EJE JESU. Can we meet you, Ma?

My name is Mrs. Grace Folashade Obadimeji, popularly known as Eje Jesu. Please share briefly your upbringing and background, including your salvation encounter. I am from Ilawe-Ekiti, Ekiti State, and I am from the Olomeye family. I attended Holy Trinity Anglican Primary School in Ilawe-Ekiti as well. My family was known as devout; we were prominent for our devotion to church activities. I have always had a good voice for singing. There were some days when some people had to climb their chairs to see who was singing because I was so small. It has been like that from the beginning. To the glory of God, most of my family members have become ministers of God. So, I grew up in a Christian home. I got married to a man of God as well, and the Lord increased my anointing such that I had more platforms. One day, I went to visit Elder Babatunde and Lady Evangelist Babetunde, whom I had known before I got married. They asked about my music ministry, and I shared how I was singing in my husband’s ministry. That was when they pitched the idea of using a studio based on the convictions they had about my gift. The man asked if I could compose any song that would be immediately recorded in a studio, and I agreed to it. They called someone else to guide me through the process, and they covered all the expenses. That was when I produced my first album, Omo Alade, in 2002, and that became the start of my journey in music ministry. What has kept you going over the years? To God be the glory, after my first album, I released many other albums. However, I have passed through a tough process, but God has been faithful. The bus I used for ministry was gifted to me by Daddy E.W.A Kukoyi, one of my fathers in the Lord. He was the first person to support my music band, but along the line, things became so tough. When I started getting attention, it led to marital crises. One day, all my band members came home, but my husband told them to return, saying that nothing was happening. My manager, who was surprised by the information he gave them, called to confirm from me. When my manager was eventually able to gather the band members, my husband locked the door and refused to allow me to go out of the house. I had to wait for him to sleep before I was able to go for the ministration. There were so many consequences attached to not attending the event. I had to remove four louvers to go out through the window. I was back before morning, so he didn’t know what had happened. There were several other oppositions I faced from him related to my music ministry. The majority of the problems in ministry came from my husband despite all I did to please him. There were days when he would beat me up, and I knew everything that was happening stemmed from jealousy. One day, we both attended an event, and when he wanted to go, he asked that we go home together, but I explained to him that I still needed to sing. He was against it but didn’t react much until I got home, where he beat me mercilessly. Later on, I fell sick and was diagnosed with cancer. I took six courses of chemotherapy, yet the Lord sustained me in such a way that I didn’t have to receive any pint of blood. After the chemotherapy, I was waiting to go for radiotherapy. My husband had moved out of the house during that period and left me to myself. One day, one of my sons decided to enter my husband’s room, and what he saw was so terrifying. I had to struggle to see the place because I wasn’t walking well. When I got there, I saw an image candle with my name and parents’ names. Since the day I set my eyes on it, I began to feel extreme discomfort. So one day, my daughter boiled water for me and asked me to carefully observe what I passed out, which I had not been able to do. But after taking the water, I suddenly felt at ease and was able to use the toilet. A sound I heard made me curious about what could have fallen, and to my surprise, it was two cowries, and that was when my deliverance took place. It was late when I got to discover that…

So one day, my daughter boiled water for me and asked me to carefully observe what I passed out, which I had not been able to do. After taking the water, I suddenly felt at ease and was able to use the toilet. A sound I heard made me curious about what could have fallen, and to my surprise, it was two cowries, and that was when my deliverance took place. It was later that I discovered my husband had married another woman. On days when my faith couldn’t carry me, it was my children and those around me who stood in the gap for me in prayers. Some people had to go to the mountain because of me, and I can never forget their sacrifices. During the time I was undergoing chemotherapy, many people were dying from it, but I was part of a group of close to 300 people; the Hope Group, and by 2018, there were only four people left; all the others had died of cancer. Out of the four people, one woman whom I was very close to told me the cancer had affected her lungs. She died three days later, and that was the day I left the group. Another person died, and then the last. Today, I’m the only person from that group who is still alive. Since then, I’ve been so convinced that I’m a living testimony. When you started out, who were the gospel music ministers you looked up to as mentors and how have they impacted your life? God is the highest standard, but there are some people I looked up to, like