FESTAC 77 number one sin of Nigeria against God- Pastor Adepoju

Festac 77, Nigeria’s number one  sin

59 year-old David Oluwasola Adepoju who hails from Efuanla Otoli, Ekiti State met the Lord in 1978. He was called to full time ministry in 1997. That was when he started New Life Eternal Church. He shares his ministry experience with Isaac Ngumah emphasising that the festival of arts and culture which took place in Nigeria in 1977 was the greatest sin Nigeria committed against God. He believes that if Nigeria does not proclaim a national repentance from what was done during FESTAC 77 in terms of the idolatry, the nation may not know true progress.

Stephen Oluwaseun Adepoju

Can you tell us about your growing up  

My growing up was rough because I came out from a poor family. My parents were farmers. They wanted me to farm and would not want to sponsor my education. I protested by running out of the house to do menial jobs to help myself till I completed my primary school.

I was deceived to come to Lagos that I would continue my education in Lagos but I ended up becoming a house boy. I later worked as a bus conductor. I became a vagabond. I was Mr. nobody sleeping in the garage. But the vision of going back to school was deep inside of me. When I met Christ my life changed. But my condition remained for a long time. I was sleeping in the church and got involved with the choir and also was active with the prayer group. Because I was well behaved I began to get help from church members. I wrote my GCE, got admission to Bible College. It was in the midst of all these that the Lord appeared to me and gave me the mandate to go preach the word.

What challenge did you face in starting?

We have faced the challenge of unfaithful people. We’ve had challenge of funds. We have had the challenge of getting people to know God in the real sense of the word. I can go on and on. But God has been seeing us through. One day we will tell the story in full so that others can learn

But then how did you know  that  God called you?

Right from my youth I have been having dreams about heaven. I would see heavenly beings in white speaking to me. I could not relate those dreams to people. One day I saw a revelation of a man who came to my house. I followed the man and he showed me many glorious places. At a point he brought a white paper with biro and wrote eternal life, New life and he wrote my name David Oluwasola Adepoju. I couldn’t read anything so I was trying to pronounce a letter I heard a voice telling me, “ it is our redeemer that is giving you a job to do I now”.

I then pleaded with the man and said, oga please send me to itire, it is itire I want to go that is where my Oga is, my Oga  in church then was working at CAC Eleja; that Bible College and I loved him so much I don’t want to leave him at all. But the man insisted that I could not dictate to him where he wants to use me.

So after signing the letter he brought out another envelop, wrote my name at the back of the envelop and handed over to me. As I collected the letter from him fire came out of his mouth and entered my mouth so the fire was now rolling down my intestine as if I ate hot eba. Immediately, the fire settled down in me I started speaking in tongues and was vibrating in his office and he said in vernacular that I have gotten to where he was taking me. It was in the midst of this revelation my wife came to wake me up.

When I came back to life I was still feeling the fire as I was talking. I locked myself in the room and began to pray. At a point I was telling God my inadequacies. But the Lord assured me that he had prepared me for the task that I should not fear.

On the sixth day I came out of the prayer I started praying for location I don’t know where to go because I was at Ibadan then when I heard  Lagos. I was not happy because Ibadan was more easier than Lagos. But God surprised me. We got a house 30 Obiosa Str/Ijesha here from there I came from Ibadan I met an old friend I related my experience with him. He now introduced me to one No 28, Sanusi Street where we started the  ministry.

There was a mysterious cat troubling them in this environment. They have tried so many things to overcome those cats they couldn’t. They then began to look for a praying church. So when we got there we declared a vigil for seven days. By the grace of God there was reprieve for the people. Myself and my wife and my little kids were the ones who started church there. The king of Itire said he also had a revelation that he saw Christ and that Christ said we should be given the place.

Since then God has been so faithful. We never begged for money. I don’t write to anybody for help. We don’t even know the person who roofed the church with Aluminum. God has used several people for us.

Can you tell us some of the signs that have happened in your ministry     

Many people have been saved. Many came to this ministry poor but are now rich. We have a lot of graduates in our midst now. Many have been delivered of insanity. A man had an accident he had spinal injury. He was brought here during one of our vigils. We prayed instantly he was healed there is another he lost his manhood for 16years the Lord healed him. There have been countless cases of people that God blessed with the fruit of the womb. There are cases of people with sickle cell being healed and their health status miraculously reversed. Despite my background I have been to UK to preach the gospel with my wife. There is absolutely nothing I want to do where Christ will not manifest.

A particular preacher has been castigating the collecting of tithes in the Bible what is your take 

Tithe has been ordained of God even before the law. Abraham was paying tithe. He paid the tithe of even unborn children. The writer of Hebrew gave us this hint. Jesus was not against tithe. He only cautioned against overemphasis at the detriment of the weightier matter of the law. So many of Jesus’ parables are tied to giving. In the New Testament Jesus healed some people he asked them to go and pay offering that was commanded by Moses. One of those killed in the Old Testament  I Sam  25, Nabal was killed because of giving.   Ananias and Saphira  in the New Testament also died because of giving. Jesus Christ says we cannot serve two masters; you rather choose one. In chronicles 29 the Bible says out of his abundance he gave to us. We are only returning a little.

In the New Testament a man asked Jesus to pray for his child. Jesus did not   want to pray. Then the disciples now told Jesus, look this man built a synagogue for Jews when Jesus heard that he prayed healing for the child. If you give you shall be given in equal measure.

Should men of God involve themselves in politics?

God is in control of the whole universe. In the Old Testament he used priest and prophet to ordain kings. In the New Testament Rev 5, The Bible says he makes us priest and kings the priest are to guide the kings on how to rule his kingdom. Today God is still in the business of ruling His people. So those who go into politics should be able to rule according to the ordinances of God. Whether in politics or in the ministry everybody is going to give account of his stewardship.

What then would you consider the greatest problem of Nigeria?

The problems of Nigeria are spiritual. Nigeria need National repentance. Nigeria sinned against God by the act of FESTAC 77. God hates idolatry. It is the number one sin of Nigeria against God. Until there is National repentance of FESTAC 77 there will be no solution to the country’s problem. You will recall that it was during FESTAC 77 that Nigeria that all kinds of idolatrous images were brought into Nigeria thus giving premium to gods that could not talk over the living God.

Apart from the sin of Festac, Nigeria is neglecting the widows, the aged ones and the children. They are suffering. There is no person to attend to them. That is another grievous sin of the government which is closely following the sin of Festac and that is the neglect of the The Disabled. The physical challenged ones were created by God. The Bible says he created the evil and bad, the dumb and the deaf he knows why he created them he wants those of us who are whole and healthy to look after those people. As it is, Nigeria has no programme for disabled people. God is not happy the way we treat those that are physically challenged. Our fathers in faith need to come together and declare days of prayers for national repentance. We need to do that fast. We need also to appease the Niger Delta if we really want progress in this nation

Are you happy with the present administration in Nigeria?

Well am happy because I am in the Lord. By February next year I will be 60 years old I have been under so many administrations. My own conclusion on each government ruling Nigeria is that they are telling us sincere lies and I will give you examples. In 1989 during Babangida’s era he said by 1990 there won’t be power failure. He said there will be house for all, health for all, water for all. Nothing happened. They changed the slogan again by year 2000, education for everybody.  We all hope by year 2000 everything will be okay. Year 2000 came and went but we saw nothing. They keep on promising until they don’t even promise anybody anything again. The last time when they were coming they promised fuel will go back to N25 we all had hope. We were rejoicing but what is happening today is far cry from what they promised. Our hospitals, education sector, roads are nothing to write home about. We are really in deep mess.