Although she’s not a professional musician, Prophetess Adetutu Jakande is one of the industrious women shaping the music business. The CEO of Angel Global Promotions’ tentacles are spread from Africa to Europe. While musicians take the centerstage, women entrepreneurs shape the music industry from backstage, bringing established music talents to world’s audiences and making emerging talents to find their voice. In this interview, the UK based society lady speaks about her success in the music promotion business, the challenges of making a name, her kind of personality, and more.

The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of First Bank Nigeria Limited, Dr. Adesola Adeduntan, in this interview with THISDAY reviewed the performance of the global economy in 2022 and advised businesses and their bankers to approach 2023 with a partnership mindset to ensure that a win-win outcome is achieved despite the anticipated macroeconomic challenges. Excerpts:

What are your forecasts and anticipations for the global economy in 2023?

I would like to start by noting that 2022 was indeed a turbulent year for the global economy. In 2022, the global economy witnessed record high inflation rates with the attendant high cost of living across several economies. The elevated inflationary rates were attributed to the aftereffects of the Covid-19 pandemic as well as the Russian-Ukraine crisis. In its last World Economic Outlook report, the IMF projected a 2.7 per cent global growth rate in 2023, lower than the 3.2 per cent in 2022. The 2023 projection will be the weakest global growth profile since 2001 except for the global financial crisis year and the acute phase of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. In my view, in 2023, we will likely witness slower growth across several global economies due to lingering trade tensions as the impact of the Russia-Ukraine crisis will still weigh heavily on global trade flows. However, we may witness a decline in commodity prices as more import-dependent countries explore alternative sourcing options for these commodities. Inflationary pressures will however reduce as the impact of rising monetary policy rates continues to yield expected outcomes. The removal of COVID-19 restrictions in China should lead to a boost in global economic output. Oil prices are expected to remain largely elevated as tensions between Russia and Ukraine lingers, so energy prices will remain high. The transition to other sustainable forms of energy may also be accelerated by the prolonged crisis.

Given the tepid growth associated with the global economy in 2022, developing countries have been having difficulties in refinancing their foreign debt, do you see a gloomy impact on the economies of the developing countries in 2023 as a result?

With slowing growth and elevated inflation rates, the sustainability of foreign debts, especially for developing nations, is likely to call for a re-evaluation by lenders given the increased likelihood of default. When this is juxtaposed with the higher interest rate environment at which these debts are likely to be refinanced, you will observe a scenario where further strain is exerted on the debt repayment capacity of these economies. However, this situation does not necessarily translate to an automatic economic doom for developing nations. The actual impact on each developing economy will depend on the economy’s level of fiscal discipline and revenue generating capacity. Developing nations who are able, in the short term, to increase revenues either from taxes or sale/refinancing of idle/sub-optimal assets will be able to negotiate reasonable refinancing terms from lenders and prevent further economic turmoil. Nonetheless, all concerned nations need to take the issue of debt sustainability more seriously by limiting fiscal wastages, reducing inefficiencies, growing revenues, and aggressively working down unsustainable debt-to-GDP levels that may worsen the impacts of external shocks.

Do you think that the corporate default and NPL would increase in 2023 due to the current economic headwinds?

Expectedly, rising cost of debt and contracting demand will exacerbate the challenges that businesses will face in 2023, particularly for players operating in small-margins sectors of the economy. Locally, the surging inflation rate is sure to reduce disposable income of most consumers and demand for non-essential goods and services may dip. To prevent rising non-performing loans (NPLs), businesses and their bankers will have to collaborate more and ensure timely flow of information to prevent surprises. Banks on their part will have to improve monitoring of their loan portfolio to quickly identify early warning signals for attention before a full-scale loan deterioration. Overall, businesses and their bankers must approach 2023 with a partnership mindset to ensure that a win-win outcome is achieved despite the anticipated macroeconomic challenges.

With the tightening financial conditions which has partly led to slow global economic growth, what opportunities do you think exist in 2023 for players in the financial services industry?

Despite the expected macroeconomic challenges in 2023, there are also emerging business and revenue opportunities that can be exploited by discerning players in the financial services industry.  Specifically, the following areas will provide significant opportunity to players in the financial services industry:

Payments: The Central Bank of Nigeria’s renewed drive on cashless policy has provided an opportunity for players in the financial services industry to enhance existing digital product offerings and create more attractive product offerings that will further reduce frictions in the payment process. This will help to reduce the financial exclusion gap, increase fees and commissions revenues, and improve overall viability and stability of the financial system.

Digital Security: Increasing adoption of digital payments platforms will necessitate increased requirement for the security of payment channels. Thus, opportunities exist for players in the financial services industry to leverage robotics and artificial intelligence to improve security protocols on digital payment channels.

M & A Opportunities: with the anticipated pressures on earnings, opportunities exist for big and liquid players to gain additional scale and market share through outright acquisition of fringe players with the right strategic fit. There is also an opportunity for two or more small and/or medium size players to merge their operations/businesses to obtain scale advantage.

Partnerships across Segments: The growing number of Fintechs and licensed Payment Service Banks also presents an opportunity for improved partnerships across various categories of players in the financial services industry for both mutual and industry-wide benefits.

Consumer Lending: Tightening financial conditions of the average household will create opportunities for consumer loans in several variants such as buy-now-pay-later (BNPL), salary advance, consumer asset finance, etc. The industry is already witnessing a rising trend in the creation of digital consumer loan product offerings. This is likely to intensify in 2023.

What are the key events that will shape 2023 domestic economic outlook and how strategically positioned is FirstBank to manage the challenges and opportunities?

Three key events will shape the 2023 macroeconomic outlook of Nigeria: The outcome of the 2023 general elections and peaceful political power transition; government’s ability to curb crude oil theft and increase production to meet OPEC quota; and successful removal of petrol subsidy. For us at FirstBank, we are strategically positioned to take advantage of and harness the opportunities that the three key events will bring as well as successfully ride the waves of any challenges that may arise. For over 128 years, FirstBank has built the capabilities and competencies required to succeed and thrive in any macroeconomic situation. As a Bank, our belief and commitment to the domestic economy is unwavering – FirstBank is truly woven into the fabric of the society.

