Category: Worship

Nigerians will only feel there is a need to roll out the drums and celebrate at any of the country’s Independence Day events once they know they are being loved and given a sense of belonging in their own country.

This was the view of Head Pastor and Founder of the Mountain of Liberation and Miracles Ministry, otherwise known as Grace Nation International, Dr Chris Okafor.

He believes years of trying to stifle dissenting voices, asking for a change in the status quo, especially in the face of undisguised marginalisation of some sections of the country, is now what is manifesting in the wanton killings seen across the country.

“I was supposed to cut a cake to celebrate Nigeria at 61. But I’ll not because there is nothing, really, to celebrate,”  the well-known cleric told a full house of worshippers.

“So long as a section of the country believes it is their God given right to continue to lord it over the other sections of the country in terms of the number of times they enjoy power at the centre, the concept of one Nigeria will continue to be a mirage.

“Look at the appointments into sensitive positions in government. It is lopsided. It favours only a section of the country to the detriment of others. Can we then say we are one? I obviously don’t think so,” he said.

“Again, how come some people are given so much latitude by the government of the day to make inciting, inflammatory statements that threaten the very unity of the country without being sanctioned?

“These are some of the reasons why the level of agitation for self-determination by these ethnic nationalities has grown even louder in recent times,” he stressed.

Dr Okafor called on the Federal Government to do everything in its power to resolve the issues inflaming the calls for secession by re-structuring, referendum and the release of political prisoners like Nnamdi Kalu and Sunday Igboho, held over the matter.

“One of the ways to douse the rising tension in the country is for us to sit down as Nigerians and decide our future. For instance, the issue of power sharing should be looked into. If power is made to rotate from region to region in an equitable manner, I tell you some of these agitations will die down,” he advised.

While calling for intensive prayers to avert further mayhem and bloodletting in the country, the firebrand minister advised the IPOB — the Indigenous People Of Biafra — to do a critical review of their current mode of operations if they are to achieve their goal quicker.

Former Nigeria President Chief Olusegun Obasanjo could have been killed on February 13, 1976 by coup plotters who assassinated the then Head of State, Late Gen. Murtala Ramat Muhammed, but through providence he escaped and got promoted as Nigeria Head of State same day.

Again, in 1995 he was jailed for 30 years for alleged complicity in a coup plot by the military tribunal set up by the then Head of State, which was reduced to 15 year.  But through God’s mercy which he received in prison when he gave his life to Jesus Christ, he spent only three years, three months and three days, and came out to become Nigeria president for another eight years, after the then Head of State, who jailed him, had died.

The above scenario depicts the immeasurable roles that mercy of God can play in the life of any individual who received enough of it.

The Pastor in-Charge of Region 12 of The Redeemed Christians Church of God, RCCG, Ogun State, Pastor Richard Adeboye said this at dedication of an ultramodern church building, RCCG Milk & Honey Area Headquarters, while preaching on “The Power of Mercy” and the roles it could play in fulfilment of destiny.

Adeboye said mercy was one of the attributes of God. “This church building we are dedicating today is a product of mercy. If you look around you, you will see so many abandoned projects. It’s not the desire of the owners that such projects should be abandoned, but it is because they’ve not gotten the grace to finish them,” he said.

The President, Harvest Point Ministries Inc, Pastor Henry Odeneye, preaches in his Yoruba language in the United States.  Odeneye,   marketer and corporate consultant, shares the story of his ministry and how the Yoruba ministry is thriving in the U.S with Adeola Ogunlade. Excerpts.

I’m aware that you use Yoruba language to preach in the U.S. How did you start it?

I remember travelling to Brazil while in Nigeria some years ago. I was working with Afro Technical Services Nigeria Limited as the General Sales Manager. We had some products from Brazil and I was asked to go to the factory in that country to get some information on the product. On getting to Rio, one of the immigration officers saw my passport and wondered if I was a Yoruba man. I said yes. He told me he was learning the Yoruba language. He also told me he was an Ifa worshiper.