Dr. Bola Are; she’s a very good example to follow. She is still standing till now without shaking in grace and wisdom. I also love Esther Igbekele very much. She is very humble and always makes sure she is present in whatever I want to do. Kindly tell us how you arrived at your brand name. Eje Jesu is one of my album titles, which we released in 2005, and we released the video in 2008. My promoter, Charles Bode Adeotan, advised me to pray over the title for the album. Very early in the morning the following day, he called me to tell me that his spirit asked him to name it Eje Jesu, and people started calling me Eje Jesu. One day when I went to LTV 8, the person called me Mama Eje Jesu, which I revolted against. After all, I said she advised me to leave the name as it is, because that is what I am known by, and if I try to change it, people may not hear about me again. That was how I accepted it and changed all my documents, including letterheads and complimentary cards to reflect that name. Till today, I’m grateful for that name because it really spoke for me, even when I was going through health challenges. When I was sick, I had a dream where an old man asked me if I could drink blood to be healed, but I refused. He asked three times, but I kept refusing. Later on, he stood over me while I was under a tree and poured it into my mouth from above. It was later that I knew it was the blood of Jesus. As a young child, I used to be so sick that it got to the point where hospitals rejected me. My mother took me somewhere far away to take care of me when a man told her to throw me away because I had become so skinny, but she didn’t listen to him. Immediately he left, I asked my mom to give me the blood of Jesus to drink, and she used her hand as though there was actually blood in her hand, and I drank it as if it was there, and it has been working for me ever since. Aside from gospel music, you also run ‘Fruit of My Labour.’ Please tell us about it. It started when I was in my husband’s ministry. We used to pray together until the Holy Spirit ministered to me to start the program around 2010-2012. We encourage ourselves in the Lord as women through testimonies. Till today, the program is still on and has expanded to different networks, and I look forward to establishing other gatherings across different countries. At the early stage of your ministry, you had challenges with promotion. Please tell us about that experience and how you navigated through it. I didn’t have challenges with marketers. The only place I went to was REMDEL, and when she heard my sound, She said I sounded like someone she knew, Bisi Alawiye, and she didn’t want any of our promotions to affect the other, so she introduced me to someone else, Charles Bode Adeotan. She really helped to promote and market my music until he stopped promoting music. I got to work with Winners Music until everything changed and social media started to give us an advantage. In which countries have you ministered? I have ministered in the USA, the United Kingdom, and Nigeria. I still look up to God to take me to different places. Please tell us the vision behind your annual Triumphant Concert, its impact, and significance to your ministry. I bless God for what He is doing. I had to pause when I fell ill, but last year, in 2025, I took it up again, and God took perfect control. I was amazed at how much of a crowd we were able to pull. My vision for the concert is to win more souls through my song ministrations and to make people understand that there is power in gospel songs to wrought healing, and bring about blessings and breakthroughs. I also want to use it to proclaim the gospel to the whole world, to be one here on earth, and when we get to heaven. Aside from Eje Jesu, what other albums have you released over the years? Some of them include Agbara-ajinde. I really bless God for that album. People really resonated with the message of the song. I also released ‘Baba-Ose’, the Eje Jesus. Another one was ‘Living Testimony’ after I battled with and won over cancer. This latest one is ‘Mogbomojo’. I don’t know how it happened, but God really helped me in training my children. I went through different odds, including accommodation issues, but God still worked wonders. All my children are abroad, but one is temporarily in Nigeria. I released the song after the birth of my first grandchild. If Christ tarries, what is the vision for your brand in the next ten years? I believe the God that has helped me this far will continue to help me. I pray that the name Eje Jesu will be heard around the world and will draw men unto God. I pray that God will raise helpers from across the world to help push this vision. Do you have anything to tell us about the female gospel minister that just passed on? Bunmi Akinaanu Omijeojumi’s death was so painful to me, but we can’t query God. She was someone who sang inspirational songs that heal and bless souls. I pray that her soul will rest in perfect peace and comfort everyone she has left behind. What can you say about the recurring death of young ministers? May the Lord help us. We only see ourselves, but people go through a lot that is not seen by everyone. I want to advise gospel ministers to try to wait on the Lord, rely on the Holy Spirit to lead us on what to do and how to do it, and we should stay close to the Scriptures. I regard the men of God we have, but when I have problems, I look up to God.