How will you define the trends we saw in the banking sector landscape in 2022?

2022 was quite an eventful year and some visible trends emerged. I would like to classify the trends as follows:

Financial System Trends: The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) raised the monetary policy rate and the cash reserve ratio, cumulatively, by 500 basis points to 16.5 per cent and 32.5 per cent, respectively as a way of enforcing liquidity tightening measures to curb rising inflation. In the same vein, the interest rate on savings accounts was restored to the pre-pandemic levels of 30% of MPR within the year thereby increasing the interest expense profile of banks. In addition, the paucity of foreign exchange exerted considerable pressure on banks’ foreign currency (FCY) trade lines in the course of the year, forcing banks to explore alternative ways to meet customers’ foreign currency needs, including deliberate focus on supporting and promoting non-oil export businesses and transactions.

Technological Trends: The banking sector witnessed an increase in technological innovations, as the industry strived to meet the ever-evolving customer needs. In Nigeria, FirstBank was at the forefront of the technological trend, as we successfully launched a Digital Experience Center, a fully automated branch to meet our customer needs, while providing a unique and wholesome experience. FirstBank also launched robotics process automation initiative, FirstRobotics, that uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to handle high volume transactions The industry also witnessed increasing collaboration of banks and fintechs in 2022; enhanced digital product offerings, especially the rise in digital loans and advances; and an overall increase in acceptance of digital product offerings by banks and other financial services players.

Customer Trends: In 2022, we witnessed an increasing shift in emphasis from consumer banking to lifestyle banking in a bid to capture more of the customers’ journey. This shift has been hugely supported by technology as customer trends can now be easily identified, and new product offerings developed to meet customer needs. The emigration trend witnessed in the past year also led to a boost in the industry’s diaspora customer base, leading to increased focus on meeting the needs of this peculiar customer segment.

Employee Trends: The banking industry, probably like any other industry in Nigeria, has seen significant attrition in the number of employees due to increased relocation to other countries (popularly known as Japa) in 2022. This has impacted the industry’s skill base and execution capabilities especially in critical areas of the industry. While this may be a national challenge, more creative ways must be explored to retain scarce talents for national development.

The Central Bank of Nigeria and the Federal Government have set a target of 95 per cent financial inclusion by 2024, how realistic is this target and what role will First Bank be playing to support the government achieve this target?

Financial inclusion is usually seen as the gateway to economic prosperity as it signals the first step in the journey to financial freedom. In 2012, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) had unveiled its National Financial Inclusion Strategy with the principal goal of reducing the nation’s financial exclusion rate to 20 per cent of the adult population by 2020. Although this goal was not achieved (as financial exclusion rate stood at 35.9 per cent at the end of that period), the nation had nonetheless made giant strides in raising financial inclusion levels from that take-off point. As such, while the CBN’s revised target of 95 per cent financial inclusion rate by 2024 may be audacious, it is achievable given the level of financial awareness that has already been created in previous years which has raised financial literacy among the average citizenry. In addition, in view of the additional investments and infrastructural base that is available in the country, more mileage can be made now than ever before. It should also be noted that the Central Bank of Nigeria has been deliberate in pursuing its financial inclusion agenda through the licensing of several players/operators in the financial services industry, including fintechs, mobile money operators, Payment Service Banks (PSBs), Microfinance Banks/institutions, new deposit money banks (DMBs), etc. As such, several players are making various attempts at solving the same problem which will significantly increase the likelihood of success. As the foremost financial institution in Nigeria, FirstBank has always collaborated with the Central Bank and the Nigerian government to push several national initiatives, particularly as it relates to the financial services industry. Specifically, FirstBank’s Firstmonie Agent Network is fully aligned with improving financial inclusion in Nigeria. With over 196,000 agents spread across 772 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Nigeria and many of the agents operating from 512 LGAs without a FirstBank branch, the Bank has been a clear partner to the Central Bank of Nigeria in improving financial inclusion in the country. FirstBank’s USSD (*894#) product, which is demographically positioned for the unbanked, has over 14 million users with more than 261 million unique transactions, worth over NGN1.1 trillion processed on the platform. FirstBank has been at the forefront of increasing financial inclusion in Nigeria and will continue to play its part until every adult in Nigeria is adequately banked.

What is your take on two recent policies of the CBN – the naira redesign and the cash withdrawal limits?

The CBN as the apex regulator of the financial services industry has overall responsibility to ensure the soundness of the nation’s financial systems. In discharging this responsibility, it develops policies that are meant to strengthen the monetary environment and stimulate further economic development of the country – the recent naira redesign and cash withdrawal limits policies are part of its core mandate. As noted by the CBN, the naira redesign will improve both the integrity of the local legal tender and the efficiency of its supply, thus addressing a situation where 80 per cent of currency in circulation is outside the banking system. To aid its implementation, the CBN has also suspended charges on cash deposits to encourage everyone to deposit old naira notes in the Banks. The new N200, N500 & N1000 notes which came into circulation on 15th December 2022 will co-exist with the old notes until 31st January 2023 when the old notes will cease to be legal tender in Nigeria.

Similarly, the cash withdrawal policy which will limit weekly cash withdrawals by individuals and companies to N500,000.00 and N5,000,000.00 respectively, is expected to accelerate Nigeria’s transition to a digital economy. The policy which comes into effect from January 9, 2023, will present the added advantage of bringing more people into the banking system thus improving financial inclusion. At FirstBank, we view both policies as business enablers with bright prospects and we are poised to take maximum advantage of the opportunities they bring to improve our service offerings and the overall experience of our customers.

