Prophet Sam Ojo is the General Overseer of the Freedom Apostolic Revival International Church, Ibadan, Oyo State. In this interview with OLAIDE SOKOYA, he speaks on some challenges facing Christendom. Excerpts:
Prophet Sam ojo; once an okada rider
The authorities of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), have described the attacks and killings of Christians in the country as persecution. Do you agree with this?
This is not about Christians or Muslims. Those killed are not Christians alone, some of them are Muslims too; let’s not personalise the killings. Jesus Christ died for everyone, let us all join hands and see how we can stop the killings. I think that should be our focus, and not the other way round. God personally told me that the recent killings and crisis in Nigeria were as a result of a demonic attack. Nigeria is currently faced with a satanic attack, and like I always say, the way out is for Christians to come together and seek the face of God. The devil is responsible for this, and that is why you see him causing so much division among Christians. When the devil wants to strike, its first task is to disorganise the unity in that organisation. So, Christians must pray, this is not about President Buhari, politics or Muslims.
Why is there so disunity among Christians today?
There is so much happening in the Christian fold today, but I believe that there is a way out. Christians must be united; they must come together to pray and by so doing, God, in His infinite mercy, will show us the way forward. The church belongs to God; it is not a personal property. There is only one Christ, one body and there is no division. Discrimination of churches must stop; many are after the expansion of their ministries rather the expansion of the Kingdom, and this is where the problem lies. The way forward is for us, as Christians to come together and seek the face of God.
As one of the popular clerics that value prayer mountains, do you think prayer mountains still holds importance among Christians?
Definitely, because it is Biblical, Prayer mountain remains vital to every Christians because it is seen as a divine platform to seek the face of God. You know as a prophet, before you engage in anything, you must seek and hear from God’s. It has never been my plan to own a prayer mountain; I have never prayed for that, but you will agree with me that God ways are not ours. I was in a revival one day and I heard it clearly from God that: ‘Get me a mountain of glory’ and someone brought the attention of a place to me the next day. God also confirmed the place as the exact location. Unfortunately, we didn’t have the money to purchase the place and I told God, if indeed it is your will to go for this mountain, provide the money within 24 hours and He did it. Someone came to me and said God told him that we needed money and that was how we got the place and God has been manifesting through miracles and wonders. In fact, the establishment of the mountain will clock one this year and we have decided to hold our annual convention, tagged: Authority of Lifting on the mountain located in Ibadan. The Authority Convention 2018 commences from August 6 to 12.
It is on record that you lived on the mountain for seven years, why?
It was not easy, but I thank God for the divine grace. At some point, I had to beg for food, clothes and shelter, despite the fact that I am not the type that loves begging for things. In order not to continue to be a beggar, I had to look for something to do. So, I went into transportation. I was an okada man for some time, before God decided it was time for me to work for Him.
Are you saying that you didn’t have a sweet growing up experience?
It wasn’t sweet at all, although, some of those challenges then were as a result of my negligence. I still remember how I was hiding, running away from God because I didn’t want to do His work. But God has His ways of dealing with those who are proving stubborn, especially those He called to work in His vineyard. You can imagine having to drop out of school due to financial challenges, and then taking up a career in pharmacy, and yet, I still can’t boast of a good life. I invested in several businesses, but all to no avail. So, it was a tough experience for me, but I thank God today. I come from a linage of prophets. Truth is that I never wanted to be a pastor I wanted something different. My father made a covenant with God that all his male children would become prophets, and that was exactly what happened. All my father’s sons are prophets, about seven of us. So, for me, I wanted to be something else, but God wanted something better, and I had no choice than to oblige.
I am from Ibadan, Oyo State. I was born and schooled in Ikire, Osun State. Much later, I proceeded to seminary when I surrendered myself to God. After my theological course, I went to a prayer mountain; I was on the mountain for seven years and that was where my ministry started.
One of the responsibilities of the church is to raise hopes and support people, aside prayers and sermons, but the case is different now. Clerics are becoming richer while church members are poor. How have you been able to strike a balance?
I have been in ministry for 20 years and part of my goals is to impact lives. I am not after the affluence of life and God has been so faithful to me. I have enough grace to continue to impact more lives positively. It is not a matter of blowing trumpet of what we have been doing. People have a clear understanding of what is expected of us as clerics. For instance, I am not a graduate, but God has used me to produce hundreds of graduates. I am led by the Holy Spirit to bless 40 aged; especially those above 60 with no roof over their heads as part of the activities to mark my birthday on August 8. We are giving each a plot of land and we are trusting God to build houses for them within the next five years.
Taking a look at your journey in life, what is your greatest lesson?
My journey from grass to grace has taught me the importance of love, to be a cheerful giver, and more importantly to know that all fingers are not equal. These experiences also led me into starting a ministry that is committed to not only raising soldiers for Christ, but also a ministry that is committed to giving to humanity. I am someone who is passionate about the underprivileged and everyone that knows me can attest to that, especially my members. I have made giving a part of my calling, there is virtually no day that I mount the pulpit that I don’t give. So, I will say, those experiences made me who I am today. In fact, I have refused to succumb to discouragements false claims and accusations by some people, but you see when something has become a part of you, nobody can stop it. My experience during my struggling days made me to understand what people; especially the needy are facing on daily basis. So, why should I give a helping hand since I have the capacity? People, even the members of the church are going through a lot of things and it is part of our responsibilities as cleric to support them. Prayers, sermon and performing miracles are not enough to win souls for Christ. I don’t joke with the aspect of life, because a lot of people are faced with different challenges and I will not relent to give my best for humanity.
You will add another year in few days time, how do you feel and what do you intend to celebrate it?
I am grateful to God for the gift of life and His divine protection over my life, entire household and the ministry. It is not going to be a jamboree event, but a spirit-filled celebration and a divine encounter with the Holy Spirit. Activities to make the celebration impactful have been mapped out. We will have a seminar, empowerment programmes for the underprivileged and widows. One of the highpoint activities is a fire revival, which we will various notable gospel ministers such as Dare Melody, Lanre Teriba, Yinka Ayefele, and Remilekun Amos, among others. The programme will also be graced by various clerics from over the world including the General Evangelist of CAC, Hezekiah Oladeji, Prophet Michael Olowere.
