Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye, General
Overseer, The Redeemed Christian Church of
God on Friday at the first Friday prayer night disclosed how he loved his best food Pounded Yam with Vegetable. Daddy GO popularly called will turn 74 years old on 2 March,
2016.
During his sermon titled "Arresting the Arrester", Pastor told the congregation two types of Arresters that is Internal and External arrester.
Baba Adeboye emphasized on internal arrester as oneself, the love of food is one of them.
He shared his experience on how he was given a pounded yam to eat being him many years ago and God instructed him not to eat. Because of hid love for pounded and bushmeat with vegetable, he disobeyed God and ate it. He later discovered the reasons why God onstructed him.not to eat.the food as at that time.
To this end, we have his life, family,
call to the ministry, the political situation of the
country and other sundry issues. Excerpts of the
interview with Sunday Alabi, Adetunji
Adeyombo, Tunde Opalana, Tolu Olamiriki and
Taiwo Olanrewaju.
Can you tell us about your person, your
background, early childhood and educational
attainment?
I was born on 2nd of March, 1942 in a city, I
will call it a city, a city called Ifewara. I
attended St. Stephen Primary School, Ifewara
between 1948 and 1955. I was at Ilesa Grammar
School between 1956 and 1960 after which I
taught as a pupil teacher in L.A. Modern School
from 1960 to 1962. Then I taught at Ondo Boys’
High School for nine months in 1963 after
which I went to the University of Nigeria,
Nsukka. But as a result of the civil war, I came
over to what used to be known as the University
of Ife, now Obafemi Awolowo University, to
finish my First Degree after which I went to Oke
Igbo-Ifetedo Grammar School to teach.
Thereafter, I went to the University of Lagos for
my Master’s Degree between 1969 and 1971. I
went back to Oke Igbo Grammar School again to
teach because I had a bond then with them for
five years. But I didn’t feel comfortable having
a M.Sc Degree in Mathematics and teaching in a
Grammar School, so after one year they
forfeited the rest of my bond, so I was able to
come back to the University of Lagos to continue
with my studies for Ph. D in Mathematics. I was
lecturing in the university as well as pursuing
my Ph. D since I already had my Master’s
Degree in 1974. I taught at the University of
Lagos till 1979 before I moved over to the
University of Ilorin for a session. Then from
there, the call to the ministry came, to the
Redeemed Christian Church of God and I think
you know the rest.
As an academic, a mathematician, you had the
ambition of becoming Nigeria’s youngest Vice
Chancellor. What derailed that?
Well, I have shared the testimony that I had a
problem that all my mathematics couldn’t solve.
The problem had to do with one of my children
who had a sickness that the doctors couldn’t
handle and somebody referred me to the
Redeemed Christian Church of God. I got there,
they prayed for the child and the child was
made whole. Well, they were alright, I must
confess I didn’t like their mode of worship, their
worship was too noisy for me. But the first
thing that attracted me to the Redeemed
Christian Church of God was their sincerity and
their fervour. Whatever they were doing, they
were doing it with their whole heart, they were
not pretending. I also saw in the faces of the
leaders, they were always contented, they
looked as if they had no problem in the world at
all, they had peace more than anything else.
Fortunately for me, they didn’t solve the
problem of my child immediately, they kept on
saying I must surrender my life to Jesus Christ, I
must confess my sins to Him, which irritated me
to start with because I felt that I didn’t know
about sin. What they were calling sin then by
my own interpretation was just a way of life.
We were doing everything everybody was
doing. You have a wife in the house, one or two
girlfriends by the side. That was what
everybody was doing. But after about one
month, suddenly the message penetrated and I
suddenly realised that they were not asking me
to surrender to any man, they were asking me
to surrender to my God, my maker. I grew up in
a home where you can’t call it holiness but at
least where they taught us to fear God. After I
grew up, particularly around the time I was
about to enter the university, all these pranks
became the order of the day. I remembered
those days when early piety became the order of
the day and I thought it was a good time really.
Then I felt if what these people are saying is
that I should return to those days, then why not.
I went forward, gave my life to Jesus Christ and
everything changed. Everything changed since
then till now.