FirstBank has a lot of Firstmonie agents scattered around the country, how will the cash withdrawal limit affect their operations?

As at November 2022, FirstBank has over 196,000 Firstmonie agents spread across 772 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Nigeria. These agents have also processed over 1.16 billion transactions valued at N26.52 trillion. About 45 per cent of our Firstmonie Agent network are in rural areas, 18 per cent located in semi-urban areas and only 37 per cent are in urban areas. Beyond Cash-in-Cash-Out (CICO) transactions, these agents also render other services such as account opening, airtime purchase, bill payment, government-revenue collection, transfer and disbursement, mobile-money (wallet creations, deposits, withdrawals), bank verification number (BVN) enrollment and other non-bank ecosystem value-added support services, in line with CBN’s guideline for Mobile Money and Agent Banking businesses. These services have helped to bring banking services closer to local communities thereby empowering them and facilitating their economic development. Through Firstmonie, FirstBank provides convenient low-cost financial access for millions of Nigerians in rural areas. Therefore, given the spread of our agent banking network and the scope of services they offer, the cash withdrawal limit is not likely to have an adverse effect on their operations.  In reality, we see it as an enabler that will bring more people into the banking system. The new cash withdrawal limit will help to drive the penetration and uptake of digital/mobile wallet offerings in the industry.

FBN Holdings doubled its Q3 2022 profit to N105 billion and the performance by the bank was the major contributor, can you take us through the drivers of the impressive Q3 result?

FirstBank’s Q3 2022 results reflect the robustness of our business model and go-to market approach even in a challenging business and operating environment. The impressive profitability performance was driven by the resilient execution of our strategy and transformation program. Specifically, FirstBank delivered a 42.4 per cent year-on-year (yoy) increase in interest income on the back of yield optimisation on existing assets and addition of about N700 billion to the risk asset portfolio. Also, the bank recorded a decent 6.8 per cent growth in fees and commission within the period driven by significant improvements in LC commissions, account maintenance charges etc. The bank also recorded over 47 per cent y-o-y increase in other operating income within the same period. Overall, I would say that the results are a clear outcome of the collective efforts and resilience of the entire staff and the Board of Directors of the FirstBank Group in deliberately executing on our transformation agenda.  We remain confident that our growth trajectory is sustainable, and we are focused on delivering on our 2020 – 2024 strategic ambition of accelerated growth in profitability through customer-led innovation and disciplined execution.

What is the level of non-performing loans and what has the bank been doing to reduce it?

FirstBank Group has achieved great strides in reducing its NPL from double-digit in 2016 to below regulatory benchmark of five per cent in Q3 2022, which attest to the fact that the bank is strong and resilient.  FirstBank has, in the recent years, built an enduring risk culture and governance systems, as well as strengthened its risk management infrastructure through technology, process automation and specialised training.

Few years ago, FirstBank embarked on a business expansion drive within the continent, can you take us through the performance of your subsidiaries in the continent?

FirstBank embarked on its African expansion in 2011. Today, the Bank is present in six other African markets namely: Ghana, Senegal, Sierra Leone, The Gambia, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Guinea. As part the 2020 – 2024 strategic plan, FirstBank refreshed its vision to be “Africa’s Bank of First Choice” to serve as an anchor for its renewed African expansion drive. As such, the Bank is exploring entry into additional high-impact African markets. While the growth journey of each African subsidiary is different, we are extremely proud of the investments that we have made in these markets and the positive contributions we are beginning to see from each subsidiary. Overall, I would like to note that all our African subsidiaries are making positive contributions to the Group in terms of profitability.

How is the bank positioning to take advantage of the AfCFTA?

The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement has created the largest free trade area in the world (measured by the number of participating countries) as it involves most of the 55-member countries of the African Union with a combined Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of $3.4 trillion and connects 1.3 billion people across the continent.  According to the World Bank, the AfCFTA has the potentials to lift 30 million people out of extreme poverty and raise the incomes of 68 million others who live on less than $5.50 per day. It also has the potentials to drive $292 billion in income gains for participating members. FirstBank is already actively playing in seven African countries with plans to enter additional high-impact African markets in the short to medium term. The bank has also institutionalised a collaboration framework across all operating jurisdictions to ensure clients operating in multiple African jurisdictions can be effectively served across the network. The bank has developed special products (known as First Global Transfer) to facilitate regional payments for our pan-African clients in addition to our online and digital platforms. On the part of the customers, FirstBank has conducted several non-oil export seminars to raise awareness levels on the opportunities presented by AfCFTA and equip our clients with the right knowledge to exploit these opportunities. As a bank, we view AfCFTA as an enabler of our corporate vision and we will continue to ensure the right investments are made to capture the opportunities it presents.

Your UK subsidiary recently marked its 40th anniversary, what was the journey like in that 40 years and looking ahead, what should customers be expecting from FirstBank in UK?

FirstBank’s foray into the United Kingdom (UK) forty years ago is a clear demonstration of uncommon foresight by the leadership of the Bank. Given the burgeoning trade relations between Nigeria and the then European Union (which included the UK) and the growing status of London as a leading global financial center, the decision to establish a subsidiary of FirstBank in the UK could not have been better made. Since commencement of operations in the UK, FBNBank UK has provided a bridge for Nigerian firms with interests in the UK to achieve their financial goals and meet their banking needs. FBNBank UK has provided trade and correspondent banking relationships that have facilitated the achievements of several Nigerian and indeed other African entities’ trade objectives. This is in addition to offering other services such as advisory, mortgage and investment products to its clientele base. FBNBank UK has also provided access to foreign capital markets to African firms and countries to raise much-needed capital that have contributed to the economic transformation of the African continent. As we look to the future, customers of FBNBank UK can be assured of the same excellent services they have become accustomed to with more innovative products that will help them solve their emerging needs.

We saw the licencing of a few banks in 2022 and the industry becoming more competitive, why should your customers continue to bank with FirstBank?

