Christians must pray together in unity if they must be safe in Nigeria —Cleric

With your experience of the happenings in the North, is it true that Muslims are facing more attacks than Christians as claimed by the Federal Government? 

I don’t have the statistics, but Muslims and Christians are humans. One soul lost is too many in the sight of God. The sacredness of life is important. Whether Muslims are attacked or killed more than Christians is not supposed to be the issue. Lives are being lost every day and these lives are sacred. God created them for His purpose. It is not the duty of anyone to take any life. The Federal Government should be more committed in protecting and securing the lives of its citizens. It is the constitutional responsibility of the Federal Government to protect the lives of the citizens, whether Christians or Muslims. I will therefore encourage the Federal Government to rise up to that responsibility rather than comparing the lives of Muslims and Christians.

 

Following the death of Kaduna State Chairman of CAN, what is your view about the fate of Christians in the north? 

Christians and pastors have to be worried because if that man can be killed like that, everybody should be worried. Clerics are bothered regardless of their denominations. It calls for serious concern. Nobody is safe, the church is not safe, even Nigeria is not safe. Christians in the north are living in fear. Before the cleric was killed, he cried out for help, but the Federal Government did not do anything to save him. We pray that God will continue to keep and help us. He’s our shield, defender and our hope.

 

How has the experience been for you in the North? 

It takes the divine grace of God to be a pastor in the North and God has been able to make supply and provisions. God who called will also make provisions and that is what He has been doing. Being a pastor in the north requires a special grace, particularly for those of us that come from the South-West. It was not easy right from the beginning, yet God has been giving us favour. To the glory of God, we have spent 23 years in Sokoto State and in all these years, God has been proving Himself as the caller and the provider.

 

What should Christians do to ensure absolute safety in Nigeria? 

The first role is prayer. The Bible also confirms it that we should pray at all time and God is ready to answer. When you pray for safety and blessing, God will surely answer. Prayer is very important and sincerity is also important. If Christians must be safe in Nigeria, we must pray together in unity. The prayer of a united church is very essential. The early apostles faced challenges, but when they came together to pray in unity and oneness, God listened to them and answered their prayers and He helped them to triumph. God has not changed, so, it is important for us to be genuinely united as Christian in Nigeria.

 

Is the church really united to fight the cause of Christianity? 

No, the church is not united to fight for the cause of Christianity in Nigeria. Different blocs in Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) have their own interests and because of these interests, we find it difficult to come together. These divisions and lack of commitment have not and will not help the church to achieve its goals and the purpose for which God established the church. We hear leaders say one thing and followers doing another thing. We have leaders of different denominations having their own plans and agenda. Some preach prosperity while some source for occult powers and that is not what Jesus Christ called us to do.

 

How did you receive the call to become a minister? 

I received the call in 1991 at Newlife Baptist Church, Ibadan, Oyo State. It wasn’t easy at that time because as a young man, I had ambition to become somebody in life, but as God would have it, He chose to call me into the vineyard. I thank my friends that prayed along with me after years of waiting and studying the word of God in order for Him to confirm the calling. God spoke to me through His word, I heard him clearly. I later accepted the call and the rest is history.

 

How have you been able to combine the ministry with your home front? 

No one takes this honour unto himself. The grace of God has been sufficient because the work of God is not a simple task, it requires dedication and sacrifice. Ministry itself is a sacrifice. You have to sacrifice a lot of things such as your time and money, but when you have a faithful and God-fearing wife, it becomes so easy to be fully dedicated to the ministry. I thank God for my wife because she has proven herself to be a helper indeed. At the home front, she has been very committed and dedicated in taking care of the children and supportive to the ministry that God has called me to do in life, particularly in Sokoto State where I reside. So, for her commitment and by the special grace of God, we are able to combine the ministry and the family life together.