Prophet Israel Oladele is the Shepherd- In- Charge of the Celestial Church of Christ Genesis Global. He is also an honorary distinguished member of the Centre for Democratic Governance in Africa. In this interview with GBENGA ADERANTI, he opens up on his life, battles, relationships with the National Chairman of the National Road Transport Workers Union (NURTW), Musiliu Akinsanya a.k.a. MC Oluomo, iconic Fuji artistes Wasiu Ayinde and Alabi Wasiu (Pasuma), the Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland Otunba Gani Adams and Pastor Matthew Asihmolowo. Excerpts:
At what point did you decide to answer God’s call?
That happened about two decades ago. Before then, I was squatting in a Celestial Church, Paradise Parish. I was born into Islam, and I grew up in the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC), off Brown Street, Oshodi, Lagos. That was where my parents gave their lives to Christ. Since then, I have been known as a church boy. I played instruments in the church. Until then, we had never played instruments in my family. But, you know, it was the gift of God.
Why is it that many people tend to have negative perception of white garment churches?
What brought me to the Celestial Church is what really affects this country and the whole world, which is religion. God is not a God of any religion. Christianity is not a religion but a way of life. Islam is not a religion; it is a way of life. Before I came into Celestial Church, the perception we had about the church was that Celestial Church was a barbaric church; that they were into rituals. But all these are lies, big lies. I believe that it was what those who brought Pentecostalism were using to preach their own gospel, relegating what has been given to other people.
God raised Orimolade, S.B. Oshoffa, Apostle Ayodele Babalola, just as God raised Elijah, Elisha, Paul, and Peter. But the thing that made people look at white garment churches in a negative way actually connects to the white garment. When anybody wears a white garment, and they see him carrying a calabash, they say he is a Cele person. If anybody wears a white garment and he is carrying a chicken, they say he is a Cele person or a Cherubim person.
You have to appreciate the fact that though those people were not educated, they were spiritually endowed. You can never undermine the place of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit does not belong to any church.
It is very unusual to see someone from a CAC background becoming a Celestial prophet. How did your parents react to this audacious ‘switch’?
The thing that led me to Celestial Church was love. You know in other churches you have to change clothes every Sunday, but I was born without a silver spoon in my mouth. My parents were so poor that my mother wore the same clothes for four years.
When we moved from Christ Apostolic Church, we moved to Alagbado and started attending a church in front of my father’s house, where he built a six-room bungalow. We had to change clothes every Sunday. It got to a point where my father said we had to stop going to the place, because he had no clothes to change. There, anytime you wanted to give an offering, you would dance around the offering basket before dropping the offering, but my mum had no money to drop. My mum would just dance around the offering basket with empty hands.
Meanwhile, we were living on my father’s small farm. He planted cassava in all the abandoned buildings in the area. After harvest, we would take them to the market and sell them.
Things changed when one of the church members mocked my mum. She said in pidgin that my mum was always the first person to get to church, and the last person to leave the church, yet she was the poorest. It was the truth.
Anybody reading this might have experienced this before. I remember that I wore one pair of jeans trousers for four or five years. I was a major labourer. Where we are now, I served some of the landlords. My mum did not understand what the person said because she didn’t understand English. But I heard and I felt bad.
In that church, they had deacons and deaconesses. They would have to pledge and pay a levy, but we had no money to give. Anytime our pastor was preaching, he would be condemning those who were not giving in his sermons. This pained my dad a lot. If he had the money, he would have paid. If my mum had the money, she would have been supporting. My father happened to be a very voracious reader when it comes to the Bible. He had nothing to do but plant and read the Bible.
Anytime the pastor was preaching, he would just divert to giving, that the more you gave, the more beautiful your house in heaven would be. The more you gave, that was the more money they would use to build your house in heaven. My father would say, no, that is a lie, that is not what the Bible says, and he stopped going to church.
After my mum was insulted, I walked down the street and I saw some people gathered, wearing white, gisting. I was inquisitive. I felt this is what they call Cele. I thought inside me that these were the people called ritualists. I wanted to know if they were really ritualists. I sat with them, they embraced me. They cooked and we ate. Mind you, it wasn’t because of the food, it was because of the love.
