Whoever fights the church is fighting God —Reverend Olubo

Reverend Bayode Olubo is the visionary of the Housefavour Church, Lagos State. In this interview by SEYI SOKOYA, he speaks on the effect of the trend of politics geared towards the 2019 elections on the country and what the Christians must do to be united. Excerpts:

 

A  number of Christian leaders are believed to have developed cold feet over critical national issues that affect the Christian community. What is your view on the claims that church leader have been threatened not to speak against the government of the day?

I have said this before and I want to restate it, our religious leaders, especially Christians are lackadaisical in this area and everyone is concerned with protecting their empire, except for Bishop Oyedepo, and a few others that have been talking. I have discovered that the first and second generation leaders of the church have stopped talking. In fact, some are not even talking at all. We all need to come up with a unified voice to speak, but they are sleeping. They are sending warning signals to people like us at the background to slow down; that the men of host always take things easy, Personally, I cannot reference the men of host, because Elijah, Paul, Elisha and Moses were not quiet; Nehemiah took the battle on his shoulder. So, why should we not take after these God’s generals? It is sad that many Christians have abandoned the philosophy of the Pentecostal, because most people are after their purse, as well as building their empires. It is time we woke up from our slumber and turn a new leaf.

 

Could the seeming silence on the part of some of the leaders be the reason why pressure is more on Christians now?

Yes. It is because they have seen our weakness. They have discovered that we are not united and that we don’t have genuine love. The concurrent attack on the church is not because the church is weak; it is because our leaders are weak. But, don’t forget, God told Elisha that there are thousands of people that have not bowed their heads to worship any other God in the land and we are in that period now. Personally, I am not ready to succumb to any pressure from saying the truth. Nobody can fight the church, because if you claim that you are fighting the church, you are fighting God. But you could fight Christians and their Christian leaders.

 

The 2019 general election is just seven month away. As a cleric, what is your take on the trend of politics in the country?

I think we need fresh blood at the helm of affairs in Nigeria. Enough of the usual faces and old politicians that have been in power for years; it is time we Nigerians made our stand to rewrite the history of the country for good. It is worrisome that the old politicians that have been around even before democratic era are still jostling to be part of another democratic regime from 2019. Honestly, it is not reasonable. I can see a former vice-president Atiku Abubakar; Senator Bukola Saraki and a host of others positioning themselves for governance in 2019. This is unfair to Nigerians. Why can’t we give the younger generation with good visions the opportunity to turn the country around for the better? In fact, Nigerians should be careful of the desperate politicians that want power at all cost. I know Nigerians are becoming wiser now, because a lot of people are now interested in politics. The coalitions are becoming rampant and I believe Nigerians cannot be fooled again. I am confident that there would be so much disappointment in 2019, because all their manipulations and mischief will hunt them. However, the Ekiti State election would determine the move of Nigeria and God planned it this way. I want to urge all Nigerians not to relent in their prayers for God to take absolute control of the country.

 

It is apparent politicians no longer have time for governance as they are preoccupied with plans for the next election. Is the distraction healthy for the country?

It is obvious that the government is being distracted and one could say that it is not focused. I have not made a mistake about my previous observation that Buhari’s corruption fight is a distraction to the growth of the nation’s economy. He has been distracted from the onset. They have proved to him that military regime is different from that of democracy. This development has made him to lose his integrity and what he is trying to do now is to fight it back. But, Nigerians can no longer be fooled with cajoles of the government. They have lost concentration from the beginning and mind you, the distractions would persist. There is no maturity in any man that trades blames, and if you do, you will be distracted and lose focus from embarking on viable project. Meanwhile, commissioning road network, hospital, car park, and other are not projects. They are distracted because there is greed and lack of contentment on the part of our leaders. Nigerians have to be very careful of because there are top government officials that are highly manipulative. Another thing that caused the distraction is that there is no team player in the politics of Nigeria. For instance, it is obvious that Saraki was never in line with Buhari since the beginning of the government because of individuals interest.

 

What do you think is responsible for the low participation of Christians in party politics, despite the clamours for their active involvement over the years?

I feel it is because of threats to their lives and lack of fund. You will agree with me that an average genuine Christian would want to manage his funds, and his primary goal is to make heaven.  The fact that we cannot have honest people in the affairs of the nation, our economy and politics can never be stable, because everyone is coming to recover what they have invested. Those who had pedigrees before they attained power begin to compromise. A Christian that would want to maintain his pedigree and integrity would not to dabble into Nigerian politics of today, because it is a dirty game. And our voice cannot be heard until we are united to form our own political party.

 

Are you clamouring for a Christian political party?

Honestly, it is a mere a waste of time if Christians don’t have their party. All Christian leaders and denominations must be united to speak in one voice. This, no doubt, will enhance the cleansing of the country from its blemish and also restore the glory of our nation. It might not work now, but we would keep on pushing it. It does not matter how long it will take us. The reason all human reference God today is because of consistency. The Islamic religious body is very strategic and well organised. They have a template on how a nation should be ruled, unlike Christians. We believe only in prayer and fasting.

 

What is your advice for Christians at large?

 

If truly we are after heaven, we must not be afraid to portray the qualities of genuine Christians and also be confident to say the truth.