Many people describe you as a David while others
call you Prophet Elisha so that you can get the
double portion. How would you describe yourself?
That somebody calls me a David is quite
interesting. I am hearing it from you for the
first time. But it is interesting because I
remember the first play I acted in the primary
school way back in 1951 or so, I played the role
of David. So when I heard you say David, maybe
there is something about that. Maybe there is
something about David in me, I don’t know.
And somebody said Elisha, that is interesting
too. I love Elisha passionately and I spent more
than three years studying him. I studied Elijah
and I like Elijah, I like his power, I like his
ability to pray and get results in split seconds.
Later I found out that Elisha was a better fellow,
he is fuller. I can say Elijah is a caterpillar but I
regard Elisha as a tractor. I like Elisha a lot. But
what is also interesting was that my mother said
to me by the time she was taking me for
baptism in the Anglican way, you have to
choose a Christian name and she wanted to
choose Elisha but when she got there, she forgot
the name and she chose Enoch. I would rather
say that I am Enoch because that is what my
mother finally chose. There is something I like
about Enoch, that is, he walked with God. He
walked with God in holiness, he walked with
God in purity. The Bible says Enoch walked with
God and God took him, he didn’t die, God just
took him. He walked with God till he walked
away. This is the way I want to go. If the Lord
tarries, I just want to walk away to heaven. Go
to church, have a nice time, eat pounded yam
and go. No sickness, no ache, no pain, no
problem. That is the way I want to go. But I also
like the anointing of Elisha. So maybe just
combine all of them; David, Elijah, Elisha, but
make sure you give prominence to Enoch.
Sir, what are the challenges you face?
The challenges I face? Well, it struck me that
many people that left the Redeemed Christian
Church of God before I became the General
Overseer really were the older pastors. Believe
me honestly, I think I can understand why.
Number one, some of them had been with the
Church since the church started in 1952, we
came in 1973, but God told the General Overseer
then that I was to succeed him. I didn’t like the
idea, all I was interested in was my career in
the university. But he heard it from God and as
a matter of fact, I heard it from God before he
heard it from God but I wasn’t going to take it at
all. So, then of course, I was the most educated
and I felt that those elderly pastors were a bit
afraid (let me use the word very carefully),
afraid of what could happen if a man with a
Ph.D. could become the General Overseer, will
there be room for those who were not highly
educated? I think that was their fear and I think
everybody wants to be secured and there was
nothing I could do to convince them that as soon
as I take over, I won’t want to turn the church
around. So that was why they left. There were
not too many of them and they were all elderly
pastors. The youths of course were extremely
happy and many of the old men and women felt
that we go with whatever the old man says. If I
had any challenge at all, it was merging the old
with the new. The old were set in their ways
and the young who were a bit more progressive
and aggressive, so I had to maintain the balance
so that the young would not spite the old
because I valued the old. An adage says “make
new friends but keep the old”. I value the old
because of their level of experience and
experience is the best teacher. The elders would
say that you can have as many clothes as an
elder but you can never have as many rags, so I
value the old. But of course I know that if the
church was to become what God wants it to
become, I have to use the youth to take the
Church to where it is going to be. So, I know I
have to go with the youth. And since I became
the General Overseer, going with the youth
without jettisoning the old has been the biggest
challenge.
Miracle is a feature of the Christian faith, what was
the first miracle the Lord performed through you?
When you are talking about miracles, they fall
into different categories.
I mean healing miracle
Oh! you are talking about the first healing
miracle. The first one I can say is spectacular,
because there are several others, the first was
the healing of a dumb child. The mother
brought the child, the child was babbling a lot,
the child was eleven or twelve years old and has
never spoken all her life and the mother
brought her, she said this my child is dumb. I
was going to pray like any other pastor and
believe that over the next weeks or months, the
child will begin to talk or something. As I lay
my hand on that child and I said, “In The Name
of Jesus”, the child said “Amen”. This frightened
me that I nearly jumped out of the window
because I was not expecting the child to speak
even after I have prayed and I have not prayed.