I’m a man who wants everybody around me to be happy. It has been my nature. That was how my mother trained us. Remember that we were Muslims. I felt unlike the former one that would condemn you. I said this man (Cele pastor) did not drive me away; he did not rebuke me for not wearing the sutana (celestial white garment). He now asked if I would like to join the service on the second day, I said no problem, and they gave me a sutana without paying. Even when I was going, they gave me N10.00 as thank you for worshipping with us. I just decided that instead of going to a church where we would be changing clothes, let me go to a place where I did not have to change clothes. Everybody wears white, nobody knows who is rich. That was how I joined the Celestial church.
Meanwhile, the mockery of my parents continued in my former church at Alagbado. The war started when they discovered that I had joined Cele. Any sermon like this, they would be preaching about a prodigal son, condemning me. It was worse because I was the first born while my mother was a deaconess and my father was a deacon. It was like how can you have a child that you cannot control, and also attend a church where they don’t know God.
That was how I stopped going home and started sleeping in the church.
While staying in the church, I started fasting, you know, fasting was part of my life. In my family, we were fasting, even if you had a headache, we would fast or drink water. But joining Cele made me realise that some of the things they were talking about were not true. Of course, some people would wear that garment and perpetrate evil, which will make people conclude that the Celestial man did it.
While living in that church, God later gave me the spirit of prophecy. He started using me for the church and to the glory of God, from one place to the other, from one plot of land, God has brought us this far.
You are considered a controversial person in certain quarters. You had an encounter with one of your members, which later led to your incarceration. There are many versions of that story. What actually happened?
I don’t want to go back into it again, because I have talked and talked about it. You know why? Because if I go back to it again, the news will be watered by the time the movie comes out.
And some artistes will pick the better part of it, and act before my movie comes out.
What was supposed to dry me multiplied me. That is how to confirm God. What was supposed to erase me raised me. Romans 8:28 says ‘Everything worketh together for good for those that love God and are called according to his purpose.’
How can you be trusted when you have not been tested by God? Let any man of God come out in the world, in Nigeria, who has gone through that and survived it. Apostle Babalola was the first person to go to prison, and he spent six months there. He didn’t steal, he didn’t kill. How can you call yourself a soldier who wants to get a promotion without facing trials? If you are not ready to face the music of life, you can never become the choir master. It was a good one. I’m very happy that many things came out of it.
The accuser was a weapon for my advancement. The situation was to refine me. That was a refiner fire. Why would I blame anyone? I didn’t die in it, the church multiplied. How can you be in confinement and the church is growing? Even there, God used me to deliver many people; about 30 of them or more.
The day they took me to court in 2009, I was kidnapped. I will advise people now that if police come for their arrest, tell them to go to the nearest police station first and report the case before they go. I would have been killed then. I was studying, wearing ordinary boxers, and that was how they took me to court. You think I’m not pained, I am pained. I can forgive, I will never forget. As we were going, they said call anybody you want to call because you are not going to Panti, you are going to court. Who does that? Everything had been arranged.
One of the things that came out of it was a law firm that showed interest in the case…
There were lots of good lawyers that I never met before who showed interest in the case. How will you know that God is with you when a trial comes, and God starts raising people for you who did not even know you at all? One of the leading preachers, whom I never met before, surprisingly came into the matter. Many people are behind the scenes. People started bringing money; I said it was not money. The land they said I didn’t buy, it is still there now. I can’t take you to the place. I won’t build it. Till tomorrow, it is still there.
The accuser was a weapon for advancement. The situation was to refine me; that was a refiner’s fire. Why would I blame anyone? Instead of that, the church multiplied. How can you be in confinement, and the church is growing? In there, God used me to deliver so many people, about 30 of them. There was a person whose leg was about to be amputated. I facilitated his treatment, and he is walking now. Will that one forget me in life? Will he not see it that my problem was his own solution?
I understand that you have a foundation called Israel Oladele Foundation. To what extent has it achieved its objectives?
