poorest individuals get by on less than a dollar a day. They produce their goods, grow their food, and manage to keep their heads above water.

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Poverty in Nigeria is caused by a variety of factors, including unemployment, particularly among young graduates, and corruption, particularly among political office holders and the judiciary. The economy is not diversifying, and there is income disparity. Other issues include high food prices, a lack of access to basic facilities such as power, safe drinking water, and improved sanitation, as well as resource misallocation, misallocation, and misappropriation.

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The residents of Fr. Festus have suffered the most as a result of their rural location. Many of them lack access to healthcare; for some, the nearest hospital is 60 to 70 miles away. Rural locations with severe topography and a harsh physical environment are frequently overlooked. Local clinics might have "no staff and no stuff." Large hospitals are difficult to access. Because of these concerns, Fr. Festus holds a makeshift clinic in his community every year, when everyone is invited to attend for a medical check-up and treatment. He hires roughly 8 local doctors, 15 nurses, and lab technicians to care for these patients who would not otherwise have the funds or strength to visit city hospitals.  Those in critical situations will always be taken to the city's hospitals for proper care by Fr. Festus. Many villagers have died needlessly because they were unable to purchase medicine or see a doctor. 

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In addition to the makeshift clinic, Fr. Festus manages a soup kitchen that offers cooked meals for the widows and orphans during his stay in Nigeria, as well as fresh food to be cooked later. Every day, approximately 135 people, mostly youngsters, visit the soup kitchen. Because of the village's poverty percentage, the soup kitchen provides an opportunity to be fed rather than go hungry. The soup kitchen's mission is to aid in the fight against hunger and malnutrition. It also aids in the nutrition and food intake of pregnant women and their newborns who are unable to obtain the necessary nutrients throughout pregnancy and childbirth.

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Due to the high demand for these efforts, both in constructing a makeshift clinic and a soup kitchen, they are halted after Fr. Festus returns to the United States due to a lack of finances. Some Catholic nuns continue to care for the locals in emergency situations, but only if Fr. Festus allows. Fr. Festus can only approve treatment if he can send money back home to pay for these people's care. Fr. Festus' medical mission is primarily supported for the duration of his stay in Nigeria, which is around one month.

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Because of the high expense of life in Nigeria, hospitals are very cautious about accepting any patient who will be a financial burden to them. To address this issue, patients are charged ahead of time for treatment, and if the case is an emergency, the patient remains in the hospital until his or her fees are paid. They will remain in the hospital's custody until the bill is paid. During some of his journeys to Nigeria, Fr. Festus has assisted in the release of many of these patients from the hospital.