The founder and spiritual leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Oke-Afa, Isolo, Lagos, Primate Elijah Ayodele, has released the 2016/2017 edition of his annual prophecy book tagged ‘Warnings To The Nations’. Below are excerpts from the book as he relayed to journalists in Lagos, among other issues.
Tell us about your plan to start a weekly fellowship outside the church.
Yes, we are coming up with a weekly fellowship in the heart of Ikeja. The first gathering will be coming up mid-September. Our aim is to take the Gospel and deliverance to people in the streets and to take help to those who are in need spiritually in the comfort of their homes and places of work. God is doing wonders through INRI Church. So, we want to take the His goodness to people in their neighbourhoods. Not just that. We are also an invasion of the South-South states for peace. We are starting from Port Harcourt in the third week of August. It is a peace mission. It is a peace assembly. South-South Nigeria needs peace. The restive region needs God’s presence now more than ever. The aim is just to take divine solutions closer to those in need.
How can we ensure that people who matter take heed to divine warnings?
Like I have always said, prophecy is not about just talking once and going silent. No. Prophecy is warning to those that matter and are ready to listen to what God is saying. It is for everybody. You keep hammering it to people’s ears as God keeps showing you what and what are going to happen in the future, especially people who are in government, people who God has put at the helm of affairs of the nation. Before the crisis of Skye Bank, God showed us that there was going to be problem in the bank’s management and we warned them. We even wrote a letter to that effect, they ignored us. They did not take us serious. In last year’s prophecy, we saw that the EU was going to break up and we warned ahead. We sent a letter of warning, they didn’t take it serious. The Brexit has happened. If care is not taken, more countries are also going to leave the EU. We warned about the France’s attacks. Before the Germany attack, we sent a copy of our prophecy book to the Germany government, warning them of the need to watch their internal security, nothing was done. When God speaks, it is for the wise to take heed. In the 2012 edition of the book, there was the revelation that we needed prayers because of the activities of thieves, kidnappers, faceless terror gangs and fire outbreaks as well as explosions that would threaten the economy and the image of the country. They ignored the warning. The economy and the image of the country is now in crisis. That is why I write book every year to take God’s messages to them. It is left for them to do what they like with it. The book is all nations.
What is God’s stand on the NFF crisis and Nigeria’s sports leadership as a whole?
For example, there are those who are not the right persons for the offices of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and have by their actions collapsed the football sector. God has revealed this to us way back and we gave the warning. Both the NFF President and the Minister of Sports, government should look into their activities and possibly declare a state of emergency in the sports sector. With what God has shown me, I do not see a brighter future for Nigerian football, particularly. I see the Amaju Pinnick’s administration style blocking Nigeria from going to the World Cup unless some drastic steps are taken fast by the government.
What do you foresee on the senate crisis?
In 2011 when we said that former President Jonathan would not have a second term, a lot of people criticized us. But it came to pass. In May 2015, we said that the austerity was going to weigh Nigeria down further under President Buhari. Is it not happening? Even now, there are lots of things that Buhari is not going to get right. I see two options for Nigeria. It is between a break-up and the country going back to the old regional government. I do not see terrorism ending in Nigeria. I have not seen peace except God takes control. At the senate, I see a serious gang-up against President Buhari. Senate President Bukola Saraki’s antagonists are hell bent on removing him from office. But if they don’t manage the senate crisis very well, it is going to cause the end of APC as a political party. Also, we warned about the current crisis in the House of Representatives. But removing any of these two leaders will cause APC bigger problems.
Four years ago, you predicted that PDP will break up and that if they didn’t manage their crisis well, the party would go into extinction. Considering the latest crisis in the party, is that a pointer to your prophecy that PDP would die?
