A global outreach, bestselling books, multi-national television network, world class universities, largest single church auditorium in the world, private jets and millions of changed lives. The Oyedepo Ministries have seen quite spectacular accomplishments. But Dr. David Oyedepo, the presiding Bishop of Living Faith Church Worldwide, Ota, Ogun State, popularly known as Winners Chapel, who attributes all to the grace of God, says the journey has just started, as he turns 60 today. The Bishop fielded questions from reporters penultimate Friday. SEUN AKIOYE was there.
Dr. David Oyedepo, presiding Bishop and President of Living Faith Church Worldwide, aka Winners Chapel,Ota, Ogun State, walked into the auditorium of the African Leadership Development Center inside the expansive compound of Covenant University at about quarter after noon. He was dressed in a deep blue suit, a white shirt, red tie and black shoes. Following closely was his wife of 32 years, Pastor Faith Oyedepo. His entry had been noiseless and was hardly noticed above the din of loud chatters from journalists and other officials of the university who had been idling away.
His assistants sprang into action, passing papers around and jostling with the microphone. Oyedepo found himself a seat at the middle of the high table, his wife sitting to his left. For the woman thousands of church members call Mama, she looked quite humble and had a look about her that indicated that she knew the meeting was not about her but her man whom millions of church members also called Papa and who is generally known outside his church as “Bishop.”
The Bishop looked around him and felt something was amiss. He motioned to one of the officials and asked that the Vice-Chancellor of Covenant University, Prof. Charles Korede, be asked to join him at the high table. When he arrived, he sat to the right of the Bishop.
It was the press conference to herald the anniversary of the 60th birthday of the Bishop. As expected, he was inundated with requests for interviews so he decided to hold a press conference. “I don’t want to be doing interviews every time, so we thought it is better to do it this way,” he said.
Strict instructions were passed round that all mobile phones be switched off. “ We don’t want any distractions,” Korede said. Still a phone rang. The Bishop ignored it and began to tell the journalists, the reason for the gathering. “We are here acknowledging and appreciating God for the gift of life; the adventure of life is a privilege, let’s return the glory to God. Life expectancy in this nation is 45 years and when you get to 60, you should recognise this is God not man.”
The gathering agreed with him with many confirming with a shake of their heads.
In the beginning
Oyedepo’s life seemed to have been written in the stars by the hand of God Himself. Contrary to many reports, he said he was born into a Christian family. “I was born into the church and raised by my grandmother who was a devout Christian. In fact, my first school was the Anglican primary school, I can say that I even started school in the church, he said.
Though brought up under a strict Christian ethics, it is not clear if he wanted to be a preacher from the beginning but by one of those divine ironies, he began his ministry in the rural and rustic town of Ilorin, Kwara State, in 1981 at the age of 27 years.
Since that time, the Bishop has garnered an impressive profile which has seen him become a preacher of international repute. Some others would call him a businessman because of the model he adopted in the structure and running of his ministry.
At the age of 31, he had published his first two books, which have since grown to over 90 titles, selling close to 10 million copies globally, the Bible school the ministry founded a year after Word of Faith Bible Institute (WOFBI)- has trained over 700,000 pastors other Christians across 60 nations.
The Bishop was not done yet; at 33, he began the church planting mission in Nigeria, and some 27 years after, the project has planted over 5,000 branches of the church. When the Lagos church was planted, it grew within 10 years to about 200,000 worshippers.
The church auditorium in Ota, Ogun State, which is popularly called Faith Tabanacle, has been adjudged by the Guinness Books of Records as the largest single church auditorium in the world. Oyedepo seemed to be particularly touched by that singular testimony. “I just simply can’t stop marvelling at a number of things,” Oyedepo began. There was a tinge of excitement in his voice. “ One day, we woke up to see the sanctuary listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest church auditorium; what they called the largest church auditorium was built in one year and debt free, unbelievable!.”
The auditorium was not the only “unbelievable” thing that really stretches Oyedepo’s gratitude. In 2002, his ministry founded the Covenant University, which has continued to rank as the best private university and the second best university in Nigeria.
“It’s all about the celebration of the Grace of God. You are sitting down in Covenant University today, it was all done in seven months, between March and October 2002 and it is rated to be the best maintained campus, all at the cost of Grace and interestingly, we do not owe a dime to any bank. No one in our church is under any form of pressure to contribute; we are just having fun serving the Lord. What we are saying is, it is possible in our country and continent; there has been no power outage here since 1999 and this is part of Nigeria. It can be done and to God be all the glory,” he said.
Richest pastor in the world? I feel good about it
In global Christian circles, the Bishop is known as a man of quantum faith. He has written many books on the subject and taught thousands of enthusiastic pastors about how faith can move the hand of God. He has also found a scriptural justification in his absolute belief in God in 1 John: 5:4, which has become his favourite Bible passage: “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world; and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.”
