By Lukmon Akintola
I read with great dismay a write-up about the founder of Inri Evangelical Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele. The narrative was written by the Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina.
In the write-up with the sole aim of disparaging Primate Ayodele’s image, Adesina acknowledged the philanthropy of the man of God via empowerment but questioned his gift of prophecy. Also, he picked what he termed holes in the prophecies of the servant of God, questioning why one prophecy or the other did not come to pass.
While the Special Adviser has a right to his opinion, many in his carder of media management would agree that he should have done a better job with his piece.
In his write-up, one salient fact that Adesina forgot to reckon with is that the work of God differs from that of men, and so is the work of men of God.
As such, his analysis was basically without any spiritual guidance or interpretation.
Isaiah 55: 8-9: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways.
“For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
The above quote from the book of Isaiah becomes more meaningful when we consider the fact that God had asked that the judgment of his prophet be left to him.
So why is Adesina who is believed to be a very smart and intelligent media manager taking up the responsibility? Adesina wondered why Primate Ayodele conveniently prophesied that Nigeria would disintegrate; questioning how many people living presently would still be alive in 2035 or 2040, the period the man of God had said the country would cease to exist.
Please let Adesina be told that 2040 is just 19 years from now, and a lot of people including himself will see the year, except he deliberately chooses not to. He also questioned why the servant of God tends to deliver negative prophecies, but one would expect that Adesina who is regarded as a Christian should know that a prophet who is truly called by God is not at liberty to change what has been revealed to him by God.
Even in the good book, prophets such as Prophet Jeremiah and Prophet Elijah had the knack for negative prophecies, as revealed to them by God, but it never meant that they had no business with prophecy as Adesina painted Primate Ayodele in his obnoxious article.
That the man of God is famous for such prophecy does not mean that they are intended to scare the daylight out of his followers or Nigerians at large.
Revered Prophets and true seers have affirmed that with prayers negative revelations could be averted, but they also know that they are not at liberty to change the revelations of God, so they say it as it is shown.
Hence, the popular Yoruba Christian saying associated with prophets: “Egbe ni fun eni ti a firan to njise”, literarily meaning “Woe betides the prophet who delivers a message, not from God.”
If Adesina chooses not to see that Nigeria is a failing state without security, job opportunities, and an ever-increasing level of poverty, then it is unfortunate.
Indeed, if a man such as Primate Ayodele is calling for the consequences of a failing state to be managed now to averted doom in 2040, and Adesina has chosen to castigate him just to satisfy the ego of his principal, then shame on him.
Why can’t Adesina and his people in Aso Rock reach out to Primate Ayodele for what it’s worth and seek spiritual advice?
There are people who to date are still blamed for what Nigeria has become, maybe someday, Adesina’s name would be added to that list.
Posterity will definitely remember him either for good or bad, hopefully not the latter.
The Special Adviser also condemned Primate Ayodele for what he termed his failed prophecies in politics.
According to Adesina, Primate Ayodele in the build-up to the 2015 presidential elections said Goodluck Jonathan would win, but the man lost.
Encomium Magazine quoted Primate Ayodele to have expatiated on the misgiving of the Jonathan situation.
Speaking with the popular and reputable magazine published by Mr. Kunle Bakare, Primate Ayodele said: “All I have said about 2015 elections is consistent with God’s words. I have no power over any of these words. I only said it as the Lord directed.
“You can check everything we have said, how it’s going to happen, and all that. We have said Jonathan was not going to get it in the core North, it has happened that way. And the Governors Forum will divide against him should he decide to contest in 2015, everything has come to pass.
“But at a time we said PDP would win at the centre if Jonathan handles some issues very well, including the First Lady issue, the Chibok girls, and others. My question is did he handle these things the way the Lord directed?
And we have said if Jonathan wanted to win in 2015, this and this were the steps he should take.
