How Pastor Adeboye influenced 2015 British & Nigeria Elections
By Apostle Olusegun Oyewole JP Esq
When I attended the Festival of Life in London in 2003, I was overwhelmed with the numbers of Nigerians residing in London as the hall was filled to capacity. It was estimated that about 30,000 people graced that occasion. When Daddy GO as fondly called; made the usual altar call, before the count of 10, I saw thousands of people running to the front to give their lives to Christ. What perturbed me most, I must confess about the population of Nigerians in London was because I was a J-J –C in London particularly given how difficult it was for me to obtain my travelling entry visa to U.K and seeing the sea of Nigerians in London makes me wonder how they got into London that much.
In that Festival of Life programme, Daddy GO prophesied that Nigeria will one day lead the world and every Black will be proud to be called a Nigerian. I took that prophesy with a pinch of salt. Not that I do not believe in the man of God, but how I see and view my country, Nigeria and Nigerians was far below that prophetic declaration.
Time and events that shaped human or nation’s destiny began to unfold. While I was in U.K studying Law at Teesside University in Middlesbrough, I read in London Sun Newspapers of 15th November 2007 that the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall attended a special thanksgiving service to mark his 60th birthday at one of London’s largest black majority churches, Jesus House, a parish of Redeemed Christian Church of God where he paid tribute to the contribution of black churches to their communities in London.
He was quoted as saying: what goes round comes around. Prince Charles said his great grand fathers took the Gospel of Christ to Nigeria, and now Nigerians have brought back the Gospel. As a pastor of a small Church in Middlesbrough where I was a final year Law student then, I was proud of being a Black Christian.
Hear what Prince Charles said that encouraged me to be a good ambassador of the Faith: “You are all a marvelous example of how so many people whose families originate from the Commonwealth, have yourselves brought new life into the Christian church in the United Kingdom thereby completing the cycle started by missionaries from Britain so many years ago. So we have that to thank you for,” he said.
Other attendants of the service were the Mayor of Barnet, the leader of the local council, local MPs and the Bishop of London, the Rt Rev Richard Chartres. The events that followed close to a decade is evident with David Cameron’s visit to Daddy GO, the General Overseer of the same Church.
Let me say this very quickly, what will bring the prophesy of Daddy GO come true and in my own generation, is the Church and it had already begun with the way David Cameron visited Daddy GO in the events leading to the May 2015 British Election and his subsequent election victory with his Conservative Party winning with majority in the British Parliament. Never in history had any British Prime Minister consulted a Nigerian pastor, well, I stand to be corrected, in the course of electioneering campaign. David Cameron did as a Prime Minister, standing re-election bid. When I read the news my mind cast a retrospect to Daddy GO’s 2003 declaration.
The Change syndrome has gone global as Four Nigerians who contested for various seats to represent different county in UK’s parliament won their elections. Helen Grant won the seat for Member of Parliament representing Maidstone and The Weald while Chuka Umunna won the elections to represent Streatham. Kate Osamor won the seat for Edmonton in North London while Chi Onwurah won the seat for New Castle upon Tyne Central. This is Nigeria’s greatest moment.
No doubt Nigeria has become a global player in world affairs, courtesy of the Church. Any careful analyst can now see why General Muhammadu Buhari had to pick Professor Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, a pastor of Redeemed Christian Church of God as his running mate. Why he decided to attend the Church service where Pastor Adeboye conducted the service and prayed for Gen Buhari. The impact of Gen Buhari’s visit to the Church was strongly felt by the PDP that Doyin Okupe disparagingly remarked that Gen Buhari would soon be taking Holy Communion.
The symbiotic relationship between Nigeria and Britain as erstwhile colony of the British Empire is a synergy that brings us good. I can also see why Gen Muhammadu Buhari had to take his campaign to London, and the PDP rather than do same, had to insinuate that Gen Buhari went for medical check-up in London.
Prince Charles said he was “so impressed” by Jesus House’s active involvement in the local community. Members of the congregation run yearly free car wash events and the Spreading Christmas Cheer programme, where they work in London Underground stations giving away hot drinks and mince pies. They also visit the elderly and drop-in centres.
Permit me to mention here that just a year before this, I was honoured with a Commendation Award of Citizen of the Year 2006 because of my contributions to Middlesbrough community as founder of Faith Community Project [FACOP] piloting ‘Use –the – Bin project”, which was reported in Evening Gazette, a U.K newspapers dated 18th May, 2006.
It no news now that in U.K Black Christians are evangelizing the White British and winning them back to Christ. I am sure David Cameron will be at the Festival of Life for his thanksgiving service. My prayer now is that Daddy GO should please invade Jerusalem with his global soul-winning mandate and arrest the trend in Jerusalem which was 100 percent Christian in 1948 but today astronomically reduced to 30 percent. Nigeria shall surely lead the world.