Indeed, the industry has changed and will continue to evolve at a faster pace with the competitive landscape becoming more challenging because of the inter-play of several actors – new banks, fintechs, etc. However, customers will continue to gravitate towards institutions that provide the best digital banking services that address their changing needs for convenience, speed, and security. With over 128 years’ experience in this market, we believe that FirstBank is well positioned to continue to delivery excellent customer experience and thrive. Our customers can bank on our commitment to continuously re-invent our processes and products to meet both their present and future financial needs. The bank will intensify ongoing efforts to simplify banking for every customer segment leveraging cutting-edge digital capabilities and platforms that make banking more seamless. Combining our deep local knowledge of this market with our unmatched physical presence, FirstBank customers will always have an edge over their competitors. Our rich bouquet of products and service offerings also guarantees there will always be the right product for every customer, with each customer interaction constantly made better through data-driven insights. Our “You First” brand promise to our customers is a commitment that will always keep us on our toes until every customer’s financial needs are excellently satisfied. Overall, to the customers, we commit to provide the best value proposition and deliver exceptional customer experience.

FirstBank has made good progress in positively impacting the communities where it operates. Can you speak about some of these?

At FirstBank, we are committed to nation-building and have been driving sustainable social, economic and environmental growth for over 128 years of our existence. Our community development initiatives are anchored on our strategic Education, Health and Welfare pillars. Our engagement in sustainable business practices is based on our promise of enhancing social and economic development as well as contributing to environmental sustainability for the present and future generation.

Our key programmes include Infrastructure Development programme; Endowment programme; Future First (Financial Literacy, Entrepreneurship and Career Counseling); E-Learning Initiative; SPARK (Start Performing Acts of Random Kindness) and CRS Week.  First Bank Infrastructural Development programme is aimed at promoting infrastructure development under its identified areas of support. This includes providing infrastructure facilities in schools, hospitals and environmental infrastructure projects. This is in recognition of the importance of these facilities in improving the quality of life. We have built over 16 infrastructure projects which include universities and secondary and primary schools. The FutureFirst programme in partnership with Junior Achievement Nigeria has impacted Over 1,000,000 people across the regions of the country including Lagos, Port Harcourt and Abuja with knowledge of financial literacy and entrepreneurship. Over 175,000 students have benefitted from the E-learning initiative thus far. This include 20,000 indigent students that have received free low-end devices preloaded with accredited content. SPARK which was introduced in the maiden edition of the Corporate Responsibility & Sustainability (CR&S) week in 2017 espouses reigniting our values which appear to be eroding fast.

The initiative focuses on creating and reinforcing an attitude of going beyond just meeting the material needs of people who are unable to help themselves to showing compassion, empathy, affection. In 2022, over 8 million people were impacted including students underprivileged including widows in 8 countries including United Kingdom, Ghana, DRC, Guinea, Sierra Lone, Senegal & Nigeria.  We had partnerships with over 100 Charities / NGOs including LEAP Africa; International Women Society; UNGC; UN Women; Junior Achievement Nigeria. In addition, one of our long-term approaches to sustainability includes minimising the bank’s direct and indirect impact on the environment. So, beyond our education and health interventions, the bank has been employing international best practices tools to manage risks in the lending process in accordance with our subsisting Environmental Social and Governance Management System. Over N6.2 trillion worth of transactions were screened for ESG risks. We are partnering at the moment with the National Conservation Foundation on the Green Recovery Nigeria (GRN), as part of the Bank’s climate initiative which includes driving afforestation and reforestation.

Prophet Ezekiel Odedoyin is the general overseer of Christ for All Souls Ministry. Ever since he accepted the calling, God has used him to set the captive free, make the blind see and also to become a blessing to the needy. In this interview, he revealed his life experience, how he was called and some of the challenges.

Excerpt…  

As the brain behind Christ for All Soul Ministry, can you briefly tell us about you and how the ministry started?

I want to give grace and honour unto the name of the Lord. I am not the brain behind this ministry. I want to give honour to the Almighty God, the owner of this ministry. He is the owner. I want to appreciate him for choosing a mere servant like me. I was just a mere man I never thought of being a Pastor. I never in my life thought of becoming a Pastor. There was a day I had a dream and I met an old man that told me that he wanted to send me an errand, and he said those people, the so-called Pastors have disappointed him. They have honoured themselves instead of him. He said that I should go and preach about his own name. As He was following me, I was speedily moving but he was moving on the air, he wasn’t using his feet to run, he was moving on the air and I laid down, he stretches his hand forth and the fire from the heaven come upon me and ever since then I began to speak in tongues, I began to perform signs and wonders. When the power came and before then I had a revelation where I saw an angel that said he wanted to take me to a place, he said he wanted to show me something. There was a gathering of Pastors, there were many. I saw a beast, when I saw the beast, it was coming one on one and they were killing the beast, the Pastors were killing the beast and I was giving kudos to them. The angel told me to be silent and I remained silent. Later I saw them in multitude, they were many, and when they were coming out, they were tearing them (the Pastors) apart, they were killing all the Pastors and I was baffled and I asked, what is happening? They were killing the pastors, I said God can you save them and he told me that look at them, look at the so-called Pastors they don’t have power. He said you will now go back to the world, go and tell the world that these people don’t have power, they should go and ask for the power to overcome the devil. Power that scatters the gathering of the devil because many of my servants are turning back, they did not look for me. He gave me such a revelation, he now told me that I will send you an errand. You will have to kick against false revelations, false doctrine, you have to tell them to preach about me, to speak about me, and I woke up, I never thought of becoming a Pastor, ever since then when I lay hands upon someone they will begin to speak in tongues, the blind will gain their sight, and the dead will receive the spirit of the living, so many things.

Can you share some of your experience in the cause of ministry?

