Follow Us on Google
By Lawrence Enyoghasu
In the beginning, it was a fight to abolish the All Fool’s Day celebration on April 1 by, Banjo Omole, a deacon in Redeemed Christian Church of God. But he was given another task instead to propagate World Praise Day which is held on May 7 every year.
Omole, who is also the current Chairman of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Ifako Ijaye Local Government Area, became the convener of World Praise Day from his dormitory room in the Nigerian Institute Journalism, Lagos State in 2014. His prayer to God to abolish April Fools didn’t come to pass but he got something different.
“I have been on the issue of April Fool’s Day since when I was small. I had always asked God to give me the power to abolish it. Our elders would prank us with it and it was known worldwide. For more than 30 years, I have been begging God to give me something to abolish April fool and yet be impactful to Nigeria and the world.
“One day, I was studying a book, Open Heavens. I heard a voice questioning why I wanted to go into the controversy of changing April Fool’s Day. The voice instructed me that I should tell the world that God wants the world to praise him every May 7 of the year. That same year, May 1, 2023, I went to Onikan Stadium, Lagos State and on May 7, we praised God,” he stated.
Omole is not only a clergyman; he is also a party man who believes in a practical approach to solving problems. He joined politics after seeing that the electorate is easily influenced and he has helped in the political process of Ifako Ijaye LGA. Omole believes that World Praise Day would help transform the political mindset of the leaders in the country and world only if the country and world would give it a try.
“When the vision came, I was not a party member. I became a party member in 2018 to help the people. World Praise Day would benefit Nigeria a lot. There is always a purpose for everything. Have you asked why is it a black man, a Nigerian, and why me? But God is no respecter of persons. It is a worldwide matter. Nigeria will be a great beneficiary if only they help God achieve this purpose. God has a plan to transform Nigeria only if we use 24 hours to praise him. Nigeria would be of high benefit because the vision is from a Nigerian. I have appealed to the United Nations through media houses. We have only 145 days for the international celebration. I told them the vision. I know God has a purpose. Even before the advent of Coronavirus I had been telling people to praise God to avoid pandemics. It was a year after that we had a pandemic. We plan to get CAN, churches, and individuals. We are creating a website,” he stated.
Omole concluded that Nigerians should not leave everything to faith but do their bit in the 2023 election
“While we pray we also need to take practical steps like getting a voter’s card and becoming stakeholders in politics. It is good to pray but the truth is the spiritual works with the physical. The spiritual is the head but needs a body, physical. If people can praise God very well, he can drastically influence the 2023 election,” he stated.
Omole asked Nigerians to not bring religion into the 2023 presidential election but to seek after a good person: someone who is capable of leading the country. “God is not looking at the religion of the person who is in power or who he has ordained to be in power. The issue is that we should be after maintaining peace and choose the best head for the position. What matters most now is that we Christians need to be in politics. We are part of a society that is controlled by the politics around us. If you want the best out of religion then you must be political. The political sphere determines how the religion breathes.”
Speaking on how he manages his life as a minister and a politician, he agreed that both roles might clash but they are important and manages them well.
“When the issue of politics arises, I rise to the occasion because it is my area of specialization, I do it fine, which includes talking to people to get their voter’s card and canvassing for votes. It is something that comes natural to me. But this assignment God has given to me, is beyond me. It does not need my skill as a politician. It is a dedication. It is a job that must be concluded and carried on. It is tasking to maintain these two but God is taking control. I practice sane politics. Pushing for World Praise Day is God’s vision and it is mandatory for us all. There won’t be a need to play politics with God’s vision. You never knew why he chose someone like me; from a poor beginning like me. You don’t know why he chose a Nigerian,” Omole stated.