Prophecy is to warn you against any impediment and how to tackle it. It’s now left for you to take it or leave it. But all I know is that all we said have been constant.
One thing people don’t know is that prophecy is not a literature book or newspaper. And can anybody interpret prophecy better than God?”
Also, it is on record that Primate Ayodele did say that Jonathan’s re-election would be dicey; the man of God also warned Jonathan that he risked losing the election if he took a wrong step.
Indeed, when Jonathan began to take steps that were in the wrong direction, Primate Ayodele was quick to note that he was going to lose the election.
In an interview with Daily Independent, the cleric said: “‎Even though it will not be a landslide victory for the opposition, the President will lose. “No matter what, Jonathan will be the last PDP President in Nigeria. I don’t see a landslide victory in the presidential election.”
It is important that one fact should be constant in this narrative and that is Adesina believes that Primate Ayodele prophesies did not come to pass. But wait, didn’t they come to pass?
Adesina said Primate Ayodele prophesied that PDP would shock APC in Lagos, but it did not happen. Adesina’s error of fact was that he translated PDP shocking APC to mean that PDP would win the election.
However, Primate Ayodele never said that. Indeed, PDP did give APC a run for their money in the said election. While APC won, it was one election in which the PDP showed they meant business, and they were a party to reckon with, unlike before when they were just another opposition party in the state.
Presently, there are political analysts who still maintain that PDP was robbed of that election.
On the Kaduna State election, Primate Ayodele never said PDP would win, his position was that it will be difficult for PDP to retain the state.
Many would recall how Primate Ayodele urged Nigerians to pray for President Buhari’s health when he went abroad for treatment, so how could he at the same time have said that the president would not return.
This was another erroneous allegation brought against Primate Ayodele by Adesina.
On APC breaking up, it is shocking that Adesina has refused to acknowledge the obvious.
There is wrangling in APC in almost all the states in Nigeria.
The drama of how Adams Oshiomole was eased out as the national chairman of the party is legendary. What happened to John Odigie-Oyegu?, The drama between Oshiomole and Godwin Obaseki before the latter joined PDP was also hilarious, and Adeshina is saying that all is well?
This is just a minute aspect of the crisis in the party, as an wholelistic analysis would be more than shocking.
For Adesina not to acknowledge this truth is evidence that his whole writeup was bias and a mere waste of time.
Indeed, the APC is presently rebuilding for the 2023 election, even a blind bat would acknowledge that. Y
Primate Ayodele did prophesied about Boko Haram bombing the South West, but that it is yet to be actualised does not mean that it won’t happen, It also does not mean that prayers can’t avert such negativity.
So, has Primate Ayodele prayed for the people of the southwest? When was this prophecy even made? One of the hallmarks of journalism is objectivity, but Adesina’s narrative was devoid of that singular attribute.
Adesina itemised prophesies that he claimed did not come to pass, but failed to adopt the principle of objectivity by telling his readers the prophecies of Primate Ayodele that had come to pass.
While they are countless, we will mention just a couple that has come to pass from the recently unveiled 2021/2022 and beyound edition of Warnings To The Nations.
-Primate Ayodele prophesied about the assassination of the leader of a country, this came to pass in Haiti.
-Primate Ayodele also noted that there will be the destruction of lives and properties in South Africa if Zuma’s case isn’t handled well; we all know what’s happening now.
The same applies to the sudden change in leadership of GTBank which was mentioned in this book. –
Ayodele who Adesina said knows nothing about prophecy accurately prophesied the outcome of Euro 2020 and COPA America semi-finals and final matches during a live service on his Facebook page.
The prophecies were broadcast live before the matches were played, they came to pass exactly as he had said they would.
Just in case Adesina is not in the know, Primate Ayodele has published a compendium of 10,000 fulfilled prophesies.
For the Special Adviser to rubbish this effort and the good works of the man of God in his write-up devoid of objectivity is far from shameful, but an indication that he knows nothing about spirituality.