When I got to my hotel room, the Holy Spirit spoke to me on what the Yoruba language was being used for. He reminded me that the Arabic Language is synonymous with Islam, the  Hebrew Language with Judaism and the Yoruba Language with  Ifa  worship.

That got me thinking. The Lord then made me realise that the Christian faith played a critical role in the evolution of the Yoruba Language. He reminded me of the enormous work done by the late Bishop Ajayi Crowther, who gave the language the alphabets, in the first place.

All these happened in1997. That was when the Lord began to tell me of the need to employ the language on a global scale and make it one that would be used for the propagation of the gospel. Then I had been an Elder in The Apostolic Church Nigeria (TACN). I was invited to minister at a programme in the church in 1999. While in the hotel room during the programme, the Lord gave me a clear vision of my ministry.

He told me my ministry would be in the U.S. I remember then that Akeem Olajuwon was in Houston, Texas. I began to have a picture of being in that part of the world. The district pastor of my church then confirmed that my ministry would be abroad. As God would have it, the opportunity came for me and my family in 2000 to travel to the U.S. and it happened that we are in Houston. So, it became clear that I had work on my hands.

So, what was the first hurdle you crossed in your ministry using the Yoruba language in a land where English is the official language and where the Yoruba population is insignificant?

Let me confess that those I met in the U.S. who were servants of God gave me the needed support. But I remember a pastor who warned me that he had tried it and failed but that he wished I would succeed. But the fact that I got the official approval of my church, The Apostolic  Church Nigeria (TACN), was just what I needed. That gave me the needed energy to express my calling. Some of the pastors said they had used English in their ministries and had not succeeded; wondering how I would succeed.

The greatest challenge I would have had then was that I was more fluent in Hausa than Yoruba. I was born in the North and then my father moved to Ghana. When the Lord was preparing me for this ministry, I did not know. I lived in Ghana for eight years. I speak Fanti and Twi very well.

When I came back to Nigeria, I served in Maiduguri, Kaduna and then Lagos. I used to preach in English, but when I got to Lagos, I was ordained an Elder and I was asked to preach in Yoruba. It became a big challenge. I managed to pass Yoruba in my school certificate exams. When I was told I had to preach in Yoruba, I had to start learning Yoruba from the scratches.

My wife took me through the basics. I also attended a Bible school in Ota, Ogun State and was fortunate to have a lecturer who was a former  babalawo (diviner doctor). He told us many things about  Ifa and he exposed us to the depth of the Yoruba language. There are many sayings in the Yoruba language that look like incantations but are not really incantations but deep  wisdom expressions. I was learning all that and I did not know God was  preparing me for the U.S. Yoruba language ministry.

Some people deploy incantations unknowingly while praying in Yoruba. How do we draw the line?

We have to be careful. There are people who capitalise on the Yoruba  language to do evil on the pulpit. But that does not mean the language itself is the problem.

Someone told me  jowo,  which is a plea from whatever angle, has an occult connotation. But because there was no  Christianity when the language was evolving, the  Ifa worshipers used the word for incantation.  Edabo  and  Edakun are occultic words. But that should not stop us from using it in daily conversations and even  during our worship because it is part of the Yoruba language.

But, then, if you want to use the language to preach, you have to be careful you don’t resort to the incantation. Using idiomatic  expressions and deep Yoruba wisdom is different from an incantation.  There is a thin line though.

Patron of Ministers of God Prayer Network International, Bishop Moses Adedipe has narrated the efforts it took to get late Pastor David Yonggi Cho to visit Nigeria for a crusade.

Bishop Adedipe narrated this at the Network’s 24-hour prayer retreat tagged: ‘Nigeria Will Not Fall,’ on Thursday at the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries (MFM) Prayer City along Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

He explained how MFM General Overseer, Dr. Daniel Olukoya was instrumental to Pastor Yonggi Cho’s visitation to Nigeria after disappointment by other church leaders he had approached earlier to receive him.