Nobody is bankrolling me. If I make a little money now, I will think about it. Because of what I had been through, I was a bus conductor for many years. I slept in the market for many years. I hawked bread for many years. I hawked oranges for many years. I don’t force people to pay tithe. Those that are paying tithe, I preach the gospel. I don’t force it. The little tithes coming, we use it to pay widows in the church. The ones that collects the least collects N25,000. My mother is a widow, and she is not part of it.
I have people that I’m praying for, I have people that I’m not praying for that love me and have become my friend. People like Seyi Vodi, creative people, people who appreciate humanity and ingenuity. Alhaji Wasiu Ayinde, if he wanted to charge he would have charged N20 million. He said he wanted to come to our church, and he performed at the altar. All the songs that he sang were Christian songs. I can send you the video.
I was the one who gave the Aare Ona Kakanfo prophecy some years back, but I didn’t know the meaning of Aare Ona Kakanfo. I was just with him, and I said ‘I’m seeing a seat for you sir in Yorubaland. That seat is a seat you think you can never get to, and will make you the greatest among the Yoruba people. Three years after, he called me on the phone and said his name had been shortlisted among the people to be considered for the post of Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland. I told him he would come tops. He said if I became the Aare Ona Kakanfo, no matter his position, he would come to our church. I would roll on the floor to glorify God.
This was someone people described as fetish. Come to your church and roll on the floor; does that not mean the person knows God?
He said he wanted to support the church. I said I don’t need your money, sir. He said no, he must do it. I said he could use the money to buy sutana. 80 percent of our members are from Pentecostal right now, because we preach, we do marriage seminars, we do conferences. I preach precept upon precept. This month we are teaching on new dimensions.
Celestial church is regarded as a church where you have the highest number of beautiful women. How have you been managing?
You are very correct because do you know what white colour does? No matter how ugly you are, if you wear white, the purity of that colour brings out your beauty.
Are you not distracted by these beautiful women?
How can I be distracted?
Do you sometimes face temptations?
Temptations will come, but discipline will overrule them. When you came, you saw me with my wife here. Apart from that, what is my size? What is my height? How can I marry two wives or three wives? It is not that I’m perfect. I’m not Jesus. But discipline has enabled me to overcome temptations. My mum is still a CAC member. Till today, she doesn’t use earrings, but all my sisters are with me.
You were accused by an actress…
There was a lady that lied against me. She is an actress. I have never seen her in my life.
She said I did something to her. Police arrested her and took her case to the Federal High Court.
She said she told me and said that there was a house she wanted to sell, and that the person who would help her sell it would have to sleep with her first. She would pay 10 million naira, and after that, they would help her sell the house.
You have many books on your shelf. How voracious are you when it comes to reading?
I don’t go out; my books are my friends. Those books were written by many people. Imagine how many friends I would have had if they were human beings. Friends will betray me, but my books will not betray me. This is half of what I have. These are my investments. If I travel, I use half of what I have to buy books. If I tell people that I didn’t attend any university, they won’t believe me. I went to the University of Adversity, Faculty of Problems, and Department of Troubles. Instead of me complaining and blaming my parents, I took to studying.
Who are the people you look up to in Christianity?
My coach is Bishop T.D Jakes. I go to his church for seminars and conferences. I buy tickets from here.My spiritual father, who taught me how to pray very well, is Pastor Wole Oladiyun of CLAM. My spiritual father is Pastor Matthew Ashimolowo. That is why I’m following his path in real estate; the only man who has taken me to his room with my wife. He is a genuine man of God.
What is your goal in life?
My goal is to have many schools, not many churches. I’m not praying to be the head of the Celestial Church. I’m not praying to be the head of any church. I’m only playing my part. I don’t want to have many branches. I want to have many free schools instead of churches.
Some people would ask me how we are going to finance the school. I would ask them how are we financing the church? It is the same money they contribute in church we will use to pay teachers. When people are well educated, they will be revelated; when they are revelated, they will be educated. Instead of me having 30 branches, let me have 30 schools. Whoever wants to partner with me should come with transparency. It will be well audited.
I understand that you have a football academy or is it a club?
