Senior Pastor of Ever-Winning Faith Ministries Lagos, Rev Solomon Ojigiri, believes there is still much hope for the nation despite the current recession. He speaks with Sunday Oguntola on why and how Nigerians, especially Christians, should keep hope alive. Excerpts:
A lot of Nigerians are giving up on hope owing to the current recession. What’s your message to them as a minister?
The Bible says ‘There is hope for a tree even when it is cut down because at the scent of water, it will sprout again’. I believe so much in my heart that it is not over for Nigeria. It might look like we are down and out but we shall rise again.
I love Nigeria with a passion. That is the only reason I am still here. It is not by accident that I was born and raised in this country. God knows we are here and will intervene sooner than we expect.
I believe that the naira will still be stronger than the dollar. It used to before and I believe it will be our experience again. It will only take some sacrifices…
…What kind of sacrifices?
For instance, when the situation is like this, many people naturally think of relocation. It is as old as the Bible days. Many people are jetting out in droves and it is a natural reaction to this recession.
But I don’t believe in jetting out just so because things are tough. Some of our people overseas are doing jobs they cannot do back home. Why can’t they stay back and work here? Why do what you can’t do at home overseas?
I trained as a lawyer and I pastor a church but I had to enrol in the Lagos State Agricultural Services sometime ago to learn new things on agriculture. I run businesses, including a farm. So, that is what I am talking about. People must become tougher with the tough situations. We must think out of the box, instead of picking the next available flight out.
We need more sacrifices on the part of the leaders. The costs of governance keep increasing and many of them don’t even want pay-cuts. Some of them are collecting allowances as ex-governors and Senators. Our leaders are milking the country dry.
They shouldn’t expect that to continue if we are to change the country. Let them make sacrifices too because they asked us to bear with increase in fuel prices. I read recently that Nigerians spend N5bn on fuel every year.
That figure is too conservative. Suppose one million Nigerians spend N1, 000 daily on fuel, which amounts to N1billion daily. And I believe that the fuel consumers in the country are even much more. For example, I have four or five generators with my family. Many people run the same way.
If we are able to conserve these, Nigeria will be one of the richest in the world. So, we need to make sacrifices to grow this country because we cannot continue the way we are going. If we make sacrifices, we still have hope.
So, there is still hope for Nigeria despite the parlous state of the economy?
I believe so strongly that there is still hope. We cannot give up on hope. Tough people don’t last but tough people do. God will do what He alone can do while we must play our parts too.
For example, as a church, we offer humanitarian help to Nigerians to mitigate the recession. We give foodstuffs and clothing materials to the less-privileged. We then inspire them not to write themselves off. There is hope for anyone still alive. People just need to change their mindset. They must know that they can make it big in this country.
With the state of things?
Yes, with everything. Nothing can be so bad that is irredeemable. You know my story already of how I lost my father even before I was born. My widowed mom had to take care of me right from the womb.
But I had this determination that God can help me, even though I had no one. There is so much we can do to help ourselves. I offer alms to people but talk more to them to become diligent. Everybody must become diligent to survive and thrive.
We are talking of recession but Nigeria is still full of opportunities. By the grace of God, we have acquired acres of lands for farming but I believe that many people just want handouts. They don’t want to make a living for themselves.
Our people should stop complaining without doing anything. There are no hopeless situations, just people who think hopelessly. I know some graduates who learnt vocations and are doing well today.
They could have complained too but chose to take their destinies in their hands. So, I believe one can survive and even thrive in Nigeria. It will require the help of God, focus, determination and discipline.
Some people say they have been praying for so long without anything to show for it…
… Prayer is a powerful force but it will not work alone. Jesus asks us to work and pray. You have to work out things you are praying about. I am writing a book titled Understanding the mystery of faith. You see, there are things we think are faith, which are not.
I believe if you are doing nothing and just praying, that is not faith. You have to work out your prayers to get results. Prayer must be backed up with being responsible for your life and diligent.
I tell people not to blame anybody for their situations or even the government. You must never believe anybody, except yourself, is responsible for whatever becomes of you.
A lot of people blame government for not having goals when they don’t need to consult anyone to form goals. You can keep dreaming and take steps on a daily basis to move ahead.
Many Christians have what someone described as the enemy mentality; someone being responsible for their miseries. What will you tell such people?
Why are the enemies only after them and the not-successful people? Any church that has that approach of an enemy pursuing you will have members in droves. But the moment you ask them to take responsibility for their lives, many people will leave.
The truth of the matter is your destiny is in your hands. I know people who had brighter chances than me but are nowhere today because they felt their fathers were poor. But what about me that had no father?
He died two months before I was born. They believe there are witches and wizards after them. If you call prayers for 24 hours now, people will show up. But once you ask them to sit down to strategise after the prayers, they move away.
I remember we had a 30-day prayer and fasting every June in the church. A woman participated but left for a 40-day fasting and prayer in another church after our exercise. I was stunned. I asked: when will you work? You have fasted and prayed but should work now, not going through another exercise.
If you pray about anything but do not want to back it up with works, that prayer is hypocritical. The Bible says ‘…. Whatsoever he doeth will prosper’ not whatsoever he prayeth. So, you must be doing something. There is nothing you are doing that cannot be prosperous in the world.
If you are selling sachet water that gives you N1 profit, all you need to do is to find a way to sell one million pieces and you are already a millionaire.
In this church, we emphasise all of that and we have people who have moved up without any capital base or support.
So, there are no enemy anywhere chasing people?
There are enemies because it will be wrong to say there are no enemies. But like Isaac, you can wear out your enemies by praying and working hard. Successful people also have enemies but they carry on despite them.
It is so easy to succeed because all you need is to find those who have and ask them, then be willing to pay the price. It is so easy to pray but to follow up with action is tough.
I remember a friend who was one year my junior in secondary school, who saw me and complained things had been tough for him. I graduated from secondary school in 1985 while he passed out a year later.
So, I relocated him to Lagos and made him live in the house with my family. I was determined to create jobs for him. I was feeding, clothing and housing him. Then, we started a school and I asked him to come over to teach. He said he would pray about it and later said God was not leading him.
I was angry but offered him another opportunity when I started a new business. He said he would pray again and later claimed God was not leading him. I told him God would not lead me again to feed and clothe him from that point.
He was willing to pray but not work. And that is the problem with many of our people. The Nigerians overseas that they envy do two, three menial jobs but they just want to be idle.
You run businesses while pastoring a church. It is believed that could constitute a distraction
Not for me because I put people in charge of my businesses while I concentrate on full time ministry. All I need is getting reports. I don’t run the businesses at all myself.
I have not visited the farm more than once in a year. I trust the people there and they feed me with reports. Besides, I can’t pray all the time or read bible all the time. So, when I have spare time, I visit the businesses but I don’t run them.
If I want to run a law office, I will just put lawyers there and they run the place. I don’t have to be there. I was running a chamber until I shut it down. It does not mean I cannot handle legal matters. Because people know I am a lawyer, they consult me.
If I sense it will take time, I simply hand it over to a colleague to do it for them.
What’s up with branch expansion in the church?
We started the Ilorin church and it is doing well. The church has built its own facility. The church is also in Abuja. They too have a landed property with auditorium.
Our church is also in Australia and US. God is helping us and we are sure He will take us higher.