He narrated: “I had met with some popular church leaders to receive late Pastor Yonggi Cho in Nigeria but to my greatest shock, they asked how much he was going to give to them.

“This was a man who was ready to visit Nigeria with 40 businessmen, paying for his own flight.

“In disappointment, I had to approach Dr Olukoya who granted my request before even sitting in his office at Onike.

“Dr Olukoya said to me: ‘Consider it done’ after I asked him to host late Pastor Yonggi Cho in his church without demanding for anything.

“He killed cows every day to feed security operatives at the Prayer City throughout late Pastor Yonggi Cho’s stay.”

Bishop Adedipe lamented that the church contributed to challenges in Nigeria as a result of greed by its leaders.

He, however, expressed belief that the gathering of ministers at the prayer retreat would change the situation of the country for the better.

In the same vein, National President of the Network, Bishop (Dr.) Bola Oyegbami declared that heavens would open for the sake of Nigeria as they called on God.

“By the special grace of God, Nigeria will not suffer same fate with Afghanistan in the name of Jesus.

Bishop Oyegbami also hinted on a new initiative, Platform for African Women in Smart Climate Agriculture Foundation (PAWISCA).

She disclosed PAWISCA will deliver 3 projects with funding from United Nations: water technology, agriculture and sanitation.

Charles Ighele, the Presiding Bishop, Holy Spirit Mission, in celebrating Nigeria’s independence anniversary @61 spoke to some journalists including Adeola Ogunlade, in Lagos, where he discussed the kind of leadership the country deserves and the  calibre of persons that should be trusted with piloting the affairs of the country come 2023. Excerpts:

Nigeria @61: where are we in terms of development when compared to other nations that got independence in the same period?

First of all, I’m proud to be a Nigerian. Secondly, are we developing? In our political Science class at the then University of Ife in 1977 or 78, our lecturer asked us this question and the whole class discussed it. He said we were developing politically; for example looking at 1960 to 1977 and we analysed the problem. We looked at – what is development and what are we doing to develop the country.

We were ahead of Singapore. One of the best books I keep reading is that of the father of Singapore. Look at the one written by Emir of Dubai. In fact we need nation builders not just people who erect one university here and two hospitals there. That is another matter entirely; we need nation builders.

What is your view on the current leadership in relation to nation building?

President, governors, clergies should think about nation building more than what they can get from the nation; not those who want to possess the nation. Those who will key to nation building and have the mentality of this “is our home,” like the state.

The political class seems divided about where the next president should come from in 2023: what is your take?

Let us analyse what the problem is. See how we can fix it and see how we can stop quarrelling. Let us have the golden rule as our guide. The golden rule says you should do unto others as you will have them do unto you. Let us publicise it and start the campaign all over, from primary to secondary school; university, the market among others: this is the height of human civilization. Anything outside that is evil is uncivilised and not okay.

Taking into consideration several indices of measuring development, is Nigeria developing?

Malthusian theory of those days talked about population growth as arithmetic progression. So, economically we are not developing, in fact educationally it is a pity. I asked someone which generation speaks better English between mine and his and he answered that it is mine. Is it not so? It is so, look at the universities and everywhere.

So educationally, we are not developing. We have built some bridges like Third Mainland, we have built Abuja as the federal capital territory and other infrastructure but infrastructure without human development and proper management means nothing at all. It is just a waste of time. This is why places like Ajakuta Plant, Delta Steel, refineries and other infrastructures could not work. You see the necessary human capital and discipline needed is not there, because human beings are not being taken care of.

You see infrastructural decay because human beings are decayed. In all areas we are not developing. When you go to sports, an American wondered some time ago where Nigerians were, we were known among the top sprinters in the world. Like the Kenyans, Jamaicans and the United States are naturally long race people. By now ought to have been winning a lot of gold medals in that direction. I used to go to stadiums in those days to watch leagues – Shooting Stars, Enugu Rangers Bendel Insurance e.t.c, the stadium would be full but right now there is nothing at all.