Let me talk about a few of it. There was a day they brought someone to us on the mountain, she couldn’t walk, they have put incision on his body, they have taken her to several places and when they brought her the Lord told me that look at her, I have healed her and I told her mother, do you believe that God has healed your daughter? I also ask, can you give your life to Jesus? Because the one that called me said the power I gave to you, you have to preach about my name, whenever you want to deliver the people tell them that I am a God of white calling. That was how he appeared to me, as a God of white calling. He said I am the one that created everything and I sent Christ Jesus, you don’t have any other way except through Jesus Christ. He appeared to me on several occasions, and I said in the name of Jesus Christ your daughter stood up and started walking, as I lifted her up, she started walking and people were amazed. He told me that I have just started, on another occasion they brought someone from Ile-Oluji side, he is a young guy of age 30 upward, immediately he graduated and he was about to be deployed to NYSC camp, he ran mad. He has been suffering from chronic madness for more than eight years. They have taken him to several places. When they brought him, they said there was a particular Pastor in our area who had been collecting money without any improvement. I pray for him and I said in the name of Jesus Christ let the spirit of madness leave. Immediately he gained his senses. When they got home, they said whenever he wanted to eat before he could eat a pot of food he would still be demanding for more, and he would not talk but after the deliverance he regained his senses and he could not eat anymore, he started eating small portions of food. I said there was a spirit that was eating through him. Also, there was an occasion where we went for a crusade in Ido Ibadan. There is a popular woman called Bose, she ran mad, it will be 25years of madness, when we were inviting people for the crusade, we met her. She sat beside a big church, a popular one, the Lord told me to look at her, I have healed her, and I moved close to her and I said in the name of Jesus Christ the Lord said He has healed you. You, the spirit of insanity leave. I prayed for her and she said where am I? We are praying for her; she is still in Modakeke now with our area Pastor. On another occasion, a situation happens. One of our members has a son and the son died. They brought him to the mountain dead, he became black, when he died the body changed, when they brought him, the Lord said to me that this work that I have done, then I said in the name of Jesus Christ let the spirit of living enter him. He woke up, the same thing applicable to someone called Bola, I was going to the mountain when I met a corpse, they covered her eyes with a cloth, when I got there, I discovered that she has been dead, they were crying and I asked why, and a prophecy came out, the Lord said ask them whether they believe I can do it. I directed the question to them, the Lord said do you believe that I can do it. And they said if the Lord does it, we will be able to worship him, and I said bring her, when they brought her, I started praying, it is on our page, you will see part of it. I said in the name of Jesus Christ let the spirit of the living come upon her, and it came. Let me talk about two or three, there was someone that had breast cancer, she was rejected from the hospital, the hospital said they should be treating her that she is going to die. I said we normally use the blood of Jesus Christ and I prayed over the water, I said I turn this water to the blood of Jesus Christ. After praying over it I poured the water on her and then the cancer disappeared. We cannot talk about those who have been waiting for the fruit of the womb for long, other miracles such as the kidney transplant, those that their heart has spoilt.

When God called you, did you answer immediately or you faced some challenges before accepting God’s calling?

Let me start by saying this, actually I have been seeing traces that the Lord wants to use me but I am a kind of person who doesn’t like Pastor’s work.

What were you doing before you were called?

I am a graduate of two schools but I don’t like to mention them. I like to talk about Christ, I read Economics during my university days in OAU. I wanted to travel; I was like an agent who processed traveling for people. I do it for people and I have an office where I am doing this. I have secretaries etc.

Are you from Osun state?

I am from Jerusalem because I belong to everybody now. I am from Jerusalem, raised in Nigeria, Yoruba to be precise.

You don’t want people to know your place of birth?

I can only say my parents come from Modakeke (the parents that born me from the flesh).

Before you answer the call, what are the challenges you face?

There was a day when I was in Osogbo, I just discovered that I had a blurred eye, I could not see anything and I do not know what happened. When I started praying, I had a revelation. The Lord told me that I should go to some places. On getting there, I found out it was a teaching hospital, I met a group of people who identified themselves as Corper (NYSC Corp Member). I couldn’t see and they recommended a drug for me. I returned, bought the drug, used it and went back to the Doctor. I couldn’t find the person, the hospital said they couldn’t see the traces of him. I regained my sight later on. I normally see Jesus Christ appear to me in the dream. There was a day I was sleeping when I saw someone come, I could hear people calling Rabbi, Master and he was calling them Peter, Andrew, Matthew. I didn’t know the meaning of Rabbi because I am less concerned about that, I was praying that I want to travel out and you are revealing a revelation about Rabbi or what’s the name. I said I am not interested in that, I slept in my room and the spirit woke me up that I should go outside. I went and sat on a chair, when someone we have stayed together with before came with a cutlass, he wanted to behead me. He had checked me in my room and he couldn’t find me there and he met me outside. As he was about to use the cutlass to behead me, I held the cutlass, it cut my hand and the blood was gushing out. I was rushed to the hospital and I was rejected when we got there. Later one of the hospitals admitted me. They did everything but my hands were not working, when I discovered that I could not use it for anything I was contemplating surgery. I went back to seven days Adventist, they said they would have to work on it but they told me that it is 50-50, that they are not sure, because they have not done such a thing before. I said no problem and Jesus Christ appeared to me that I need not to be worried that the operation would be successful. And then I said let me try OAU teaching hospital, as a federal hospital they should be able to have the required equipment. When I got there, when they saw it, they carried out some tests at their teaching hospital, I told them I could not bend my hands. They also said it is a 50-50 chance, I was asked if I still want them to go ahead with it. I said there is no problem, Christ appeared to me, He said I should not worry, He urged me to go ahead, and I went for that surgery. When I went for it, it lasted for 7 hours, it started by 7, it was around six o clock before they could complete the surgery. Later on, after I woke up, I went to them, they later told me that you have to do amendment surgery because we were unable to finish it, and we only worked on one part, we were unable to finish it, so they put some certain things inside and I was like you said you would finish it why would you put something in my hand. I later realized they said they have never done it before, they want to use me for practice, I carried out the surgery, after three months, I went back they did it, I was able to still bend it but during that time, it was then I started to know that it was God that was calling me. He has been revealing more revelations to me, I started reading the Bible, and in my office, everything started burning, at that time. I processed my Canada Visa, I wanted to travel out, I was also processing for someone as well, they gave him the confirmation letter, he traveled, I was expecting mine since I processed it together, and I had a revelation that you are going nowhere because you have to work for me. They rejected it, I even tried USA because I have someone there. He invited me and I said I will go there, I had an interview by 12pm, I got there around 2 o clock, it was a busy schedule, an incident happened before the interview that I cannot be explaining, I had a revelation also and I saw an old man that came to me, he said look at this Moron, I looked at him and he said this is the person that will reject you, the person will nullify your applications because I don’t want you to go. When I woke up, I started praying, I started canceling the vision, praying against it. When I got there, they interviewed me, I saw the woman and he said this is the woman I showed to you. I saw that she is one of the white women in the Lagos Embassy. I saw the same people I saw in my dream, funny enough, I implicated people after me because they rejected every one of them. She directed a question to me; can we meet you? I introduced myself, she asked, what do you do for a living, I responded, what do you want to do over there? I asked her to repeat herself. And she repeated it, as I answered the question, he just gave me a rejection letter. And I was like cursing her, I was like I will curse, and then the spirit came to me, he said don’t curse her, I used her. I felt somehow. I felt dejected and I returned home. While going home I faced some challenges, my cloth got torn, I was going back to Osun state, I needed to sleep in Ibadan, when I got home I went to the mountain to pray continuously, seeking for God’s face, it was there the man appeared to me that I have been calling you I want to send you an errand, and he revealed a revelation to me, many revelations, sent me to the people, later I now discovered that he sent me to several people, several Prophets, and I said if I had travel to USA I could have been an unprofitable child of God because of many revelations given to me.