It was this faith that led him to become one of the greatest teachers of the prosperity gospel. Pioneered by the late Archbishop Benson Idahosa-whom Oyedepo met for the first time in 1986- the prosperity gospel is premised on the truth that God is the owner of all material wealth. “ All the beast of the forests are mine and the cattle upon a thousand hills,” Psalm 50:10.
The prosperity gospel dispelled all the formerly held notions that to be pious means to be poor and lowly. Oyedepo took this doctrine seriously and preached it globally, winning many pastors to his side, including some of the most prominent ones like Sam Adeyemi of Daystar Christian Center and his brother Victor, of Global Harvest Church and lifting millions of Africans out of the poverty mindset.
Oyedepo has a lot to show for his faith in God’s provisions, private jets; over 10 million books sold globally, international outreach that spans 63 countries of the world. In 2008, Faith Tabernacle was voted as the largest single auditorium that sits 50,000 worshippers where he holds four full services every Sunday. The ministry has two multi-billion naira universities rated as the first and second best private universities in Nigeria and he is Africa’s richest pastor, according to Forbes report.
Someone asked Bishop Oyedepo to situate all these within the context of the impression being created in some quarters that “righteousness and wealth appear not to be the best of friends and considering that he was named the richest pastor in Africa.” A pin drop silence enveloped the room, almost. The journalists shuffled in their seats while the officials fidgeted. One assistant appeared to look pained it was obvious the talk about how rich the Bishop is, though not totally unexpected, was going to be a painful subject.
All eyes turned to the Bishop. It seemed the “ambush” had worked. Oyedepo lowered his gaze and when he spoke, he took everyone by surprise. “God owns the silver and the gold and He is the most Holy God. If wealth and righteousness are not the best of friends, there is no way God will be the wealthiest of all. If God is truly a Father. He will not wish His children to be poor. You have four children and will you say two should be rich and one will be a beggar? I believe wealth and righteousness are the best of friends,” Oyedepo said.
He was not done. “ The wealth of every parent is reflective on their children. Abraham, the friend of God, was the wealthiest in his time. Job was a friend of God and he was wealthy; so it is not an issue.” Then, he turned to Korede (CU’s V-C), held his shoulder and said: “If you get a first class in school, how would you feel? You will feel good; you are not the greatest thief but the wealthiest pastor. So, I feel good about it. It is good to be a giver than a beggar.” The relief was followed by a prolong applause from grateful members.
Quest for leadership
One thing that is close to the heart of Oyedepo is the dearth of leadership in Africa and it shows in the way he had used every opportunity to force a change in that direction. For many years, he has targeted his teachings towards raising a new crop of leaders in Nigeria. “We need to solve the leadership problem in Nigeria where people who know next to nothing about leadership are now in leadership positions; so they mess it up, but if they are equipped, it becomes easy,” Oyedepo believed.
This is one of the reasons for the founding of Covenant University, “to restore the dignity of the black man.” He has also found a model that talks to the vision he intended to achieve with the university. “We have found a model that works,” he announced. “We target the character of the student; we are going back to the old university tradition. You have been found worthy in learning and character; it is not worth a dime today.”
Oyedepo knew what he wanted with Covenant University and set out early to achieve it. “ The packaging that our students go through here prepares them for excellence. We also package them for life after school through our developmental training. Here, Diploma in Leadership Development is a compulsory course. They get a diploma with whatever course they have studied.”
To achieve the set standards, many have accused the Bishop of high handedness and treating the students like secondary school kids. Over the years, most of his policies regarding character shaping and development were seen as draconian and unrealistic but he refused to back down.
“Our products have been a model for others; I receive letters from people congratulating me on raising a new set of Nigerians because of the packaging our students went through while at Covenant. Our students are in every Ivey League university all over the world. Here, if you engage in exam malpractices, you will be dismissed.”
The ministry also had the Landmark University in Omu-Aran, Kwara State; that was three years ago. The University is currently ranked second best private university in Nigeria, second only to Covenant. Oyedepo said the two universities are the same differentiated only by location. But perish the thought if you think the Bishop is about to slow down on discipline in his schools. Hear him: “All these institutions are prophetic agenda delivering quality graduates and this is the minimum we can go.”
The institutions are the better for it. Covenant University has become one of the most decorated institutions in Nigeria in such a short span. Since 2005, when it first won the National Universities Commission (NUC) overall best in a nationwide accreditation programme, it has gone on to win more than 20 national and international awards on academics, infrastructure and developmental awards, including being listed in the first 100 universities in Africa. Landmark is not far behind, in just three years, it has climbed to Number Eight in the 2014 Webometrics ranking for Nigerian universities.
But this is not to say that the schools have not been without controversy. For instance, Covenant University is said to be one of the most expensive institutions in Nigeria. “Why is your school so expensive that many members of your church cannot even afford to send their children there?” someone asked. The fellow received an approving smile and grunts from other journalists and waited to see how the Bishop would extricate himself from this second “ambush.”
The Bishop smiled. He recognises a ‘trap’ when he sees one and surprisingly he loved it. “Nothing of value is free,” he said, adding that though the fees may seem to be high, the ‘packaging’ justifies it. Moreover, the ministry has been a bursary awarding mission spending a whopping N174million on scholarship last year alone. Landmark University also spent millions in scholarship.