In Kenya, they pay their players, at least I know about one earning about 5000 to 6000 dollars in a month. But in Nigeria they were trying to make it a law to make it N120,000, how many dollars is that?

With all that you have said, do we have reasons to celebrate and where do we go from here if truly Nigeria is to be the giant of Africa?

When you say celebrate we do not really have any reason to be happy. If you have six children and they are supposed to be in the University but they are still in JSS 1 when all their mates have all finished from the University, when it comes to their birthdays how much will you celebrate?

The celebration will be  ‘okay thank God they are alive.’  In Nigeria thank God that we are still one nation, if not there is nothing to celebrate at all.

By Adeola Ogunlade

To mark the nation’s 61st anniversary, members of the Grace Foundation  at the weekend  touched  the lives of 3000 Nigerians from indigent communities  during  its annual outreach known as Hands Up Nigeria.

According to the President of the Foundation, Deacon  Philip  Okuabor,  the 8th edition of the programme was packaged to bring hope, joy and succour to Nigerians in spite of the myriad challenges affecting them at this time.

”We call the program Hands  Up for Nigeria because we recognise that if Nigeria is  going to live out its potential of greatness  then we need to lift our hands up  for it.

Okuabor explained that: “ We have to identify with it, pray for it and also be of help to  one another.

He added that: “ Every year for 7  years now over 2000  have received clothing, foodstuff and medical  care at the event. This eight edition is targeted to reach 3000 people and is scheduled to be held at the First Bank Sports field in Satellite Town, Lagos.”

 

The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) recently held its Standing Committee Meeting at the Diocese of Lagos, Faith Plaza, Bariga, Lagos from September 20 – 24, 2021 with the theme: Abiding In Christ: God’s Panacea In An Unstable World.

Presided over by His Grace, The Most Reverend Henry C Ndukuba, Archbishop, Metropolitan & Primate, Church of Nigeria, the meeting had all the top Anglican clergy including from North America in attendance.

And it was a delight hearing the Bishops singing hymns heartily with the accompaniment of the three manual Allen Organ beautifully played by the extremely calm and collected resident organist of the meeting, Victor Kunle Asaolu, who played according to the primates’ dictate of hymns.

In recognition of the organ’s value to the meeting by creating the appropriate divine atmosphere, the Chancellor of the Bishops’ Diocese, Odein Ajumogobia (SAN), acknowledged ChOPiN for providing it as a contribution to the enrichment and success of the meeting while His Grace, The Most Reverend Henry C Ndukuba, Archbishop, Metropolitan & Primate, Church of Nigeria, when he went to admire the organ, also had a little appreciation chat with Mr Lanre Delano, CEO, ChOPiN, who was also there in person to ensure all went well where ChOPiN was concerned.

The Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu; Chief Olu Okeowo an organ enthusiast; Professor Jerry Gana; Dr Christopher Kolade, a veteran organist; Mr Lanre Delano, CEO, ChOPiN; and many other notable Nigerians also attended the meeting and contributed to its key issues for the betterment of the nation.

Temitope Akinrotimi, the Program Manager at Children Empowerment Fund, a subset of Mission Enablers Africa spoke to Adeola Ogunlade on her journey to missions, challenges, why the Church must not close her eyes to the plight of missionaries and the work she does at Children Empowerment Fund.

Tell us about yourself, what was growing up like?

My name is Temitope Akinrotimi. I am the Program Manager at Children Empowerment Fund, an arm of Mission Enablers; a Non-Profit Organisation that mobilizes support and resources to help those who have committed their lives to advance the Gospel.

Growing up for me was quite interesting. I was an only child who spent most of her time in boarding school. I remember vividly how I constantly played alone as a child because there was really no one to play with. Boarding school was however a good place to mingle with other kids before the next holiday.

Let’s peep into your Educational background and life after graduation?

I studied Public Administration at Olabisi Onabanjo University and graduated in 2007 after which I went into Events Planning and Management. A couple of years after, I attended Victory College in the U.S. where I studied Missions and Ministry.