You’re known as a travel agent who has had a sports view center, and suddenly they started seeing you as pastor, how was the reaction of people and family members?

Actually, I face a few challenges but I don’t refer to them as challenges. It is just a way to succeed. Before I had certain gifts in me, even right from my secondary days, I used to dream, see revelations etc. Then I didn’t value it. Before then those people knew me as someone who opened a betting center, there were many people that knew me, they knew me as a teacher because I worked as an Educationist, when the incident happened the power came naturally, the power was there but I didn’t know how to use it. But when the power came, I was singing, clapping when the spirit of the Lord came upon me, I began to speak in tongues, prophesy, when I lay hands on people they began to prophesy, they receive healing, the leper was healed and other notable miracles took place. I delivered messages for people, some people kicked against it that this cannot be the power of the Lord but when the spirit came upon me, he said I should go out and challenge every other power, that was how I moved to the market, kicked against their power saying that there is no power in the world, if you have power shoot arrow, we went to the market places, idol places, shrines etc, I challenged their power, preached against the doctrine. Many revelations were revealed to me about top pastors like Orimolade, past leaders, present leaders etc. I received many revelations. There was a problem, they ganged up against us, they used Police money but the Lord was on my side before we got to the Police station the Lord would have been there. They paid DPO, the Lord would hijack the mind of DPO for us, and then in the family, my father is an elder in one church. He is a spirit-filled man but not as filled as I expected because he was like someone who is afraid. When the Lord gave me a message, I used to share it with him for ideas but I received no knowledge from anybody. I normally see some strange creatures like Angel, like the old man I spoke about, the man with white-gray hair, you can hardly see his face, he will be talking to me, he will be telling me what to do, if you are explaining something to me about dream, he will take me to your dream, and I will know the dream you are having, I will see everything, when I reveal a revelation to my father, he said this revelation is strong, please don’t curse people, because then if there would be rain and I said Lord there won’t be rain the rain will stop. There was a time we went for a crusade in Ile-Ife and there was a certain set of people who referred to themselves as Ogboni confraternity, and they said we are kicking against them, there is no Ogboni confraternity, there is no witches, there is no devil, in fact there is no fetish, if you have anything challenge me, if you have listened to our interview you could have seen it, when I came to LTV, I said it that if there is anyone who has power he/she should shoot an arrow, that I present my body to the whole world let them shoot an arrow because my Master the one who owns the calling told me that there is no power in heaven and earth except the power of God. That was why I challenged them. My father didn’t instantly accept it, he was like I should be bending it a little bit so that I should not deliver the message. I should let God send those people, and I narrated a scenario to him. I told him that you are my father in this world, if you send me an errand and I tell you to send another person, how would you feel? Not to talk about the creator, the one who owns me before you, so I faced little challenges there, but people quickly come back when they see the natural power of God. We preached the true gospel. We challenged the Obas, I delivered many messages to the Obas. To the traditional rulers, to the Pastors, we touch every ramification of life, because the God of white calling has perfected His work already.

Thank God you said the God of white calling, we have Orthodox, Pentecostal, where do you belong?

