HOW did you find yourself in the ministry?
After my secondary school education, I worked at NTA Channel 7, Tejuosho, Yaba, Lagos, until I resigned. I got admission into two institutions – Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Ogba, Lagos State and the Oyo State College of Education now in Ilesha, Osun State to read history. I prayed about both admissions and God told me to go for the college of education. I went there in September 1984. When I got there in 1985, I joined the Mount Zion Faith Ministries (MZFM) as a part-time actor in 1986 and was involved when we were invited by the Nigerian Christian Teachers’ Fellowship in July 1986 for a drama. Afterwards, in March 1989, I was led to join the ministry full-time. In August 1989, the ministry became full-time.
You say you have a passion for taking the gospel to Francophone countries. What’s the attraction to French-speaking climes?
It is God’s leading – that’s the paramount importance. At the time, I was led to leave MZFM, and to further spread the gospel. And so, in June 2009, with my wife, we left MZFM. I informed my president, Evangelist Mike Bamiloye, of the mission and he commissioned I and my wife on June 12, 2009.
Eight years it has been now, since you left MZFM and started Great Light Ministries. How has it been?
It was tough in the beginning but we thank God. God opened the way. Hope of Glory was the first film we shot in 2009 after we left. There were challenges at the beginning but God has remained faithful.
You act diverse roles, even as an Ifa priest. What has been your most challenging role yet?
So far, the most challenging role was when I acted as an Ifa priest, in The Gods Are Dead, which was filmed while I was still at Mount Zion. That role was contrary to my behaviour but as the Lord would have it, my president said I should play that role. I believe that was through the leading of the Holy Spirit. I took up the role and began to study the script. Interestingly, during that period, my wife gave birth to our last baby. In fact, shooting of the movie was ongoing at our house at that time.
With your experience as a gospel minister, do you think there would be better reach if Christian movie producers feature secular actors?
In order to make it godly, you have to make it gospel indeed. You can’t, in the attempt to ensure that the gospel is preached, just pick someone up from the streets to mount the pulpit. What will such a person say? The script can be acted by anyone, because the person who acts must also be regenerated. When you’re not born again, you can’t call other people to be born again. The devil doesn’t want Christian films, because Christian movies are powerful. So, it is very dangerous for someone who isn’t spirit-filled to act such scripts, and that is why we stick with Christians when we want to act, so that the message is passed across. The mission is not to make money, but to win souls to Christ. Preaching the gospel in drama entails that you use people who are covered with the Blood and children of the same Father. When you bring in the secular, that person is not covered, and the ministry is exposed to ridicule. That’s why we only work with those who are born again.
You have been in the ministry for more than 30 years, would you say you’re satisfied with how far Christian film has fared?
Yes and No. Yes, in the sense that we have a lot of people in the industry now, compared to 30 years ago. However, in some sense, we aren’t doing in as it should be done. Unless the flesh leaves man, man cannot preach anything. Christians are supposed to conform to Jesus Christ – that is the biblical standard.
You were born almost 60 years ago. What has been your most moving testimony?
I have a lot of testimonies. I received a recent revelation about preaching the gospel more and I was excited about taking up that mission. However, something happened at that time. I discovered that there was a little lump somewhere in my neck, and as it didn’t bother me, I let it be. However, in May last year, while in the UK, one day, I was in great pain as a result of that lump and my host took me to the hospital. My visa permitted me to seek medical attention, and it was discovered that I had a little goitre and that they had to operate on it. I was asked to come back in October for the surgery. After the surgery, and I came round, I discovered I had lost my voice. Two of us were operated upon – the second man was from Pakistan and I saw him speaking to people. I knew it was an attack from the devil.
The following day, the surgeon who performed the operation, came in and apologised. He said they made a mistake. I was shocked that such could happen in a developed country. He said there was a light they passed through my nostril, to my throat area, but that they mistakenly placed the light on my right vocal cords and it had become paralysed, and wasn’t touching the left to make sound. I was sent to a voice therapist to see what could be done within six weeks, after which, if there was no improvement, I would be operated upon again. I sent a message to my wife to tell her to continue to pray for me.
Two days before I was to start the voice therapy, the Lord walked into my room, touched my tongue and I began to speak. It was a miracle. I got to the voice therapist, and even he was surprised that I could speak. I told him Jesus had saved me and that I wanted to be discharged. When I got back to Nigeria, I registered at LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, Osogbo, to continue my treatment. When I got there on December 23rd, the doctors examined me and they said I wasn’t supposed to speak. They said the right vocal cord was still paralysed and the left was only moving sluggishly. This meant that the situation hadn’t improved, yet I was speaking.
After six weeks, when I was asked to come back, they re-examined me and they said it was the same. I was given that six-week interval about four times, and it was the same. God gave me a perfect voice and it gets stronger with each passing day, to fulfil God’s mission on earth. It is indeed a miracle. I have been preaching the gospel. I ring bells when I do my morning cry, without even using a megaphone. In January, I preached for 3 hours at a WOCOM programme. I did same at Molete Baptist Church in May. It has indeed been a miracle. There have been so many miracles in my life and I thank God for everything.
and then