How did you make the transition from Events Planning and Management into Missions?

Event planning is still in my blood, I just express it in different ways now. Talking about Missions, I always knew that there was something in me about missions but I didn’t know how to express it. Shortly after I gave my life to Christ, I heard God say to me that He was calling me into the “Ministry of Reconciliation” and I thought it was about settling disputes or helping people make peace with one another. This I did for some time until I saw through the Scriptures that the Ministry of Reconciliation is basically about the proclamation of the Gospel.

My journey into missions was quite interesting, as it took me stepping out of the country to find my place in Missions. My husband and I went on a visit to the U.S. and had no plan to stay but God interrupted our plans by instructing me to attend a Bible College to study Missions and Ministry. That is how my journey into Global missions started.

What is Children Empowerment Fund (CEF) all about?

At CEF, we focus on the education of children in Northern Nigeria and African children in general. We cater for the education of children in underserved communities as well as missionary kids. Our vision is to give every child access to quality education in a conducive learning environment.

Since our establishment in 2018, we have impacted over 500 children in 20 communities across 5 countries on the African continent.

We have built blocks of classrooms, computer laboratories, and hostels in some schools in Northern Nigeria and also donated solar panels to these schools. We support payment for external examinations and currently offer scholarships and educational support for well over 250 students. We advocate for the mental health, welfare, physical and reproductive wellbeing of children. We also provide free sanitary pads and underwear for girls in underserved communities. Presently, we are building six blocks of classrooms in Sierra Leone as well as running the Back to School Campaign to raise funds to enable the children in our scholarship program to remain in school in this new academic session.

Tell us more about the Back to School Campaign

The Back to School Campaign is an annual project focused on raising funds to keep children in school in Northern Nigeria as well as other parts of Africa.

This year we are focused on keeping over 300 children in school in our target areas. It costs 100, 000 (hundred thousand naira) to sponsor a child in Northern Nigeria and 100 (a hundred dollars) in Burundi.

Donations made to the Back to the School Campaign will go a long way in ensuring that the African child is one step closer to his/her dreams. Children are meant to be in the four walls of a classroom and not on farmlands. We need to put an end to child labour and early marriage using education as a tool. You can check out our website @cefafrica.org

Tell us about your First Mission Trip.

I will speak about my first Mission trip to Africa – Nigeria to be precise. I remember arriving at a Mission field somewhere in Niger state to realize that there are parts of Nigeria where there is no access to electricity at all. That was mind-blowing and I could not understand how anyone could survive in that kind of environment, yet missionaries with solid educational backgrounds choose to heed the call to reach the unreached (people with little or no access to the Gospel) in such communities.

How were you able to have the buy-in of your husband?

I did not have to talk him in, he also has a heart for missions and so he was willing to walk the talk as well. We did not start obeying God’s instructions with the call to Missions. Obedience to the smallest instruction has always been our thing as a couple and the call to Missions was not different.

What are the challenges you face doing Missions?

The challenge would be the perception of some people regarding the female gender. People feel there are things a woman should not do especially in the Northern part of Nigeria.

Also in some communities, as a lady, you do not have a voice. In the North, for example, a woman is expected to be soft-spoken and not necessarily heard, but I am an expressive person and that can be quite challenging. This makes the issue of gender equity a challenge. Another challenge I am constantly faced with is that of cultural diversity in different nations, talking about food, language, weather. Nonetheless, the nations have to be reached.

Are you satisfied with the church’s investment in missions?

I want to start by saying that I celebrate every church that has paid attention to Missions, however, there is still a lot to be done. Several believers are unaware of the essence of Missions or “The Great Commission” which implies that there is a need to create more awareness for Missions.

I will encourage the Church to pay more attention to the last assignment that was given to us as disciples of Christ, which is to “GO” and make disciples of all nations. The Church should educate its members, send laborers into the fields as well as support missionaries on the various mission fields.

Any final words from you?