I belong to God the creator, the one that created heaven and the earth, when we say God of white calling, He is God without blemish, that is God that created everything. When you talk about Pentecostal, nowadays they are different, we deliver messages to them. Many of them now focus on worldly things. They want to achieve many things; they want to be where God does not put them. They have gone astray. The creator of heaven and earth came to me and said you are going to go against false doctrine. He said they are proclaiming themselves; they do not proclaim me (God). He said kick against anybody, we should not use any other name except the name of Jesus as it has been written in the book of Philippian chapter 2 vs 9, that we all shall exhaust him, and that as we mention the name of the Lord every knee shall bow. When he told me he said look at those people, we are different from Celestial, this white garment only Pastor wears in our church, you can see the way we sew it. It is very different, we have our own doctrine, he gave us the commandment, in our church. There are some certain things you should not do, there are certain things you must do. Soul winning is the work he gave to us, he said when you deliver them, introduce me to them, any member of this calling is assigned some certain gifts by the Lord, you can heal, you can pray for the people, you can challenge witches, it is for every member once you join the ministry. When I say we have our own doctrine, in this calling you should not commit adultery, if you commit adultery the angel of God will come to you and suspend you, and you will be punished, that’s all. No matter how big you are, we have some certain Pastors in our church before you have been seeing them as a Pastor but they have been suspended. When you see Pastors that leave our church they have been suspended because they cannot go with the law given to us by Christ himself which states that you should not lie, when you refer to yourself as a Pastor and you are committing adultery. Recently, a case happened, a Pastor slept with a church member, we suspended him, and he left the church, immediately you are suspended the angel of the Lord will appear to you and withdraw the gifts given to you, in our church you should not speak when the Lord is not speaking, we center on the voice of the Lord, if the Lord call me home now, the church doesn’t belong to me, my family will not inherit anything from the church. I am a Pastor but I didn’t collect a kobo from the church but we have those who are collecting money, we have many of us who work part-time, it is the Lord that is paying me, and I am paying my tithe but the Lord has a way of doing it for me, you should not speak when the Lord is not speaking, and when the Lord sends you an errand you must be able to know that the Lord of white calling is with you. He will always go after you, that is the difference between us, we can go to the market, we can challenge witches, the devil, go anywhere and say there is no other power except the power of the Lord.

How would you describe your life before the calling and after the calling?

What I can only say is that the one you know before has died for a long. When I became a Pastor, many of my friends ran away because I will introduce Christ to you. I was wayward then, I was a rapist, I was a fornicator before, right from childhood I detest drinking, it was when I got to higher institution before I started womanizing. I didn’t like it before, I was involved in examination malpractices because I will write exams for people. I do such a thing before to make ends meet, but when I met Christ, I became another thing. The difference is clear, I could not challenge the witches then, I cannot speak anything about Christ, I cannot even speak to you, I was a cool-headed guy then but now I have become another thing, I have become what Christ want me to become, then I like ladies before, I used to womanize, I need money then but now God is doing everything for me. I focus on Christ only. You are my friend if you give your life to Jesus Christ, that is the only friend I have, even though there are some certain sets of people when we started this ministry I delivered a message about Moses Orimolade, the message didn’t go well with them, they ganged up, prayed against me that the Lord should kill me, they were 100 Prophets then because one of them came out to confess. When they were praying against me an old man appeared to them, he scattered them and one of them came to confess. When we were in Modakeke then there was a Chief hunter called Oluode by name, he wanted to establish a church there, and we rented an apartment with the intention of launching a church there, we never knew that they were worshiping devil there, I mean gods of iron, they will pour oil. he will face the church and be shooting gun there, I went there to meet the Pastor, when I met them, he was saying he will reveal to us that he is an herbalist. I told him that the God of white calling is more powerful, and I said let the god of white calling appear to him, and he will prove to you that he is the God of white calling. And the Lord cleared both of them within a few times. So many people like that calling my name and the Lord will appear to them, then I do not have such a power, no one confronted me before, I have a new life now I preach to the people. I became a father to people, even to my colleague, to the elders. I became a father to them because I have someone who is dwelling in me. Let me share a revelation of how the Lord appeared to me. I slept and I dreamt that there were shouting and there was a messenger from heaven that appeared. I saw some ministers, and I was like how could the messenger of the Lord appear without informing me. I was saying it in the dream that I am a President, they were supposed to have informed me, and I was running to the place, when I got there, I met millions of Pastors, I couldn’t count them, I looked up to see a giant man. If they merge every one of us who are there together compared to the man, we cannot reach half of the man. I looked at him and said are you the one they referred to as a messenger of God? He didn’t answer, I said if truly you are the messenger of God sent to this world and I didn’t know you showed up, tell me what is happening in heavenly kingdom? He didn’t answer me, and he stood up, and came down, what baffled me was that when he stepped on the ground everywhere was shaking, it looked as if there was going to be an earthquake because he will be digging the ground, as he was coming, he was using his back hand to shake the so-called Pastors. Many of them were using the back hand to shake themselves. I was like what is this type of greeting, I said this is occult greeting, and I wanted to leave the place when I saw him, he was giving them herbs, teaching them how to use it, I said you are not an angel of God, and I was going when two people that were like angel although not too tall, both stood before me and didn’t allow me to go, I said let me go, they said I will not go, I said what is the matter? What have I done? They said I have offended their master, and I asked, who is your master? They said I should look back, when I looked back, I saw the former one that I saw before. I looked at him and asked, in what way have I offended you? He said I am giving the glory meant for him to another person, I asked who are you? Are you Jesus Christ of Nazareth? Were you the one killed on the cross? He said he will prove it to me, then I said Jesus, they said stop, don’t mention that name here, they were closing their ears, they didn’t want to hear the name. I said allow me to go, as I called the presence of the creators, fire came down and they disappeared, and the Lord told me that’s how many people got their power. The angels of darkness appeared to be the angels of God. They gave me revelations that made me different, before something happens the Lord will show me. He will reveal many things to me. I hear from the Lord through my ears, see through my eyes, and I used various channels to connect to God.

God’s work also needs funding, how do you source funds?