All I have said was, “In The Name of Jesus” and
the child said “Amen”. Of course, the mother
was on the floor rolling and there was no need
to pray any more. I believe God did it that way
so that I won’t take any credit for it. Not just
because I prayed, but because God just wanted
to perform the miracle.
When exactly was that sir?
It was a long time ago. I am sorry I cannot
remember.
How did you meet Mummy G.O?
That is quite an interesting story, so I will tell
you. I said when I was growing up, I grew up
where piety was the order of the day. I can still
say very proudly today that all my elder sisters,
when they got married, they were virgins. That
was how rigid my parents were. I was raised up
like that. Then as I grow, I became a sports
man, my hobby happens to be photography.
That is a dangerous combination for a young
man because it opens the door to having as
many girlfriends as possible. Ladies love a
sportsman particularly if he is winning medals
and if you are a photographer and always take
pictures of women. So, I ended up having so
many girlfriends to the extent that at a point in
time, I didn’t even know their numbers. And I
have fun of giving them various days of the
year as my birthday. To one girlfriend, my
birthday will be January something, to another,
it may be September something. The reason of
course is that when I’m celebrating, only one
girlfriend would show up. So, the birthday is for
you as a particular person. And I expect of
course on my birthday, that the girlfriend
should bring a gift. When it was the turn of the
lady I married, she sent me a gift. I was at
Nsukka when she was in Ibadan. She posted the
gift to arrive on my birthday and it was a small
parcel. As soon as I collected the parcel at the
Post Office, I said ah, this one has lost. She
wants to marry me an undergraduate of the
University of Nigeria, Nsukka and she is sending
me this kind of a gift. Then I opened the gift
and it was a New Testament Bible and two
snow-white handkerchiefs. I said she has lost
double now. Can you imagine sending a Bible to
me on my birthday? But before that day was
over, I have written off the other girls. It was as
if the Bible was charmed (I’m using the word
charmed the way a sinner will use it). I just
found that from the Post Office to my hostel,
something came over me and all of a sudden I
began to remember my days when I used to be
a holy boy and said this girl is calling me back
to my former days, the handkerchiefs were so
white and of course I knew this is the girl I
would marry. I didn’t sleep that night until I
have written the others to tell them sorry, no
quarrel but let us go our various ways. That is
how that one happened.
But did you tell her your real birthday ?
Ehn! She discovered that one later when
everything was settled, then she discovered the
correct birthday.
As the transition progresses, some are saying the
elections may afterall not hold in April but August.
What exactly is God’s position on this and what is
your advice to politicians concerning the elections ?
By the grace of the Almighty God, we are
focusing on April and not August for the
elections. The position of God is very clear. And
my advice is that only if Nigerians could return
to God, only if we will let go our selfish
ambitions, our selfish aspirations and just let
God prevail. We would not only become the
greatest in Africa, we would become the greatest
in the world. I am convinced of that. That is
going to happen anyway, that Nigeria is going
to be the greatest country in the world, that one
is a foregone conclusion because my Daddy told
me that years ago. How soon is left to us. If we
all turn to Him now, within a decade, the whole
world would be saying there is no country like
Nigeria. If we follow our own ways and if we
continue to go contrary to His will, then He will
still achieve what He wants to achieve, but it
will take a little longer.
But Sir, as a person and as a Nigerian, are you
worried about the build*up towards the April
general elections?
Not a bit because I know that the Almighty God
is in absolute control. If God is in control, why
should you worry? I remember the story of a
woman in Britain during the World War when
Germany was bombing London. When the siren
sounded, everybody would go and hide in the
underground till the “all clear” is sounded
again. When you get to the underground and
you don’t find anybody, then you know that the
bomb must have got him. So there was a
particular period when the bombing went on
for three days non-stop and the people looked
for one elderly woman, a very good Christian
and they couldn’t find her and they say, “ah!
Mama is gone.” When the “all clear” was
sounded and they came out, they found the
woman alive and healthy.
They asked her “what happened where were
you?” She said, “why should I fear when God
doesn’t sleep or slumber. He doesn’t need sleep,
He keeps on watching over me, I need sleep.