Yes, we have a football Club. We use this to support people. They went to Manchester, where they won a competition. I didn’t take a dime from anybody, or visa racketeering. I have since returned their passports to them.
The good thing about this is that some of them are with different clubs over there. I didn’t collect a dime from them. That is my concept about church: to support, assist and impact lives.
Do you belong to any of the associations of Christian bodies?
I’m a Celestian. We are under the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN). We have a pastor, our head Pastor Emmanuel S.B. Oshoffa is the person I report to. I’m just a servant leader. My level is even the smallest. My own goal is to think about how we are going to have our farm, celestial farm, celestial estate, instead of collecting money from our members, not planning for them on how to build houses.
How receptive are the conservative Cele leaders to the reforms you are introducing?
I wasn’t born into the Celestial Church; So many celestial people fought me. Some of them have never been here before. I’m in mufti while you are interviewing me. Sme of them will have to wear their sutana before they talk to you, but that is not me. I read the Bible. I study. When they started waging war, I was doing my own thing.
In the Celestial Church, they said they don’t use red, so I fought them. Look at this wristwatch, Richard Mille. A footballer bought it, and dashed me. I know how much it cost. You now preach that I’m wearing red, I fight them. What is the colour of the blood? Red. What is the colour of the blood of Jesus? Red. They say Celestians don’t use black things. What is the colour of our speaker? Black.
There are things I will preach that won’t augur well with them. Like in our church here, we don’t spray money during our harvest while others spray money. We don’t do this because we don’t want anybody to feel less. We don’t have special chairs for any special person.
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During our harvest, the National President of the NURTW Musiliu Akinsanya a.k.a. MC Oluomo came. Many prominent people came. If you start calling them one by one, and they start spraying money, how will the people who do not have money feel? Whom do we impress?
There are so many things we don’t do. They will say ah, Genesis is not Cele o, he is not part of us. But when they see me they can’t ignore me; they embrace me. You won’t ignore the truth. You won’t ignore the word. You won’t ignore the proof. Only a fool will doubt the proof. I have had a series of problems with some Cele leaders.
I’m currently building a church in Isheri. If you don’t want to wear sutana, you can go there and worship.
Will this not get you into bigger trouble?
Another name for success is controversy. Tell me the name of the church of Jesus Christ. He said upon this mountain I will build my church, and the gate of hell shall not prevail over. What are we preaching? The gospel, not church.
You have been associated with a lot of celebrities. Many people would say you are a man of God, you should keep away from worldly things…
I told you that Jesus is my mentor. Jesus was also asked these questions. When they asked Jesus why are you eating with sinners? He said he did not come for those who were clean, who were not sinners; he said he came for those who were sinners. Why did he go to Zacchaeus’ house? Was Zacchaeus a born-again Christian? Peter was a tax collector. So, that has answered it.
They are very close to me because they have seen the result, to the glory of God, according to the way God has called me.
MC came from Oshodi; I’m from Oshodi, too. Alhaji Wasiu Ayinde came by himself to come and praise God in our church. Was that not a plus? 70 per cent of Wasiu Ayinde’s boys are Celestial boys. They are Christians; they are the ones playing music. I was one of the instrumentalists. I have never played for him before, but I was playing music for some of the artistes. They can’t remember me again.
You were invited to preach in an Islamic programme. What was the experience like?
Of course, the Imams were there, and when I finished talking, I was motivated. I didn’t quote many bible verses. I spoke about character, I spoke about goodwill, I spoke about thinking outside the box, I spoke about mentality for multiplication. As I was praying, I said so, so things will happen in Jesus’ name, and they all said amen, in Jesus’ name.
When I was done, I said shout Allah Akbar 21 times, and they were shouting Allah Akbar, Allah Akbar; over two thousand people, and they started falling under the anointing. Wisdom is a principal thing, get it and get understanding. And I was wearing my sutana. That is God for you. God does not have a colour.
So when they were falling under the anointing, the Imam had no choice but to say, ‘Genesis, if one is not careful, you can make someone become a Christian.’ I said I was not preaching religion. What is the meaning of Allah Akbar? God is good.
