Exclusive Interview with Bishop. Dr. Joseph Ighalo as he speaks on church planting and Nigeria Economy……enjoy
Q……SIR, CAN YOU TELL US YOUR NAME AND WHAT YOU DO?
A….l am Bishop Dr. Joseph Ighalo, I head A Task from Heaven Ministries, we also have an NGO attached. A Task from Heaven Foundation, so, side by side, we try to build the two together.
Q………ARE YOU SAYING YOU ARE INTO HUMANITARIAN EMPOWERMENT, FOR HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN THERE?
A……We have been in the ministry for about fifteen years.
Q………WHAT KIND OF CHALLENGES HAVE YOU COME ACROSS SO FAR AND HOW HAVE YOU BEEN ABLE TO SUMOUNT THEM?
A……….One of the main challenges is finance, which you have to deal with yourself. That is because in this country where we live, I don’t blame people because we don’t trust people. Nobody wants to trust you and because of that, I don’t call people to come and join me, let us help people this is because the records are not too straight with some NGOs, some Helpers or people who call themselves philanthropists and all that. The records are not too straight. That is why some people will not want to come out to partner with others, so that’s the kind of society we live in, it’s really a challenge.
Ordinarily, philanthropy is not a one man’s business, you have partners, you come together to help when you see a need or you see needs, like what you will find on our signpost there; there are needs and there are more needs for people. As far as life continues, there will be people who are in need. As far as life does not go extinct, there will be poor people, basically that is the challenge especially when you find out that it’s you alone doing it there is a limit you can accomplish.
I wish I have all the money in the world, yes, you will see me on the streets, you will see me doing things because I don’t like seeing people suffering. Go to the hospitals, people die just because of less than five thousand that is because they can’t get five thousand and they die. Go to the prisons, there are people languishing there because they have not been able to get bail because of just some small money. A lot is happening. Supposing I want to fight a case of someone who has been wrongfully accused and sent to prison, it will cost a lot of money because we will have to do a lot of things. But again, I will not blame people who do not want to come out to partner and help because they have a problem with trust. That is the way it is in Nigeria because of past antecedents or some people’s pedigree so I do my thing and I run my race myself the much I can.
Q…..SIR, HAVE YOU EVER MADE ANY EFFORT IN SEEKING FOR SUPPORT FROM THE GOVERNMENT?
Q……..No, I have never done that, I know you will want to ask me why, I think it is just a personal stereotype that I have because of government and their bureaucracy. Government with their politics, it is a personal opinion but I know I will not be able to go through the stress of going every day to beg the government to do this or that. Instead, I do the best I can do and let the government come to meet me. If the government sees what I am doing and appreciate and recognize it, he is doing all these without asking for money, let me tell you, government itself have issues of trust with NGOs.
Let them come themselves and say, we like what you are doing and we will like to support you. That will be fine but I have never gone to them and I don’t see myself going to them. I am just doing what I am doing in my own little way. If they find out they can have trust in me because of someone’s past antecedents or pedigree, that is fine. But for now, I ran my race alone.
If I have A hundred people and I make them happy, I am ok. But if government say we see what you are doing, you have made a hundred people happy and we want to help you to make it five hundred I will support you.
Again, we have to learn to do somethings before you can ask government to come in and support you because every time government, government here we always have problems with the government but there are things we have to do too before attracting government attention and they will say I will do this for you. The government has a whole lot in their hands and to think about.
Q………SIR, AT YOUR LAST EVENT, YOU SAID YOU DON’T OPERATE A CHURCH, CAN YOU TELL US WHY?
A………Well, I think all of us, until we begin to know our strength and the full import of our calling, we will keep making mistakes. I am not a Church planter; I have money to build church. I have built a Cathedral before; I gave it out to a church. I have done all that before because I have the money but I want to be confined to what God has called me to do. I bring people together. Like the last program. We have another program coming, it is called the Landfalls; The Landfall Of The Holy Ghost and it will be massive.
When you say somebody is in a land fall; he falls and hits the ground okay, I do a lot of other things. On Sundays, I get invitations to minister here or there and preach the gospel. I think that is enough for me. I can’t even stand the stress naturally. It takes a lot to plant a church it is not because I can’t though, I am strong enough but that was not what I was told to do.so until we learn to do what we are told to do like I told you, we will keep missing it. So, for me, no way. No church panting.
You can have all the money in the world and you go and plant a church, and you are someone who has a relationship with the Holy Ghost, nothing will happen. You must follow the detail of what you are called to do.
Q…………BUT THIS TIME AROUND, A LOT OF PASTORS ARE NOT EVEN CALLED?