When the siren sounded, I kept on sleeping,
because the One who watches me keeps on
watching.” So, the One who is watching over
Adeboye is watching, he is not worried over any
build-up. Like I told you, all this confusion that
is happening, God has a hand in it because He
wants to, out of the confusion, bring out
something. When He said “let there be light,”
the Bible says the earth was without form,
confusion was reigning, everything was dark.
Then he said, let there be light and in an
instant, there was light. That is what I expect to
see in Nigeria. He would speak again and say let
there be light and there will be light.
With the Redeemed Christian Church of God
spreading across the globe, what is your vision for
the church?
I think it is only a fool who will be proud when
he hasn’t done anything. We haven’t even
started. So if you are proud when you haven’t
started, then you are finished before you
started, that is on one side. Secondly, there is
nothing in my life that is not attributable to
God. When what you have done or what you
have is as a result of your own ability, that is
when you would want to say I am proud of my
achievements. I studied Mathematics, I am not
even allowed to use it now. I never went to
Bible college, which is a pity, I wish I did, so I
can’t say that I’m preaching because I went to a
very good Bible college. Like the example I gave
you, the first miracle that happened, I have not
prayed before He healed the child. So, how can I
say here comes a proud miracle worker? It
wasn’t my prayer. I just said in the name of
Jesus and the fellow spoke. So, everything has
been Him and Him alone. To Him be all the
glory.
With all that God has done, how could you say you
haven’t started?
As to this, the vision of the church is simple. We
want to make heaven, we want to take as many
people with us as possible to heaven. To achieve
this we want to establish a branch of the church
within five minutes distance of one another and
we want to have at least one member of the
Redeemed Christian Church of God in every
family of the world. When you consider that,
then you know we haven’t started.
We don’t even have a branch of the church in
every five minutes walking distance in Nigeria
not to talk of the whole world, so you know we
have a long, long way. Well, thank God we are
in about 100 nations of the world, but then that
is still a far cry from our aim. And in some of
the nations we just have one little church
hidden somewhere. In some of the nations, we
are not even registered even though we are
there. But a time will come when we will
officially be all over the world, in all the nations
and you would get to every home and you will
find at least a member of the Redeemed
Christian Church of God. When that has
happened, then we have arrived.
The RCCG invests heavily in establishing
educational institutions, why and how many schools
presently belong to the church?
I believe the next to salvation (when I say
salvation, I mean salvation of your soul and
everything that goes with it: baptism, the Holy
Spirit etc), what everybody should have is
education. I don’t know where I would be today
if God does not allow me to be educated. My
father was not an extremely rich man. Let me
put it in a polite way. The truth of the matter is
that he was such a poor man that even the poor
in the village called him poor. Of course, he had
a very good name because the people in the
village were struggling to marry my sisters.
They wanted to marry into a good home and all
my elderly brothers, not a single one of them
have problem getting a girl to marry as poor as
we were because of the good name of my
parents. And if my dad was poor and being a
farmer which means he had a very limited land
to cultivate. He had four boys by the other wife
and myself from my mother’s side because he
had two wives. Then by the law of our town as
at then, the land was to be divided into four,
one part given to each boy. If the land was too
small for him, how small would then be my
portion? A one quarter of the land of the man
who poor people called poor. So you know what
could have been my situation. The only avenue
out of that curable poverty was education.
Young as I was way back in 1955, I knew that
that was the only way out for me. That is why
when I gained admission into Ilesa Grammar
School and my parents said they were not going
to pay my school fees because there was no
money to pay, I went on hunger strike as young
as I was, I said I would not eat unless you send
me to school. Because I knew that is the only
way out for me.
I know what education had done for me. I know
with all humility that a little bit of Mathematics
come into my preaching. In Mathematics, we
talk of Equation Y, Equation X and so on, in my
preaching I love to say, point one, point two
and so on. So, a little bit of this is still there.
That is why we want to do our best concerning
education of the people. We have nursery and
primary schools, we have secondary schools and
now we have the university. We already have
one college of technology, we intend to build
another one, to be a vocational school. We want
to do whatever we can education wise. If you
put all our schools together now, we probably
have about sixty something of them and the
number would keep on increasing.
