Prophet Samuel Adebayo Aluko of the Christ Apostolic Church, Power of His Voice, Ajanla, Ibadan, Oyo State, is one of the clerics privileged to have seen the good and ugly sides of Nigeria. In this interview with SEYI SOKOYA, he reminisced on his life, his 50 years in the ministry, among others.
You have attained 50 years in the ministry; how do you feel about this development?
I return all glory to the Almighty for this rare privilege. I blessed the first day I encountered God for this great assignment. I see this as a divine grace in submitting myself to God and the enthusiasm in doing His will against all odds. I can’t thank God enough for this uncommon grace. It was not an easy journey, but I thank God for upholding me. I gave all to God and I had a smooth growth in the ministry. I thank God for the journey so far and I rededicate my commitment that I will serve and do His will till the end.
How would you compare life as a cleric then and now?
Interestingly, life as a cleric then was sweeter than what we have these days. Nigeria was in good shape in 1973 when I received the call. The church and the nation were at peace. There was stable electricity, good roads, and security. People lived in unity, love, and truth, but it is so sad that the spirit of truthfulness, hard work, and fear of God is missing among Nigerians, even Christians today.
There was fear of God then and people genuinely served God in body and spirit. I could recall vividly, that I was not after money when I received the call at my youthful age. The teaching we heard was that we should seek the kingdom first and His righteousness and all others will be added. We are keen on the things of the kingdom then, but, amazingly, the young lads of today are desperately looking for money. We enjoyed life better 50 years ago than now.
I eventually reaped the commitment of seeking the kingdom first as the heavens confirmed to me through the Holy Spirit that I had become a vessel of honour to God. We were so overwhelmed with the joy of the Lord that we could not bothered about the challenges of life, but it is not so these days.
Do you also agree with the fact that the world is coming to an end with all the strange things happening around the world? What is your take on this?
Yes. It is the word of God and it is already coming to pass. These are great signs that the second coming of Christ is very near. The end time is around us and we should not be surprised because Jesus Christ has said it and we have begun to witness all the signs. It is left for us to be ready for the rapture and as for those who have not turned a new leaf, the current signs are a golden opportunity for their repentance.
Some of the signs are famine, and this is not peculiar to Nigeria, it is also happening around the world. The problem Nigeria is facing is not about consistent inflation, but our greater challenge is the leadership problem.
If you had not heeded the call to the work of God what would you have become?
I would have become a successful blacksmith and businessman. I was committed and determined to be a successful youth through legitimate work then. I planned my life so well that I don’t want to be a dependant, but a resourceful person. This made me venture into the sale of unisex underwear. I became successful and popular at the Ogunpa market in Ibadan, Oyo State. But unfortunately, I got arrested by God to do His will along the line. I eventually left the business to receive the call. Mind you, my love for God and my passion for the house of God gave me a smooth ride to receive the call and be more formidable in the vineyard.
How did you receive the call?
God revealed himself to me when I was in the market. It has become my usual pattern that any time I don’t have much sale, I move to a corner to pray. On a faithful day, while in prayer mode, I noticed that the atmosphere changed. I went into a trance, “I saw the sun and the moon beside my head and an angel descended from heaven and said to me, Son, you are stopped from engaging in buying and selling from today and you are sanctified for the work of God. I anoint you as the prophet of nations from today.”
By the time I came out of the trance, I noticed I was on the floor and speaking in heavy tongues. I saw a huge crowd surrounding me and many people among the crowd came to tap from the great encounter. I was so emotional and wept. Also, God also revealed Himself to me on other two occasions to affirm that it was truly a divine call and I thank God for the grace to be able to interpret the message and here we are today to the glory of God.
Yours is a worthy example to the younger generation. What is your advice to the Nigerian youths?