Children need to be fully equipped so they have a chance at life. We must take a stand so they do not become tools in the hands of religious and political fanatics. Educating children is the collective duty of the society and so we must not relent in doing this as individuals.

Our Reporter 

Gospel singer Pastor Shola Adedeji has explained if God blesses him, he would rather extend the blessings to people around him than buy a private jet.

Adedeji noted he had to make the “people that God placed under me” comfortable rather than thinking about amassing world possessions.

He said these in an interview, adding that he also had a non-profit organization that helps people.

Adedeji said: “I’m based in the US for the past 25 years going to 26 years. My family and I live there. I love Nigeria and I’ve been around to promote my music to see what God can bring out of it.

“Ehm, I’ll say you know sometimes, there’s a purpose God has destined us for. I believe there is a calling upon my life. It’s not something I just woke up one day and I said I want to go into the ministry.

“When God wants to instill something into your life, you just see that all things you do are things of God. You want to be in His presence.

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“You want to help other people especially with the music ministry. God keeps giving me songs, ideas keep coming. So, I now went before God in prayer and received like my confirmation or conviction that God really wants me to go here and propagate his word around the world. These are what motivated me that gave me that boldness and strength I’m using today.

“For now, I’ve been going to African part of the world like Nigeria, South Africa at least may be 5 to 6 times a year. I travel on ministerial assignments.

“I also have a women’s ministry. It is called Women of Virtue International. We have our headquarters in New Jersey whereby we empower women, we motivate them and we do like transformational programmes that will transform them their lives for women to discover themselves.

“How can they know who they are even after getting married, having children? What are the things they can do to be who the Lord destines them to be, so I travel a lot for this programme.

“With the humanitarian service, we’ve been empowering widows, old people or we call them senior citizens. Even, in the US, I’m the director that facilitates our food pantry whereby we give our food to the community. We give our food, we give our clothes, and we also give out school supplies to the kids.

“In Nigeria, we’ve been having a lot of empowerment programmes for the youths, the younger ones and also for the elderly. We have a situation that a lot of people that came for the empowerment programs are teachers, and we discovered that can also do something else apart from teaching. So we empower them into even decoration, how to become an MC at programmes, how to make soaps and other things like that.

“To me as a servant of God and as a preacher, the first thing we need to think about when God blesses you, is that He wants you to bless others.

“The people around you are they comfortable enough before you decided to go and buy a jet? I don’t have any problem honestly speaking if a preacher has a private jet.

“But with the situation of things going on around the world today, what is the purpose of having a jet when people are suffering around you.”

The Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) has enjoined all Nigerians to emulate the presiding Bishop of The Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM) Dr Mike Okonkwo for his undiluted love for Nigeria and detribalised disposition.

Speaking at a thanksgiving service on Sunday in honour of Okonkwo, who is a Trustee, member of the National Advisory Council of the PFN on his 76th birthday, Bishop Francis Wale Oke, who is the National President of PFN, described Dr Okonkwo as a global icon and a true father with the heart of a good shepherd.

He saluted him as a worthy example to Nigerians on multiple fronts: an exemplary patriot, peace-maker, voice of grace and a man of impeccable integrity.

Read Also; Buhari extols Etsu Nupe at 69

Leading a delegation of Pentecostal leaders in Nigeria, which included the National Vice President, South West, Archbishop John Osa-Oni, the Lagos State Chairman, Apostle Enyinnaya Okwuonu, the General Overseer, GOFAMINT, Dr Emmanuel Oluwayemi, Apostle Alex Bamgbola, Bishop Tunde Akin- Akinsanya, among others to celebrate Dr Okonkwo, Oke reiterated the needs for people to imbibe the culture of celebrating icons and leaders while still alive rather than resorting to eulogies after their death.

He celebrated Okonkwo for the force of his vision, being one of the founding fathers of the PFN, his strength of character and unceasing support for the Fellowship over the years with an unblemished record of service.

He also prayed for long life and renewed strength for Okonkwo.