What God has told me is that PDP needs the right leadership to survive dying. I see many people leaving the APC for PDP and many also leaving PDP for APC. I see APC going into crises that will divide it into three. Except if God intervenes. They need to manage their current crisis well. Talking as a prophet of God, I see that making Bode Olajumoke to lead PDP will give the party some peace. Even at that, I see some members getting angry and leaving for other parties. I see APC losing a governor to PDP.
Do you see the militant Niger Delta Avengers carrying out their threat of declaring an independence state on Sunday?
We warned of the danger of ignoring these boys. We said that President Buhari’s government needed spiritual caution. The government should open talks with the militants. There are people in power that are involved with this militancy thing. Why can’t the government meet with them and iron out issues? The backers of these boys are politicians, they are in government. We warned the years ago that foreign militants were going to attack the Southwest. And we are warning even now that Iran will sponsor militants against Nigeria in the future unless our government keeps watch closely. We said it that a deadlier insurgency was coming.
At INRI, healing is more pronounced now, and there is the rebranding process. Are charity activities taking the backstage?
Firstly, we don’t do rebranding. What you are seeing is now new. It has been there for long. On charity, we are improving on it rather than pushing it to the backstage. This morning, we have given out GCE forms to many students. We paid students’ lesson fees. This is what we ask so-called bigger churches and bigger pastors to be doing. Are they doing it. Every first Sunday of the month we give raw food to the less-privileged that takes them into the next month. During Muslims month of Ramadan, we give food and money to widows who are Muslims which sustain them for the month. We are improving on our charity programmes every day. Healing and prophecy programmes are normal routine of a living church. So, it is not new.
Do you see President Buhari winning a second term?
I have not seen that. God has not told me. Buhari’s second term is dicey. His second term bid, as I see it, will tear APC apart. Buhari is ruling like he is still in the military. Nigerians need responsive government. All they want is food on the table, regular electricity and peace.
Finally, what are other messages you have in the book for the nations?
In Ondo State, if PDP picks the right candidate for governorship, it will win. But I see the APC giving it all it takes to snatch the state from PDP. In Edo State, I see that an APC government after Oshiomhole will bring peace and more developments there. The Ekiti State governor, Ayo Fayose’s fight with President Buhari is God-inspired. God has a hand in their crisis. There is a purpose for their fight. The government will have several challenges as I foresee that it is ethnically biased. The government will be struggling to fight so many battles but if care is not taken; he will not succeed or achieve much as expected. President Buhari must change his financial/ economic team so that we might have better results. There will be increase in the price of building materials. America will expose Buhari’s government. The Minister of Finance will fail to achieve as expected. Secretary to the Government of the Federation’s office will be troubled because there will be allegations on relevant documents. I foresee cases of assassinations which must be rebuked through prayers. Let us pray against political tension in the land. There will be moves to frustrate VP Osinbajo’s efforts. I foresee threats at the seat of the Federal Government of Nigeria. The Spirit of God says the security at the Villa must be overhauled. I foresee changes. These leaders need prayers for good health and divine protection: Wole Soyinka, Olusegun Obasanjo, Alex Ekwueme, Shehu Shagari, Bisi Akande, Ernest Shonekan, Chief Tony Anenih, Bola Kuforiji Olubi, Adekunle Ojora, Florence Ita-Giwa, Ahmodu Alii, Jerry Gana, Alex Duduyemi, Senator Barnabas Gemade, ObongAttah, and Edwin Clark. I foresee that this ailment will be eradicated in Nigeria but might still come back again. There will be controversial bills on the floor of the Assembly and some members will be indicted on involvement in immoral acts. There will be issues on funds in the legislative arms. Let us pray not to lose any member of either the upper house or the lower house. Let them pray not to lose anyone among Nigeria’s past presidents, and past ministers and past police IGs and among other past police top shots. So many people will be probed and it will be sensationalized. I foresee the setting up of another Ethnic Nationalities Conference (CONFAB) in the nearest future. I foresee that in the nearest future in this country called Nigeria the names and the logo of some states may be changed. The country needs prayers for unity and to also survive its many challenges.