A…….That is what I am saying, that is the point I am trying to make. They are not even called but they come in.
Q……..IS IT BECAUSE OF THE MONEY OR THE PRESTIGE BECAUSE PASTORS GET A LOT OF RESPECT AND MOST OF THE CHURCHES, WHEN THE PERSON IS PREACHING, YOU WILL NOT EVEN FEEL THE ANNOINTING?
A……It is because, naturally, man must be human. Like other spheres of life, the gospel has been infiltrated by quacks. You cannot say it is not true to some extent. You have people who are not called, they come in to the system; theirs’s is to spoil it, theirs is to see how much they can make from it. You see, there are a whole lot of economic crisis; people are just trying to make money and the church is not deferent from it. To them it is business, people want to brainwash, manipulate, dominate and intimidate to get what they want. Such people will always fail and they are failing. Only the ones who are truly called it’s coming up, people are now talking; this one is right, this one is not right. And things will change.
You were at our program right, people liked this one because they did not ask us for money, they did not even ask for offering and they did not take anything from us. They even gave us things and people were happy. You see, trust issue again.
Q…….
LET US LOOK AT THIS ISSUE OF NOT TAKING MONEY; WHAT IS YOUR TAKE ON THE ISSUE OF OFFERINGS AND TITHING IN THE CHURCH
A ……. I am not saying people should not pay tithes, all I am saying is let us have a relationship with the Holy Spirit. Let the Holy Spirit convince you on what you are doing or what you are about to do. If you do that, at that level, you are doing it on the bases of understanding. I don’t want to collect offering from you. Rich men don’t come to church except their kind of church. You did not get me? I say rich men don’t come to church except their own kind of church.
Look at all these people, with their hands raised up; look at them, they have not eaten, look at them they are hungry. They need help. They run down to church programs because they don’t have money for medical treatments so they are trusting God for healing. And you see such people and you take money from them. I cannot and I will not. Instead I will look for money and share to everybody. I am not called for the rich, I am called for the poor and I will reach out to them.?
I will not take a farthing from anybody. But if somebody is touched and say I want to pay my tithe. Before this program, I was asking the holy spirit, if will we take offering and he said, we will not. Make una no ask me, I don’t take offering. Nobody will even come and say this is offering time. No, don’t go there. I will give you an example; say we are going to have a program on the 2nd of August, I will tell some of my friends and we will start collecting clothes, shoes. I will start collecting from that first day and that Sunday, we have finished. I told myself, if I don’t get enough, I will look for three hundred thousand and call my friends like you; come and go to Katangwa for me and buy so that people will come and take. Let them come and take. If I don’t have money, I will go to Katangwa and ask them. Let them come and take and there is no way they will not give a thought of the gospel.
You see them sharing flyers, and they will say; what are you sharing flyers for? They say una get program, you no know watin dey happen for Nigeria? Them dey share food for there? Them go give me money. If they come and you give them food, they eat spiritual food, and also physical food, they will say, hmmm what did you say about that Jesus again?
But when you ask them to come and they come and you start asking them for offering, saying you know say na money we take do all these things, you know what they will feel.
Q……
I WANT YOU TO TALK ABOUT THIS NEW OBA AT OGBOMOSO. HE IS A PASTOR RCCG AND HE SAID THE THRONE IS CALLING HIM. I BELIEVE HE MUST HAVE DONE HIS SPIRITUAL WHATEVER. HAVEN BEEN A PASTOR FOR A LONG TIME, WHAT DO YOU THINK OF A PASTOR ACCEPTING A KINGSHIP
Q…….
Sometime ago, in one of these big communities, after what I have done in that community, they now said they want to give me a chieftaincy title and they knew I was a Pastor with a vision. I had a choice and I said no, leave me the way I am. Sometime ago, there was a secret society in this country that wanted me to be part of them but l said no.
I no dey worry myself when I want to bless somebody. I no get but I will offer you love and so they came. It was my property in Ikorodu , one of them visited me and l asked him what can I do for you today? And he said I was sent to you. I asked him from where? And he called the name of the secret society. And he said, you are a good man. You help everybody, you have even blessed some of our members. I said, okay. He said, they were the ones who gathered together and said I should come and meet with you. I said, what do you want me to do.
He said, we want you to be our member. I brought a form for you. I took the form and saw the name of the society. I told him I am a Pastor and I cannot be here and be there. He answered me and said, no, no, no. don’t even say that, there are many Pastors who are inside it. There are many Bishop inside. It does not mean anything.
