Pastor Taiye Olayemi says Nigerians have to bear the brunt of their decisions in the 2023 presidential election, noting that the outcome of the alleged controversial election is the people’s choice; not God’s choice; “So, the people should bear the brunt of their decisions till the next election in 2027 except the Lord intervenes,” he said.
The kogi-state born general overseer of Ever Increasing Anointing Ministries, Lagos, also says the Nigerian church should be held accountable for the nation’s problems, and then speaks on his ministers conference holding in Bayelsa state on July 19-21, 2023 on fire revolution in this interview with Christian Benefits.
The first half of the year 2023 recently ended. How will you describe God’s move at Ever Increasing Anointing Ministries in this first half of the year?
The Lord is faithful to us at Ever Increasing Anointing Ministries. We experience favour, progress and improvement despite the present challenges in the country.
Tell us how the church copes with these challenges to keep moving forward
We are depending on God; trusting and allowing Him to lead us in the challenges. This makes us victorious in whatever challenges that comes our ways.
To what will you attribute the present economic hardship in the country?
Most Nigerians are like Adam in the Bible, always trading blames instead of taking responsibility for whatever befalls them. Instead of taking responsibility for his irresponsible acts, Adam blamed his wife and God for his irresponsible acts. That’s the way with most Nigerians. We, the body of Christ (the church), should be held accountable for the socio-economic problems in the country instead of blaming the politicians. The body of Christ is largely responsible for the nation’s problems.
Why did you say the church is largely responsible for the nation’s problems?
It is because we are failing in discharging our divine calling and responsibility as the salt of the earth and the light of the world according to Mathew 5:13-14.God has given us the responsibility to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. He made us the salt of the earth to preserve the earth, and not to take the salt back to heaven. He made us the light of the world to shine the paths of the world for proper directions; not to keep the light to shine in heaven. God made us the light of the world so that darkness should not prevail over the world. So, with darkness instead of light prevailing over Nigeria today, then the church in Nigeria should be held accountable for this bad situation. Of course the body of Christ in Nigeria is a shining light in the educational sector, but has failed in replicating same light in the politics and political sector of this nation.
What could be responsible for the church alleged failure to shine as the light of the world; giving proper directions in the political leadership and governance of the nation?
The cause is almost every church leader in this country is building their own empires on the earth instead of building the kingdom of God on the earth. It is also because the Nigerian church has failed to come together as one to tackle the nation’s political challenges. We have succeeded in tackling the educational aspect of the nation but fail in tackling the political aspect because of the disunity, greed, selfishness and inordinate ambitions within us. If we can extend our impact in the nation’s educational sector to its political sector we can achieve the same feats in the political as in the educational sector.
The Nigerian church largely presented a united front in the Nigeria’s 2023 presidential election. What went wrong that the church’s choice of candidate in that election couldn’t win the poll?
The Nigerian church’s choice of candidate failed to win the 2023 presidential election because we don’t have the grassroots support. We just came up overnight. And no one wins political elections overnight. God does not work like that. God works with plans and template. He has his template of doing things. If you don’t work according to God’s template or pattern of doing thing He will not adjust to your own pattern of doing things. We can’t force our own patterns or templates on God, including on politics.
How can the church build on her 2023 elections political awakening ahead of the 2027 elections?
For the church to make any meaningful impact in the 2027 elections, the church must start building from now its grassroots base and support. The church must raise and build its political participants at the grassroots level not from the top level. The church must have political gladiators and participants in all the units, wards, local areas all over the states of the federation, and also in all the nation’ major and leading political parties.
What is your assessment of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu regime barely one/half months in office with a view at the current hardship in the country?
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is the people choice; not God choice. Since he’s the people’s choice he cannot fulfill God’s mandate for this nation. He can only fulfill the people’s mandate. In the Bible we read the results of the people’s choice in King Saul instead of God’s choice. God doesn’t force His choice on people. He doesn’t tamper with our will. If He tampers with our will, then nobody should go to hell. Nigerians have made their decisions in the 2023 presidential election. The hardship in the land speaks volume of their decisions.
What is your advice to Nigerians on surviving the present hardship in the land?
My advice is they should bear the hardship. Ki won farada! They have made their decisions on the 2023 presidential election. So, the people should bear the brunt of their decisions till the next election in 2027 except the Lord intervenes.
What is the forthcoming Prophetic Eagle Ministers Forum’s Fire Revolution Ministers Conference in Bayelsa state all about?
The mandate of the Prophetic Eagle Ministers Forum is re-awakening ministers on how to run their ministries in order to fulfill their purpose, to rekindle their fire and to fan their flames. This is exactly the purpose of our visit to Bayelsa state to add to what the ministers of God in that state already have. We are going there on a complimentary mission to sharpen the iron of one another Before Bayelsa state, we have also taken the forum’s mandate to the ministers in Ekiti and Kogi states; and most often in Kogi state. (Continues)