The Bishop believes the product justifies the cost.” There is uniqueness about our products because of the packaging they went through; they have not only gone through school but training.” But he noted that the problem is priority. “ An average Nigerian can spend N1million on a burial and when you put together all the unfactored fees being paid in other universities and the challenges students face before graduation, the cost is more than what we charge here.
“ There are private secondary schools in Lagos that pay more; how much do Nigerians pay to go to school in Ghana and England? You are paying something here under proper packaging. We are doing a good job; the proprietors have not benefitted one naira in Covenant since inception.”
The Bishop was not done yet. CU’s vice-chancellor had been pragmatic; he searched for some information on his IPAD and moved it in front of the Bishop, who read: “Nigerians spent N1.5trillion on overseas education, N463 billion a month on recharge cards! So, it is a matter of priority. There is no apartheid in knowledge, if you can find it anywhere, go for it.”
That, however, did not deter the ministry from formulating Vision 2031, which was flagged off in November 2006. This includes the construction of four universities in Nigeria and three in Africa. There is also a plan for the building of 240 primary and secondary schools in Nigeria.
No attack, no defence
If there is an award for the most criticised clergy in Nigeria, Oyedepo would likely clinch it. From the private jets-the first of which the ministry acquired when the Bishop was 45 years- to his ever expanding ministry and his prosperity teachings, he has come under intense attacks from every corner. But the Bishop has an interesting disposition towards those who misunderstand him. “My understanding of opposition and persecution is someone’s opinion harshly expressed and people have a right to their opinion.”
He has since adopted an attitude of “No attack, no defence.” This has made him grow a thick skin against his critics. “I naturally don’t feel it is necessary to react to all the talks about me. We have 18,500 employees and I can’t waste energy on everyone who says you are a fool. Your running around won’t change what he said, it would only confirm it,” he said.
The Bishop also found another way to situate his many criticisms. “In a football match, you see 22 players on the field, there are two linesmen and one referee on the same pitch. Then, there are the spectators, some 80,000 of them cheering. But only the 22 men would play and receive the reward; the others were there to watch them play. In life, I choose to be a player and not a spectator. There are quite a number of things on social media which are not true like saying I was born into a Muslim family, but I chose to disregard social media, I’m a player not a spectator.
“If someone is not speaking well of you that should not be a distraction, every strong position attracts opposition. If you have an exam tomorrow and somebody insulted you, will that stop you from studying to pass your exam? I naturally won’t react to opposition, I won’t dissipate energy on it,” he said.
It was apparent; Oyedepo is a man who had chosen to focus on the positives in life. A man, who could not “remember his challenges” even though “we all have challenges.” He said: “Life is an adventure, it is normal to be challenged but unscriptural to be defeated and challenges are the stepping stones for the making of a champion, but we don’t focus on challenges, we overcome them through the grace of God.”
Prayer for the prosperity of Nigeria
One may have wondered why the Bishop did not join the bandwagon of those who relish in the criticism of the government and Nigeria. He is on a mission to change the negative disposition of Nigerians towards their own country.
“Help us to be positive about the nation; there is no nation without challenges. Nigeria is the only country where our challenges are on the front page. Americans say they love America but they kill people every day in America, why is it not on the front page?” he asked and raised his hands towards the journalists in a plea.“You are doing a good job but you can make it better. You have to promote the prosperity of Nigeria,” he challenged the journalists.
Then he began to prophesy for Nigeria and went on for a minute and half, with the audience screaming ‘amen’! Though the Bishop frowns on corruption, he believes that so long Nigerians say nothing is changing in the country, the situation will keep deteriorating.
“People say ‘it is fight to the finish, this is war’, because they have the means to leave the country when there is problem but they forget others who have nowhere to go. We must change that attitude, we don’t have another nation.” Then he began to pray again. “We will not become refugees in another nation; there will be peace in Nigeria, no matter who is in power and who will be in power.” Thunderous amen!
Oyedepo reasoned this is why Christians should be in politics. “We are not the light and salt of the church but of the world and we are supposed to impact the world positively. Believers have scriptural rights to be involved in how their Local Government and country is being run. Joseph was in politics so was Daniel. So we need to get involved.”
Oyedepo’s wife, Faith, looked on, her face devoid of expression, making it difficult to read her mind. Nobody asked her any question and she did not volunteer to make her voice heard. She has spent 32 years beside her husband. They met when she was 22 and courted for six years before getting married. And those years? Oyedepo said: “They were heaven on earth and her advice has been numerous and profitable.”
At the end, Oyedepo prayed for the journalists, many of whom raised their hands towards heaven to receive a blessing from the one they call Papa. Then, he went round shaking hands with the journalists and spreading goodwill. Mama stayed behind. This time, she had a smile and a warm handshake for anyone who came her way. Suddenly, it dawned on many that this is perhaps the silent oil propelling the wheel and she chose to play this role silently, almost in the shadows.
