In this interview, founder and head of Inri Evangelical Spiritual Church, Lagos, Primate Elijah Ayodele, speaks on the raging coronavirus pandemic and offers possible ways out. KEHINDE OYETIMI provides excerpts.
Considering the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, the world is, indeed, troubled; any way out of all these?
I have it on record in my book, Warning to the Nations, 2016/2017 edition, on page 108 where I warned the global community that a contagious disease will occur. I said that we should pray so that a state of emergency in any country or at various states will not occur. Still from that page, I also warned that the world’s economy will nosedive, thereby causing extreme poverty. I warned that the economies of the Third World will be affected.
When one looks at all of these, you will agree with me that governments at all levels have failed. This is so because they refused to listen to what the Lord said. Doctors have also failed in this regard. The present coronavirus pandemic will amount to crisis among world leaders. The pandemic will worsen. We are not thinking of the aftermath of the pandemic. We are only concerned about what is happening now. We must begin to find the necessary steps to be taken. For every situation in the world, God ordains a prophet to bail us out. How prepared are we for the post-coronavirus pandemic? People are losing their jobs; the economies of many countries are shaking. What about the social and spiritual effects? All of these will be compounded as major challenges. There will also be the psychological effects of the pandemic. I am not bragging or saying that I am the only prophet but God has sent me at this time. In my prophecies published before now, I may not have called it coronavirus but I did warn that a disease that would cause pandemic would break out. This book of prophecies was sent beyond Nigeria, even to many quarters of the world.
Again, I warned specifically, in the 2018/2019 edition of the book (page 200), that we should all pray and rebuke every deadly disease that would come out of Asia. China is in Asia. On page 229, I called on China to rebuke the outbreak of a major disease. This is exactly what is going on in the world today. I warned in that book that it will cause a lot of problems and that it will cause a lot of problems for the American economy.
On page 193, I warned that there will natural disasters in various regions of the world. I foresaw the outbreak of diseases that would be of epidemic proportion, killings and attacks that will cause unrest for countries of the world like China, the United States of America (USA), the United Kingdom (UK) and other parts of the world. I warned that it would kill a lot of people. It is a war; the world is facing a war.
When I heard some people say that the disease has a particular date that it would stop, I knew it was not true. Nobody can say whether it would take a month or two. If care is not taken, it may take more than three months. Another outbreak will occur from China. We must also pray that this does not amount to an airborne disease. I warned at the beginning of the year that things would get extremely expensive. I warned of an impending inflation. I asked governments to take precaution.
Last week Sunday, which was celebrated as Palm Sunday, I went about my immediate local governments of Ejigbo and Isolo, praying under God’s instruction while administering spiritual cleansing. I have been administering anointed water and oil to those who are ill. And the results have been wonderful.
Unfortunately it is in this year that all we have warned against are happening. Look at Shekau, the Boko Haram leader; I have told the world repeatedly that his days are numbered. He will either be killed or arrested. I warned that a strange disease will invade the villa. What has happened now? It is sad that government does not take precautionary measures. If they have been taking these measures, they would have curtailed the situation.
I want to advise the security agencies that when a prophet speaks they should not overlook it. They should look at the areas that are helpful; if they do not understand, they can reach out to the person giving the warning.
I warned that a lot of companies this year will relieve some members of their staff. Is it not happening? Some companies are saying that they cannot contain the situation any longer. Two years ago, when people were saying that Nigeria was out of recession, I countered it that Nigeria was not yet out of recession. I am still saying it that that recession will hit us heavily. The government must start working on how to control the situation. It will cause a lot of global leaders a lot of funds. Aside this, I see another terrorist building up.
But there is hope of Nigeria overcoming the pandemic if we take all necessary steps to curtail the spread and the death rate.
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The pandemic influenced the shutting down of religious gatherings. Don’t you see this as a necessity in curbing the spread of the virus?
Government cannot see beyond its nose. They should not have shut down churches. They should have informed churches to help in prayers. Holding church programmes online is not effective. This is why governments in all countries where the pandemic is biting have failed. Only few governments that refused to shut down churches have not failed in this regard. The doctors need prayers. We need prayers.
The pandemic will kill more of the rich than the poor. Refusing people from gaining access to prayers through religious assemblies is inviting God’s anger. There is a solution to this pandemic. We are celebrating the virus beyond the needful. We are allowing it to create too much fear.
Look at how things are. It is Easter and yet churches have been closed down. No gatherings. Mosques have been shut down. There is too much fear. There are ways churches can pass the message to the people faster.
However, all the state governors in Nigeria are doing their best but I want to particularly appreciate and commend the efforts of the Lagos State governor. This is because if it goes beyond what Lagos can handle then the whole country is in trouble. Lagos is the centre. The government has taken so many precautions and also in the disbursement of relief materials, even extending this to churches.
But some churches have been reported to give out money to the government to help in this regard. Shouldn’t this be commended?
Leaders of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) got it wrong. They have been blindfolded. If not, they would have advised the government on the spiritual implication of shutting down churches. We won’t allow the crowd to be much. We will manage this. We are interceding for Nigeria. Many churches have spent so much in taking care of their members at this time. If I have money, I won’t give it to government. Government does not need my money. If you have churches that are donating to government, it is because their members are rich. Why can’t churches help others in reaching out to the vulnerable in society? On Palm Sunday, people were crying, asking for food.
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What is your opinion on government’s acceptance of some Chinese doctors in the fight against the pandemic?
I really do not see any sense in bringing in some Chinese doctors to Nigeria when we have super Nigerian doctors who can do better than these Chinese doctors. Nigerian doctors are the best in the whole world. It is unfortunate that our government does not know how to utilise them. The money used in bringing these Chinese doctors should be used in taking care of our health providers during this pandemic. In fact, we should not receive any vaccine from China at this moment. We should put sentiments aside. China is not the solution to this pandemic at the moment. God is the solution.
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