I said I am not like other Pastors. I am not against you and will never be against you but for me, it is a no, no for me. Because I said no does not take your love from me. I love you; I have always loved you and will still love you but I did not know that it was your members I have helped before. I will still see them tomorrow and I will still love them but I Cannot be a part of you. It does not tally. You can understand, It is a thin line between worldliness, fame and godliness. If you say you want to evangelize Ayilara or Empire; You know Ayilara? It is at Ojuelegba, that is where prostitutes stay. Empire is where prostitute and these drug people stay. You want to go and evangelize them, be prepared. I don’t have the anointing for that. I don’t even think there is anybody who have that kind of anointing for now because the chances are slim and the stake are high. High for you to fall and slim for them to come to Christ. For you to say somebody has to evangelize them because the person that will evangelize them is the Holy Ghost. You will go and touch them.
Somebody can be in their house and God will touch them. How do you go to Ayilara? You will fall like a pack of card. So, if that is his choice and we cannot compromise it. I am not here to criticize him .You see this God, let us follow Him; hook, line and sinker. That is just it.
Q ………
LOOKING AT THE NIGERIAN ECONOMY, THINGS ARE HARD AND PEOPLE ARE REALLY SUFFERING. WHAT ARE YOUR HOPES FOR THE NATION?
A………
Ha! Nigerian economy, is it an economy? We are almost going extinct. We will soon start eating ourselves. Do you understand me?
The problem we have: we don’t have a problem with prayers, we don’t have a problem with the Mosque or Islam, we don’t have a problem with it. We don’t have a problem with Christianity. The problem we have is with ourselves, bad leadership. Is it not in this country that when we were in primary school, they will give us rice and meat to carry home? In this country. What do we have today? People came and plundered this country yes, they plundered it.
Let me give you an example, you say they were stealing through subsidy now the people are there, you know the thieves, they are there. Now, you are asking us to bear. You cannot ask them to bring the money back; you are romancing them. Where are we going? There will be no progress if there is no trust between the people and their leaders. Will continue to suffer, the economy will have no way because there is no truth.
Everything is geared towards making the rich richer the poor poorer. And they say mockingly, let the poor breath. For that statement alone, May God forgive them and their generation. Let the poor breath which they use to mock, God will judge them. Look at the streets of Lagos, Kano, Aba, and come to the street where you are; one language. There is one common language in Nigeria now; do you know that language? Suffering, that is now our common language. Look at the Dollar, three days ago, it was N930. I don’t know what it is now. But between now and Xmas, with the way things are going, I am sure it is going to be about a thousand. But now, what are we doing about it? Are there no intellectuals in this country? When you gather people of my age or above my age, look, no matter how brilliant I am, my age. The life we are living is a contemporary life for the youths.
Q……
WHAT IS YOUR ADVICE FOR THE NIGERIAN YOUTH?
A………
With all due respect, without aggrandizement or patronizing anybody, the greatest youths that you can find in the world are the NIGERIAN Youths. They are brilliant, they are creative. In every sphere of development, you will see them. Education, academia, they are always on top. It is the diligent plans and sincere efforts of those who are older to suppress them. That is why you see the youths doing what they are doing. It is a calculated attempt by those in power; the political class. They want to make sure that they suppress through their policies and all they are doing.
The youths are now forced to live a deferent sort of life. In this country, we had bursary. The youths were appreciated by past administrations but not the present ones. We had bursaries, once you are leaving school, your job is almost ready. Once you make a First Class, even the greatest will grab you. You make aggregate 9, Grade 1,2 or 3, your admission is waiting already. Scouts are already there scouting you for their company to give you a job just because of your result.
Things have changed. Don’t blame the youths it is the older generation. They now take their children person to person.
Look at the music industry, see what the youths are doing there, look at Nollywood, they are there. Look at the academia they are there. Look at everywhere; creativity yet nobody is encouraging them. These guys are just deliberate in their efforts to dampen the morale of the youths. Let me tell you, the political class, either in Nigeria or abroad, they will tell you they don’t enjoy Colorado, Colorado is against the law and that is that. But the flipside of it is that the youths are dying. They enjoying it and they are getting more older than the older ones. The bad side is that the contemporary age is for the youths. They day It will erupt, they won’t be able to stand it.
YOUR ADVICE TO THEY GOVERNMENT?
They are there now; either they put themselves there, I don’t know, if it is God who put them there, I don’t know. My advice to them is let them show mercy. A bag of rice is now over forty thousand, school fees are increasing, universities are going autonomous and increasing fees, the poor are now using gas to fuel their generators and they have decided to increase the price. They mock the poor, they should know that if they continue like this, one day their day will come and there will be no mercy for them
