Primate Elijah Ayodele, head of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, has been a voice prophesying about the future of Nigeria. In recent times, he has been warning Nigeria and the entire world of the future happenings to pray ahead of. In a chat with journalists in Lagos, Ayodele gave an insight into the 2015 general elections and, in his usual characteristics, admonished Nigerians to pray before and after the election. He also talked about sundry national issues, even as he did not fail to warn the ruling party in Lagos State about choosing a right candidate as the next governor to rule the state from 2015. DAYO EMMANUEL reports, excerpts:
The year 2014 is running out and the political situation is still what it is, the 2015 election is fast approaching. What do you have to say about the way things are going politically right now in the country?
In 2014, we need to pray against blood bath everywhere, not a particular state now. Not even in a particular geopolitical zone and that is why men of God must come closer, especially during this period, to pray for the nation. We should all be concerned, whether Christians or Muslims or what have you. We shouldn’t say let it be the government’s affair alone because your family is involved and my family is involved. We are not saying this state or that state. God said, the nation, Nigeria should be prayerful. Like what is going on in the National Confab, where some people say they should change the name of the country to whatever. Before now, since 2003, we said that they are going to change the Nigerian flag, we said the name called Nigeria will change and the system of government in Nigeria will change. Then, a man from one particular place asked, will there not be no Nigeria again? Well, I am still insisting that we need prayers toward the 2015 election, we need prayers after the 2015 election for the continuity of the nation, for the country to still be under one umbrella.
I see three nations coming out of this country. The government may not really take the Confab seriously because of the sensitivity of the things being discussed, they may not see the Confab as a serious matter, but at the same time, I am telling you that out of the things being discussed, the current government wants to take little recognition of it, it may not be all. But I tell you, in any situation, some of those things are what we should be expecting to happen in Nigeria. We are talking about political situation, there is nothing about the political situation, it is the people that are trying to make the political situation to be tensed. There will be election in 2015 as said by the Lord of Hosts, there will be some places where election will not hold. Presidential election will be conducted, the governorship election will be conducted, but in the aftermath, I see a little bit of crisis, a little bit of tension, but it will be under control.
The 2015 election is going to give us an insight into the future of this country because I see revolution taking place in some other places, that is why the police should work very hard and that is why we should pray before and after the election. As it is now, those who care for this nation, come 1st of January to 21st of January, they should be in prayer and fasting for the nation and after the election, there should be prayers between 1st and 14th May in order to sustain the incoming government so that there should be no crisis, crisis and crisis.
Last week, a report was released that the Nigerian economy has emerged the largest in Africa and 26th in the world, it seems things are looking up. As a prophet how do you see this?
At the beginning, I tell you what they tell us about GDP of the nation, I am not moved by that. I am not talking as an economic analyst, I am a prophet, it makes no point, what they have said makes no point. In the near future, Nigerian economy will supersede that of any African country. The government is only projecting, telling us what is in stock for the country in the future, telling us what the future intends. So many things will still change, Nigerian economy is good, what is wrong is the bad leadership. They are saying what is in the future, the country is handled by humans, it is not being handled by the spiritual. So, we keep saying, there is no light, how do we say that Nigerian economy is bigger than that of South Africa? Some agencies will still be privatised, mind you, agencies like the NNPC, the Nigerian Railway Corporation, NTA, Radio Corporation, most of these agencies will be privatised and by the time we see all these, we will have a good economy.
What can you say about the Boko Haram and the wanton killings of the innocent, do you feel Boko Haram is actually challenging Christianity?
There is no where there is no Boko Haram, in our areas, in the churches etc. To answer you from a human angle, Boko Haram has been in existence for many years. Before the existence of Boko Haram in 2002, we have been warning the nation. We said recently that until they are weakened spiritually, Shekau cannot be arrested, but he will be killed in the battle front. Boko Haram will fizzle out. How about another sect that will emerge after Boko Haram, is the government capable of containing them? I want to warn the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) because there is going to be a lot of mix-up, security wise. They must be alert, there is still more crises ahead of the nation. What we need now is God. Let us address Boko Haram from technology aspect. Let us go into prayers, why not pick who is who that can address the issue of Boko Haram? Is there no Boko Haram in the Bible? When a nation will attack another nation, an army will attack another army. Nigeria was a very peaceful country at the inception but now, it is an insecure nation. Without God, the police and the army cannot do anything. Our alternative is still God, that is why we need Him. They want to spread their tentacles, that iswhy everybody must be prayerful, that is why we need to pray because I still see killings.
As a man of God like you praying and prophesying for the nation, the people and the world, we hear that there are prices you pay in this process, what are your challenges due to the enormous work?
It is a good question. Nobody has ever asked me before. As a man of God, challenges are things you have to face. I use trials and temptations, these are things you need as a child of God, they make you come closer to God, they make you have sober period for you to know what you need to do and what not to do and to strengthen you in your area of weakness. As a man of God, I ask God, I’m I to do this or not, I’m I supposed to do this or not? We don’t say when God did not say we should say.