I want to thank God. Out of the doctrine given to us there is a particular one that says we should not do fundraising. We should not force people and in the church if you want to contribute there is a box for you to drop money, you should not show-off, if you are doing something, you are doing it for God not me. It is God that has been backing us. God is so merciful, let me share a scenario with you. Before I answered the question properly, when I got to the ministry there was nothing, everything was scattered, I went to the mountain and I was praying that Lord I want to eat and there is nothing to eat, and he said he will provide for me. There was a time someone called me, he is very close to me, then I received authority, I didn’t know how to use it, when you call me, I say Lord declare money into his account, that was what I used to do until the Lord revealed some certain revelations to me. Someone called me from Ilorin, many do call like that and I will say the Lord should declare money into their accounts and it will be so. I was just using the power anyhow. The man called and I said I am a student, and I said may the Lord surprise you, money should go into your account, a lot of people were giving me money, a day comes when someone called me, he said Pastor please pray for me that the Lord will increase my work, he said he needed money, and I said father in Jesus name, Lord declare, and immediately the Lord opened my eyes, I saw him using black soap to bath, I asked him what do you do for a living, he said yahoo yahoo (internet fraud), I said you are doing yahoo and you have the guts to call me, and I said your life will spoil, he said that’s how Pastors used to do. They call them, and they get prayers, I said I am different, there are many things you can do and God will enrich you. He enriched those doing legit business, emulated them, when the ministry began the Lord started to bless certain people and they started coming in. Those that the Lord ministers to show up to bless the church voluntarily. Nobody forces them. recall the creator said we should not collect a kobo, if I pray for you now and you want to give me something I will not collect it. You can only do it when the Lord blesses you. And after he ministers to you to go and bless me. The Lord has been increasing us, people come from different places to enrich the purse of the church, we also have those working among us.

Everybody is complaining about Nigeria, the President, do you foresee anything good for Nigeria especially in 2023. Did God tell you anything about the state of the nation?

I want to say this we have released so many revelations because part of this ministry is based on prophecy, if you have been following us you will see that we release messages, prophecies etc. Nigeria is a great country, to be precise, God knows about that but the forefathers of this country had a covenant with the devil, majority of those who have been leading seek and collect from the devil and devil need to take something in return. That is what we don’t know. Majority of them came to power by quick win, by shedding blood, they killed many people, and they need to give back to where they took from, before Buhari came to power, I released a message between Buhari and his opponent, God didn’t choose anyone of them, and I said your leaders will choose for you. Irrespective of anyone that wins Nigerians should expect sufferings, that was what the Lord told me, and we released it then, later on we prayed to God and the Lord said, they need to move closer to him, but our leaders don’t know God, if you want God to intervene you call him, Nigeria will be great again, we spoke about this country being divided and I said it is not yet time, many will die in the process of dividing the nation, the Lord said they will use their blood for sacrifice because it is not yet time for this country to be divided, the Lord is still going to avenge the death of many people, many of the Activist would be killed, locked up while some would survived, we have released the prophecy before, many are fight for the cause while some are fighting for their purse, we released the message 2020 which says that there would be calamities, various diseases, sicknesses would showed up, the prophecy is in two phases, first, the Lord said he will bless those who run after him, he is going to reward many, there are lot of calamities in the world, most politicians would be removed throughout the federation.

Will Tinubu be the next President in 2023?

I will answer the question in two phases because of what the Lord reveals to me, talking about the antecedent of Tinubu, the Lord can never choose him. Though the Lord loves him. He is beloved, the Lord wants to use him but he failed God. If Tinubu can amend the Lord can still use him because we cannot predict God, Tinubu has dined and wine with those who are not in line with God but there is still going to be a riot in Tinubu’s camp, it now depends, if he moves to God and surrenders everything to him, and desist from bad plan, Tinubu has an evil agenda, if he can forgo that agenda, God is ready to use him but if still has that in the plan he will not be picked, the Lord has revealed many revelations to me concerning Tinubu. I released part and I kept part, many of those seeking for leadership posts will not see the light of the day. Many will be locked up, many will die, some calamities will happen to some certain set of people. There will still be famine.

Your father is from Modakeke and it was believed that they have charm, even Yoruba activist, Sunday Igboho boasts about it, many will think you also got your power from there?

Sunday Igboho cannot dare go into the market and challenge witches because he got his power from them. Sunday Igboho has no power. I went to some radio stations and I said there is no power in Yoruba land, and if they have power let them challenge me spiritually. There was a time I said many of the so-called Activists would be arrested, that was when they arrested Sunday Igboho. These Activists do not believe in Christ Jesus, they believe in black power. He said he can command a gun, that is not power because there are some certain sets of people who do it for him. I went to Modakeke Palace to deliver the message to them, when the former Oba was there. The Lord sent me there, the Lord said he wanted to kill many people and he is starting from the Palace. I delivered it to them, unfortunately the King said let the Lord kill whosoever he wants to kill. He never knew that the Lord would start from him. I went to the crusade in Modakeke town, we held a crusade and the Lord said I have appointed a new Oba, I declared and said, hearken to this voice, the Lord said I have given you a new Oba in this town, on the second day they brought him out and said he is still alive, before that month ran to an end he died. They invited me to come and swear that I didn’t kill him. I told them you cannot kill an elephant and remove the teeth and afterwards put it on the ground and ask me to swear. I said if an elephant is alive you will be able to remove the teeth, of course not. When you are now talking about Sunday Igboho, you only need to pray for him, if you want to kill him compare him to Christ Jesus, he is just a mere human being. Sunday Igboho is sent by God but he needs to bow down to Christ Jesus, don’t compare him with an anointed man of God even if it is little.

You have not mentioned your mother, tell your relationship with your mother since the calling?

As for my mother, I am not from Modakeke. I am from Jerusalem, Jesus is my creator but my canal parents are from Modakeke.  My two parents are still alive.

How is your mother relating to you?

She used to call me the Prophet and a man of God.

What is the relationship between you and your mother?

We have a cordial relationship but not like before. We normally call. As regard to what you said, when the Lord gave me the power, he said I should not prostrate to anyone, it is not that the power will disappear if I do so, I am not myself again, Christ dwells in me, two things might happen if I prostrate to anyone, the person might die, secondly, the person will not prosper again because he or she has seen the glory of God, when I had such revelation I started avoiding my father then, he said he knew that there is no problem with that, when I wanted to marry, I didn’t prostrate to my in-laws. I stood tall, I told them the Lord said I should not prostrate to anyone. We have a cordial relationship.