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By Enyeribe Ejiogu ([email protected])
At 73, General Overseer and Presiding Bishop of Calvary Kingdom Church International, Archbishop Joseph Imariabe Ojo, looks more like 63, agile and sprightly, with no wrinkles on his face. The grip, when he shakes your hand, is very firm. Archbishop Ojo proudly belongs to the ‘SU’ generation of born-again Christians whose lifestyle marked a clear distinction between them and the Orthodox churches of the 70s to the early 80s. And his very forthright in his views, never balking at speaking truth to power like his late mentor, Archbishop Benson Idahosa. In the run-up to the 20th anniversary of his ministry, he sat down for a chat.
The ministry is now 20 years. Looking back, how do you feel?
I feel great. Honestly, I am in high spirits. I feel fulfilled. It is only God that knows the end from the beginning. As humans, when we are commencing something you can’t just tell how it is going to be and how far you will go; only God knows the end from the beginning. I would say that a lot has been achieved. Considering the financial state in which we took off, nobody would have thought that it would be this big and successful. We are grateful to God for what He has done in these two decades.
I know that you were a protégé of Archbishop Benson Idahosa and you were with him in Benin at the headquarters of Church of God Mission (CGM) International. When it came time to set up this ministry, you came to Lagos. Why Lagos?
The true picture of it is this: in November 1988, I was sent to head the western province of CGM with headquarters in Lagos. The province covered Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Oyo, Osun and Ekiti states. So, I came to Lagos in December 1988 as the provincial presbyter. In 1993, about 29 years ago, I was consecrated as the bishop of the province. I functioned in that capacity for about 12 years before the commencement of this ministry. In other words, I didn’t come straight from Benin to begin this ministry. I have said this often and I want to repeat it for the umpteenth time: I did not want to leave CGM, till today. Circumstances beyond my control forced me out of CGM. I am still part and parcel of CGM. I make bold to say that Idahosa impacted on me deeply. In terms of ministry of the gospel, I am one of the closest associates or children of Idahosa that is still living. I can confidently say that I worked with him closely more than any other person. So, I had no thought of beginning a ministry, none at all. For four years after his death I remained in CGM. If the Lord had not led me to begin, it would have been a suicidal venture for me to return to Benin, to start a Christian ministry having been away from the city for almost 13 years, from December 1988 to 2002. Having been in Lagos for that length of time, I was better known in Lagos than in Benin. That was exactly why the ministry started in Lagos. It has been great and the ministry has grown to what it is today, and I have produced sons and daughters in the ministry.
Now looking at the Pentecostal movement in Nigeria today, are there things you feel bad about? People say that the Pentecostal churches in Nigeria have been more of “prosperity messages” than evangelism. How do you feel about this assertion?
I will not totally condemn those who share that view. Most of the things happening in the Pentecostal churches in terms on prosperity is just for a time. It will definitely fade because everything has its time. The prosperity messages that pentecostals embrace, they didn’t quite manage it well. And that is why we are where we are today. It came to many of them without them preparing for it. The pioneer preacher of prosperity was Archbishop Idahosa, but he never messed it up like these people are doing. One example I was to give is this: he went on crusade to Australia and was given a private jet. He rejected it; he said he could not possibly accept such gift and bring it back to Nigeria, where people were wallowing in poverty. He said Pentecostal people would not understand, so he rejected it. But today, some Pentecostal leaders are buying one, two and three private jets. I don’t know where they get the money. Buying private jet is misplaced priority. That is just my personal view, I am not condemning them, I have no right to judge them. I remember that Idahosa was the first preacher that bought a big organ and other musical instruments for praise and worship. Some Christian leaders of the time condemned us and derisively called us “disco church” but today, all of them, including the Anglican, Methodist, Catholic churches now play music and dance more than us during service. I was there in 1975, when Idahosa started the Redemption Hour on NTA Benin (where we carried benches into the studio to look like church service). Some who are General Overseers today called us devil’s church and described the television as devil’s box. Today, it is only that they are on air, but they have TV stations and broadcast to a global audience through satellite. Back then, Idahosa said we should ignore them because they could not see far, that when they realise their mistake, their eyes would be opened. The same thing applies to this issue of prosperity. When they saw that prosperity is of God, they embraced it but over did it. Today, they milk members and do all sorts of things to get money. But my joy is that the scripture is very clear and cannot be broken: “we brought nothing to this world and we are not taking anything away.” The bible wants us to be contented. I cannot condemn those that want to buy jets and the like, but I believe that preachers should learn from the life of Apostle Paul, who was averse to materialistic acquisitions. They should tidy up things for the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, for the sake of the gospel and the Kingdom.
If you look at what is happening in our nation today, with regard to the killings and the attacks against Christians, there are people who feel that if what had been spent on materialistic acquisitions had been invested in evangelism and other things that really touch the lives of ordinary people, God would have been more merciful towards the church in Nigeria. What is your take on this?
I believe that people who have that mindset may not be wrong; if we had invested early enough in reaching the people in some of those places, who are criminals today and doing all kinds of things, I am sure the level would not have reached the present magnitude, if many of them had been saved. If some of the key leaders of the criminal elements had received Christ or embraced the gospel, definitely we would not be where we are now. Becuase we did not continue the kind of citywide crusades that Idahosa and the late German evangelist, Reinhard Bonnke used to do, Satan found those people to be ready tools to attack the church. I strongly believe that if we had invested in reaching those people, the magnitude would not have been like what we are facing now.
As a key Christian leader, how do you feel about what is happening in our political sphere today?
(Takes a deep breath) Just before you came, I had told another newspaper that the politics of this country is very unique, Very different from the politics of other nations, including those in Africa. The politics of Nigeria is very different from that Ghana, our neighbour in West Africa. Politics in Nigeria is very unpredictable, because there are some people, whether in power or in the corridors of power, who have given themselves to Satan. Once someone has given himself to Satan, the person can do anything. Let me tell you this from the scripture. The bible says, “And Satan entered Judas,” which means that before Satan entered Judas, he was good. He was one of the 12 disciples of Christ until Satan took control of his mind. So, Satan has entered some of our politicians and there is nothing you can do. They will fulfil what the devil has planted in their mind to do. Many of the politicians have eaten from the pot of the devil and sold their souls to Satan and there is nothing you can do. Only God can save us in this country, only God can stop them. I am not afraid.
Are you saying that there is hope for reversal of what is happening in our nation?
I believe that God is able to do all things. God can overturn the evil design of these people. God can turn the most hardened heart into a saint.
Now that the ministry is 20 years, what are you looking forward to in the next 20 years?
With God keeping me alive for the next 20 years, I want to be a coach and be busy coaching people on gospel ministry. I have been 50 years in leadership positions at different levels since 1972, when I was appointed as national president of the ushers in CGM. In 1976, I was ordained a deacon and in 1979 I was called to call to full-time pastoral ministry. By God’s grace in the next 20 years I believe I’ll be available and just sit in the coaching corner and be directing people. I just want to motivate younger people to continue the work of the gospel and expand the kingdom of Christ on earth. I want to be a successful person who is behind those who are succeeding in the field. I am looking forward to finishing strong after all these years. By then God would have given me a resounding testimony.