I have always advised the youths to devote their lives and time to God and be holy. Money should not come first in anything they do. I never envisaged that I would ride on a bicycle in my life when I became a cleric. We only have a few clerics using Vesper then and we youths then were not moved by it. We were even complaining that those using motorcycle wanted to compete with Jesus Christ who rode on a Donkey to Jerusalem. We usually joke then that we would trek to Jerusalem. This was how strong our Christian life was. But when God decided to amaze me through my commitment, I started the work of God in 1973 and I started riding cars in 1975. A few years later I got fleets of cars. Also, this year marks 45 years that I have been traveling abroad without my funds. I have been to several countries not to rest, but propagate the gospel. I am more committed to the call and the rewards always come accordingly.
My life has been centered on the work of God from 1973 till today. I am not resting despite being aged. This is what God has called me to do on earth. I will rest when I get to heaven. I have surrendered my life to Christ and I am ready any moment He wishes to take me home. Any cleric who is money-conscious is not called by God. It is money that runs after ministers of God if the power of the Holy Spirit dwells in them.
No doubt, God has used you in tremendous ways in the last 50 years in ministry, could you recall the greatest miracle God has done through you?
I cannot take God’s glory. What God has done through me so far is beyond my comprehension and I cannot thank Him enough. Lunatics that have been delivered under this ministry are numerous. I have also witnessed so many mysterious miracles God has done through me. The one God used to propagate the ministry was the woman who excreted a snake. Another one was when God restored the life of a young lady whose mother rushed to church when she died. I thank God for everything.
With your wealth of experience and influence in the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) worldwide, how do you think the long-term crisis of the church could be solved?
As for me, CAC those not have any crisis. The Bible says that there is time for every season. As young as I was when the crisis surfaced, I told my boss, Baba Obadare, Baba Oluseye, Baba Obafemi, and Baba Adegoroye, who was very close to me then that no court would solve the matter, but only death.
I was privileged to have a close relationship with them. So, when the issue of division came (forum and interim), with all humility, my boss, Baba Obadare beckoned on me for two meetings in Akure and Ilesha. He said he needed the former General Evangelist, Prophet S.K. Abiara, and me in the meetings organised by the interim faction. I replied to him that I would never join any fight and that I wouldn’t see the end. I told him frankly that he won’t see the end of the crisis. He kept quiet. I made him realise that those in the forum faction are the ones fighting for the right of CAC. I told him that the certificate he claimed to be in his possession was with Apostle Babalola.
I have a lot of secrets about this issue, not that, my boss, Baba Obadare was a thief or a lair, but there is something I would not want to say here. He was the treasurer then, but CAC could afford to pay salaries then. The church authority asked him to bring his ministry WOSEM into the mainstream, but he refused and I advised him to do the needful. I begged him to do the necessary things to resolve the matter for peace to reign back then.
Going forward, CAC is too strong for any faction to pull it down. The leadership of the church is formidable and I am confident that the interim faction will soon return. I feel that one of the reasons they are still staying away is to have the freedom to do what they like against the principles of the church. I believe they will return to their root. I can say authoritatively that there is no problem in CAC.
The nation is experiencing consistent hardship, do you think the current leadership of the country can solve Nigeria’s problem?
My ideology is different from every other Nigerian. As I said earlier unity, love, and truth are missing in the nation today. Desist, lies, thieves, and laziness have become the order of the day in this nation. Nigerians believe that the hardworking person is mad, while the person who steals is the most responsible person. In foreign countries, if you don’t work you won’t eat.
They don’t take laws with levity in Europe countries. Our laws are so worthless here. I was shocked to see the late Queen of England obey the traffic light during one of my visits abroad. Which monarch, politicians, or any top government functionaries will obey the traffic light in Nigeria?
Nigeria will not experience total restoration if we don’t return to God in total obedience and serious hard work. Nigeria is so blessed, but we are too wasteful and lazy to sustain our God-given resources. I seem to have an interest in the current leadership of the nation because it is not tribalistic and religious oriented. President Tinubu set up the government with people of great intellect to move the nation forward. I wish Nigerians support him greatly so that the nation can rise again.
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