Prophets differ from Pastors, from Reverend and from others. The ways of a prophet is different from their ways. You have a direct link with God, we are close to God, we must be different. When challenges come, there is always victory at the end of every tunnel. I won’t tell you I am perfect, I am only receiving grace for whatever things I am going through, by the grace of God, I am here today, I will not do what God does not want me to do. He will give me strength to overcome temptation and the strength to sustain me in any trial.
You mentioned that Nigerians should pray before and after the election of 2015, are they going to heed your call?
I am not God, you journalists are involved and God is involved. You are writing it, those who have the ears will listen. God told Ahab not to go to war, he went and he faced the consequence.
I said as directed by God last year and it was published by your paper, Sunday Newswatch on page 58 last December I think 22nd that Boko Haram needs to be weakened spiritually first and that only God can do that at His own time, I also said there will be another attack. There is too much bloodshed in Nigeria, the nation needs serious prayer.
We also warned that Lagos residents should pray so that we don’t run helter-skelter in the city. You can check it up, we have said these things since last year. It was also in the same edition last year that there will be a kind of trouble in the CBN that we really need to put them in prayers.
It was also published as God revealed to us that we should pray against kidnapers in Lagos and the south west. We warned that we should pray against bomb explosion in Lagos and Abuja. All these things were published in Newswatch newspaper last year, we should continue to pray because these things are happening now.
Another issue now is the gay movement. Nigerian government is against it but some men of God around the world see nothing wrong in it, what can you say about this?
There will be more pressure, there is still going to be gay people, the Nigerian government will still do a lot of work because people in these things are very big people. They will approach the government with their own rights too, they are people in government, just like Boko Haram is in government and security agencies.
Do you have any political affiliation yourself?
In the Bible, can you find a place whereby a prophet went into politics? I am not talking of career pastors because we have career pastors. I am a church leader, that is my field where God has called me, why should I have political affiliation? I do not and I will not.
How has the Lenten period been in your church?
You can see it, you can see my nails and my beards, we have been observing it. We take the Lenten period seriously in this church. We fast a lot and we believe in the power of fasting and prayer, that is our strength. Here is a spiritual church and fasting and prayers make it easy for us to come into the presence of God. We have decent and reasonable people in our church, it is a white garment church with a difference. It is not a Celestial or Cherubim and Seraphim church, it is a white garment church of its own, it is registered on its own. We follow the direction of God, we believe in prayer and fasting and vigil. We believe in God and in having a good relationship with Him, that is what we need and we believe in the Holy Spirit.
Can you tell us about your humanitarian deeds?
When you talk about humanitarian deeds, we believe in helping the less privileged churches. You may think that is what the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) ought to be doing. They may not have the strength, just like we used to be when we started our own church in a two–by-two room. We thank God now, when we see Christians coming up from that direction, we help them. We have nothing less than ten churches now that we give support to and I pray to God and He has told me to do it. There are some people God has given the grace to do it.
We have four Sundays to do humanitarian supports for underprivileged churches. We also have support for widows that are in our area. Talk about orphans, it is what we do also, providing supports for them. We have room and parlour self-contained apartments we give out for N1, 500 per month which is a good support. If we give them for free, they won’t appreciate it. The N1, 500 is for utility bills, it is nothing. We also have educational supports and empowerment for the youths and widows.
In terms of health, we take care of the old people, give them drugs, and we buy clothes for them. Now, it is Easter period, we buy cloth for all the children, especially the underprivileged ones and we do a get-together for them on Easter day. We give food and money to those who fast. We do all these without waiting to receive anything from anybody, we are not looking for reward from anybody.
It is always said that a prophet has no honour in his home. You are an international prophet, going by your influence, can you say you have been honoured at home?
Who am I to count my blessings? I don’t have to make noise, I don’t believe in that. I don’t want honour from humans, I need God’s honour.
I am a simple man. I can decide to go by commercial motorcycle (Okada) or take a public transport. It is the people that caution me. I don’t need such honours from human beings because if human beings honour you, they will bring you down. I have enjoyed honour from God. The honour that God has given me for working in His vineyard is greater that the President’s office, so I don’t know the honor you are talking about again.
How do you refresh spiritually, going by the enormous work you do?
When I leave my home at about 5am, I get to the church by 5.30am everyday, except when I have prayers and fasting. I get to my office, I don’t talk to people, so I can have more relationship with God. I don’t withdraw from people when God has not so instructed, I don’t act the way I feel. For instance, if APC wants Buhari to contest, they will fail woefully. If Tinubu contests, he will fail, it is not time for APC to get to power. These governors going here and there, some of them will defect to PDP.
What do you see as the future of the APC?
Well, if they don’t allow Buhari to run, he will leave the party. If Tinubu contests with Buhari, no way! Tinubu must not contest, Buhari must not contest.
But do you see the party being hijacked by certain elements?
No, no, nobody can hijack the party, they cannot.
Since the advent of democracy, Lagos has been governed by Muslim governors and some have been agitating, do you see a change in government?
I am not a politician, when you ask how I feel, I will say I feel normal. What do I see? Then, it is what I see that I can say. What I see is that Christian governor is what APC can use to capture Lagos again. If they field a Muslim and PDP brings a Christian, PDP will knock them off but APC will not want to lose Lagos because if they do, it means they lose the whole nation. Between Ikorodu and Epe axis is the area I feel APC will pick their governor.
[Dailynewswatch]
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