St. Stephen's Anglican Church
Wakama-Ama, Okrika

Wakama-Ama was founded by Chief Wakama Oriobo-Igila, a prominent Christian chief and close associate of Paramount Chief Daniel Oju Kalio — himself one of the pillars of St. Peter's Church, Okrika. Though Chief Wakama did not inaugurate a formal church in his community, a Christian impression had been deeply infused in his subjects before the much-orchestrated advent of the Faith in Wakama-Ama.

In 1914, Joshua Mara — a baptised Christian of St. Martin's Church, Ogu — came to live with his brother Simeon Amiewerima Wakama in Wakama-Ama. He started his religion by providing a prayer room in his house and conducting door-to-door evangelism. By the end of 1914 he had gathered a handful of devoted Christians and led them on weekday pilgrimages to Bolo Town for Bible Class meetings. Most of them were eventually baptised at Bolo Town.

The Garrick Braid Movement of 1915 struck Wakama-Ama with unprecedented force, provoking an iconoclasm that dismantled Simeon's fetish temple and abolished all fetish practices — dramatically boosting the Christian Faith. Joshua Mara led four converts to Bakana, Garrick Braide's home, to study his mode of worship. They concluded it was "an abomination" of hyperdulation compared to their orthodox Anglican liturgy, and relinquished any thought of adopting it.

By 1919, the congregation had shifted to Chief Wakama Oriobo's compound and the community was zealous enough to purchase zinc from Bonny for a semi-permanent church. The first church was built in 1918. The first Wakama-Ama Christians to be baptised were Madams Hannah Aseminachinme and Jane Bipiseibama Wakama.

After a protracted inter-clan war between Okrika and Bonny in 1932 displaced many Wakamas from Bolo Town back to Wakama-Ama, the congregation grew and a primary school was established. On 24th January, 1933, the Anglican Church at Wakama-Ama applied to the Okrika DCC for a Church Teacher. The Agent of Ogu, D. K. Wakama, conducted a favourable assessment and the DCC granted a trial assessment of £15 per annum.

Sunday Stephen Fiberesima arrived as the first Teacher for both church and school on 10th May, 1933 and preached his first sermon from Philippians 4:13: "I can do all things in Him who strengthens me."

The first Wakama-Ama Christian to be confirmed was Patrick Wakama, son of the late Chief Wakama Oriobo, confirmed at Okrika on 12th November, 1939 by Rt. Revd. Leslie Gordon Vining, an Assistant Bishop in the Diocese on the Niger. The following year Michael Jones S. Wakama was confirmed — the son of Simeon Wakama, the first Christian convert, who later succeeded his father as Treasurer of the Church for over three decades.

In 1939, a mass meeting resolved that collections towards a permanent church building commence. A 12-man Building Committee was constituted in August 1939. A community dug-out canoe traded cassava to Port Harcourt for building funds, and a lottery-loan scheme raised interest for the project. Contributions began at 2/- per capita and rose to 10/-.

The building took two years to complete. On Friday, 20th November, 1953, Ven. A. A. D. Spiff, Archdeacon of Delta Archdeaconry, laid the Foundation Stone, preaching from Zechariah 4:10 with an attendance of 117. On 14th December, 1953, Rt. Revd. E. T. Dimieari consecrated the new edifice as Saint Stephen's Anglican Church, Wakama-Ama, with an attendance of 381, preaching from Revelation 3:20.

After decades of perceived disrespect by the senior partner, St. Martin's Church Ogu — particularly being excluded from the 1967 District status decision and the 1979 Centenary Celebrations — the Wakama-Ama community sent a letter of resignation from Ogu District on 24th May, 1980. The Archdeacon of Bonny ordered that from May to December 1980, St. Stephen's would stand alone, attached to no District, dealing directly with the Archdeaconry Office, Port Harcourt.

From 1981, Wakama-Ama came under Okrika District — the church of her natural belonging, though not her spiritual upbringing. The Parish Pastor of Abuloma, Revd. B. A. Obuoforibo, extended his pastoral work to Wakama-Ama during this transition.

In 1993, St. Stephen's applied for Parish status. The Niger Delta Diocesan Board approved the application at St. Cyprian's Church, Port Harcourt on 11th April, 1994, with the church taking off as an autonomous Parish from 1st January, 1995 — though without formal inauguration. The formal inauguration ceremony took place on Sunday, 8th December, 2002, performed by Rt. Rev. G. H. Pepple JP, Bishop of Niger Delta Diocese.

On 27th January, 2001, the Okrika Archdeaconry formally relinquished St. Stephen's Wakama-Ama and other parishes to form the Okrika South Archdeaconry.

After several years of nightmare, the church gradually rose again. With great joy, St. Stephen's is now moving forward and growing again. The foundation-laying ceremony for the new church building was done in 2011 by Premier Bishop Rt. Revd. Tubokosemie R. Abere JP, and the building is now at 60% completion.