27 January 2021
We are delighted to announce that Ibrahim Dikko (pictured with his wife Zainab) will become our Area Director for Africa in April 2021. Ibrahim is currently a member of our International Board, a position that he will be handing over to James Wanje.
Steve Goss, International Director, says, "We have seen unprecedented growth in Africa under the leadership of Howard and Aileen Ostendorff. When they courageously took up the challenge to be our first Africa Directors and moved to Kenya to do it, our objective was that they should replace themselves with an African and it's wonderful to see that objective achieved. In Ibrahim we are blessed to have found someone who is absolutely committed to the message of Freedom In Christ and has already been involved in taking that message to many African countries with great success. This is an exciting moment!"
Ibrahim is the outgoing African representative on our International Board and has also been serving as West Africa Coordinator. He and Zainab have been married for 21 years, have four lovely children, and live in Lagos, Nigeria.
Zainab is a banker with over 20 years’ experience, an active participant in the ongoing Transform program, and a Trustee of the non-profit that has been formed in Nigeria that we hope will in time become our local office. She is a great team player.
Ibrahim spent 22 years working in the downstream sector of the oil and gas industry in Nigeria and now describes himself as an entrepreneur, family mediator/systems designer, and trainer. He has a doctorate in Church Growth and Ministries and is currently finishing off another PhD in Corporate Leadership at the International Leadership University in Kenya.
Ibrahim's father was a missionary who was martyred in Chad in 1973 which left Ibrahim with great bitterness and a thirst for revenge that came to dominate his life. When he and Zainab married in 1999, one of their wedding gifts was a Freedom In Christ book, Spiritual Protection For Your Children, by Neil Anderson, Pete Vander Hook, and Sue Vander Hook. He says, "The book opened our eyes to understand the freedom that we have in Christ. I was able to forgive from the heart those who killed my father. It helped us to lay the foundations that led us to resolve our personal and spiritual conflicts in our family. God has prepared us as one of the arrows in the quiver to carry the message of Freedom in Christ to other nations. We are happy to be part of the great things that God has started doing in Africa on the foundations that Howard and Aileen have laid and by His grace, that will be the beginning of greater things to come."
Howard and Aileen (pictured below) will continue their involvement in Africa, working alongside Ibrahim on his team. Howard says, "It has been a joy to know Ibrahim and Zainab. Ibrahim has vision and extensive experience with business that will help us do ministry better. In addition, he has been the West Africa Coordinator and has had 'hands on' experience that is invaluable. We are excited to keep working with him."
We are so thankful to Howard and Aileen for all that they have done and excited to see how Ibrahim will build on that.
