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Bishop TOM SAMSON
Anytime, any day, the name Bishop (Dr.) Tom Samson will require no introduction. He has remained as popular as he has always been over 20 years ago. This very consistent and widely respected man of God has been around for a very long time. And he has remained extremely passionate about the word of God. Long before many of the so called men of God today became popular, this brilliant and charismatic man of God, Bishop (Dr.) Tom Samson, was already a household name in the country. Almost 20 years ago, with no social media to ride on, Bishop (Dr.) Tom Samson’s posters could be found in every nook and cranny of Lagos where he is based. And his church was hugely popular as well. It was the church a lot of young and upwardly mobile Lagosians attended. Whenever he had any of his church crusades, people came from, far and wide, within and outside the country, to attend his power packed programmes. He is the presiding Bishop and General Overseer of CHRIST Royal Family International Church. Many know him as that spirit-filled and energetic man of God that shook Lagos and its environs with his annual explosive programme, ‘IT IS WAR!’. The next edition of ‘It Is War’ comes up from the 6th of August to the 12th of August.
Last week, City People Senior Editor, WALE LAWAL (08037209290) engaged this very intelligent man of God for close to an hour and got him to share with us his thoughts on the involvement of pastors in political matters to the point where they pitch tent with a political party against the other and make inflammatory political statements both on the pulpit and on social media. Here are excerpts of what he said.
Sir, you are one of the few Nigerian pastors who have been very careful about going on social media or coming on the pulpit to make inflammatory political statements, why is this so, sir?
You know why? Because I have discovered that many people do this just to boost their personal ego and not because God sent them. They want to be heard. It is better when you let your work announce you. You don’t have to make any noise yourself, your work will speak for you. See, concerning Nigeria’s issue, I just know that God’s plan for us is not clear. The drama is stil on. Everybody should watch the kind of prophecies they make. If you watch somebody like Baba Adeboye, at a point he said God has not told him anything yet. Nigeria’s case is still hidden, forget those who are making noise. The bible says, what is revealed belongs to us, the one that is not revealed belongs to God. God is acting drama over Nigeria’s issue. Can I tell you something? Several years ago, during the Abacha and Abiola saga, everybody thought this country will collapse. There was fear all over this country. Nobody knew wht was going to happen next. But do you know what happened? The two actors were silenced. And a new Nigeria emerged. Presently, Nigeria’s case is not clear. Anybody can say anything, even up till now. A true prophet will tell you this. And you can’t force God to speak. Even in Yoruba traditional setting, when Ifa did not speak, they will say Ifa did not say anything. Even Elisha, when the woman was coming, Elisha said, maybe this woman has problem but God has not told me. People are not humble. Its not every time a prophet must see. And if you say you have not seen or heard anything, they will say this one does no sabi. No. Nigeria’s case is not clear. God wants to do something unique and all of us will see it.
So, this means you must feel very uncomfortable when you see men of God step on the pulpit and begin to take sides, pitching tent with one political party against the other and encouraging their members to join them in supporting their preferred political candidate? Many think this situation has really embarrassed Christianity.
Oh, yes. You see, they really embarrassed Christianity. I am not the type of person that comes out to criticise anyone. Many of these men are men that we respect, and you begin to wonder, what made them do all these things they are doing. Even the highly respected ones. We need control over our spirit. But I don’t know how they hear. Do you know that, my flock, I told them about a year ago, that the issue of Nigeria is not clear. God is silent over this country. Let every actor act. The prayer of the saints over this country has not failed. Nobody should think our prayers have failed. God ansers prayers, but he might not answer you the time you wanted. This system will swallow evert enemy of this country, watch and see. Everyone that’s caused havoc to this country, something will swallow them.
Soon, you will see the issues of their lives begin to overturn and you see judgement because of the cry of the saints. Too many poor people suffer. Na we wey dey church know the cry of the poor. Everyday, we have to attend to members who have issues with their house rent, hospital bills, some can’t even afford to feed, so many problems. What are we saying? Many don’t even know their senator. And when you see crowd in the church you say, oh, they’re making money, not knowing that money came to church without money, some even came for help. So many have lost their jobs. The ones that still have jobs, their salary cannot pay their rent. When they see people like us driving a big car, they start shoutinmg church money. Individuals can buy you a big car. But is it somebody that has not eaten that will buy you a big car? So many misgivngs. Even when they attacked us so much, many people still found it easy to go to church to look for help. How many politicians opened thwiur doors for people to come inside when heavily armed policemen are guiding the house.
Especially during the Covid period when the people needed them the most…
How many of them came out to help the poor masses? We were there on the streets. Ask anybody, the whole of Anifowose, we were everywhere packing rice, going from area to the other. In Egbeda, the same thing. I was personally on the streets along with my team. So, with the issue of Nigeria, these people just want to be heard. If I come out now and say Tinubu will die within the next one month, I will trend. If I come out now and say, this troibunal going on will not work, it will scatter, even though God did npot tell me anything, before you know its all a lie, it would’ve trended. But why? Why do we need to engage is such nonsense? That’s to prove to you that there are many who claim they were cal;led but were never called. Simple. A man of integrity will not play with his word. Why looking for cheap publicity?
As a man of God, sir, what advice would you give to those people out there who are fighting each other, especially on social media? Right now, Yorubas are attacking the Igbos, and the Igbos too are fighting back. You have lived a large chunk of your adult life here in Lagos, a Yoruba land, what can you advice these people, sir?
It is the work of politicians, they should not let these people tear us apart. There are a lot of Ibos who are making their livelihood here. There are many Igbos who were born here. Same thing if you go to the east, so many Yorubas were born there. These things can’t change. There are Hausas who were born here. I want to use this medium to tell anybody they can’t change it, they will fail. They should not let politicians manipulate them. Politicians use people. They can use you now to attack Tinubu by claiming that na only Yoruba people he put there just because they are also looking for position. They will now begin to use tribe. The same way they use religion. Okay, now, Tinubu is there, as a Yoruba man, have you been given any money? I always tell my flock, don’t die because of any politician because if they share their loot, e no go reach you. If you’re a card carrying member of the party, still e no go reach you. It’s the politicians, the elites, that are behind all these.
Why people like me don’t like coming out to talk is because, one, I understand my primary assignment and my primary assignment is the word of God. To use the bible to encourage people. If I leave my primary assignment for politics and any calamity befalls me, God will say he did not call me to preach politics. It’s the elites playing these games and God will soon expose them. Those who are crying for Igbos to be on their own, maybe they think development will automatically come, what about all these years that Igbo man have been governors of their states, what has happened? Or is it a Yoruba man or Hausa man that was governor of Anambra eight or sixteen years ago? Why didn’t development come all those years? Or is a Yoruba man that governed them in Enugu or Imo, is it their own people, what did they do? Sanwo-Olu is here as governor of Lagos state, if Oduduwa Republic comes, what will he do differently? A governor in the east did a road that didn’t last up to a month, he said it is acidic rain that spoilt the road, when they become a republic, will the acidic rain stop? I am begging our people, they must resist being used by these politicians.
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