Some prophecies are to make money, gain popularity —CCC head, Kwara South District

Head of the Celestial Church of Christ (CCC), Kwara South district, Kwara State, Dr Funmi Babalola, speaks with Biola Azeez in Ilorin on happenings among clerics and the state of churches in the country. Excerpts:

How true is it that we have cultism in churches?

It abounds because a lot of people want to get rich quick and want to control a large number of followership and because of all these earthly things, there’s nothing they cannot do. You see churches that bury human beings, fetish objects and animals in their churches, forgetting that the quest for material things will come to an end one day. When you die, you don’t go with anything. Another thing is that Nigerians do not respect clerics without large followership or one that does not live a flashy lifestyle. Unlike even the time of Jesus, today, things are different. That’s why they go into all these things called rituals. And truly, they are not serving God.

A cleric that is truly of God will be contented with whatever God releases onto him. If God has ordained you to pastor 25 members, you cannot add one to it. If you do, you are adding problems. You should go ahead and manage that 25 which He had given to you. If it pleases Him, He can increase it. And if your God has been good to you, given you akamu and akara in the morning, vegetables and eba in the afternoon, but you now say no. Every day you want to go to exotic joints, then you become wayward. You start telling fake prophecies. That’s why some prophets only have prophecies for the affluent ones in society. That’s why they are involved in cultism, fetish practices all in the name of religion. They are liars.

Is it true that this trend is popular among younger clerics?

Whatever good old clerics may have attained, they don’t count the number of years they have been doing it, but younger ones want it all today. In six months, they want mansions, luxury cars and all the good things of life, without wanting to be patient, endure, and persevere. When you can’t do all these, how can you describe yourself as servant of God? A true servant of God is not measured by material acquisitions, but by his tenacious adherence to the word of God. They must learn to take things as God wants it. Be patient. These bad attributes kill the work of God in this country. So, it’s difficult to know genuine servants of God.

What’s your view on followers of these examples of bad servants of God?

These followers are not looking for miracles; they are looking for magic. Miracles from God will come only when you serve God truthfully, you pray to God, and obey His will. And at God’s appointed time, every good thing you want as a child or servant of God will surely come to you. Today, however, many churchgoers attend simply to receive magic. They want people to do money rituals and other nefarious things for them.

What is your take on New Year prophecies by some clerics?

Truly, God may reveal certain things to you. For instance, if God reveals certain things to me concerning you for example, road accident, my kind of calling states that I don’t need to tell you, even if truly God Has showed it to me. All I need to do is to intercede for you in prayers. I’ll pray, fast, do vigil and if need be, ask God to reverse such happenings for you. The only thing I may do, if it’s an event that will take place very soon, is to ask the person to be careful, tell him to stay indoors and move closer to God. Telling you will just be to induce monetary favours from you. So, the thing about New Year prophecies for some prophets is to make money and attain undue recognition.

Would you say the crisis in the OAIC in Kwara State has been resolved?

No. Towards the end of the month of October, I had the opportunity of a chat with the president of OAIC in Nigeria, Apostle Napoleon Emuke. When I briefed him about all that transpired in Kwara OAIC, he said he was going to fix a date to visit Kwara and do proper election for us.

What are your expectations of the said election?

I’m expecting local governments to produce delegates. We have eight local governments involved in the OAIC in Kwara before the crisis. They will converge with a number of other delegates to vote. That’s what the national president told me in company of the secretary general of OAIC. It’s unfortunate that some people have taken it as a do-or-die affair. We want a new leader to emerge through due process and honesty.