* My Father Died Because of N2,000

* I Wrote WAEC Five Times 

* I Trekked Two Hours Daily To Islamic School 

* I Came To Lagos With One Shirt and Trouser 

One of the leading men of God that has really made an impact in the lives of ordinary Nigerians in the area of knowledge and giving help is Bishop Tom Samson, the General Overseer of Christ Royal Family Church Worldwide. This Delta State born pastor has also contributed immensely to the development of education with the introduction of private college of education and over eight primary and secondary schools which are generally affordable to a common man. In this interview with Top Celebrities Magazine, this fire brand man of God took us into his world, the annual programme coming up ‘IT IS WAR’ and other sundry issues. Enjoy… 

Tell us how it all started, from your growing up days and all we need to know about you

I am from Delta State, a native of Ogbagu-Ogume in Ndokwa Local Government Area of Delta State but I was born in Ile-Ife

Osun State on December 13, 1965. I attended St. Murumba Primary School, Ile-Ife from 1972-1977 and Modakeke Islamic Grammar School, Modakeke, IIe-Ife 1978-1982. Then I proceeded to the then Bendel State University, Abraka Campus, where I graduated with B.Sc. in 1991. I was born and brought up in Ile-Ife by the Eweliko family.  I come from an extremely poor background. A family of eight; right now, we have three great prophets in that family and all have their various ministries. In Ile- Ife we were born into a room and parlour apartment without normal family basic needs. Going through school was so difficult, I remember my primary school days, I was almost stopped from going to school. From my primary to the university, I never bought a text book. I was always disgraced in the assembly because of  N100 or N50 for Government development levy, not even school fees because I could not afford it. On the assembly, they would flog me. You know the mockery in public school; I almost got discouraged going to the school. Then I was through with my primary school in Ife, I found myself in Modakeke, an Islamic school which I had to trek two hours distance every day. I had to hawk, it was rough.  I remember how my father died because of N2,000 to buy drugs. But today I have one of the best state-of-the-art hospitals in the country. I give free medical services to communities in Ota. I give eye glasses out, mosquito nets, drugs etc. All these were my dreams. I could not pay or buy books. But today, I have a foundation, eight primary schools, eight secondary schools, I have a college of education and a modern day university called Monarchs and a lot more. I give out lots of scholarships to people from all walks of life. I went to school without text books, I couldn’t afford to pay school fees and at the university I had to borrow handouts because of maybe N500. And I said, “God, if you ever lift me up. I will pass the same grace to others”. But it is not about the hardship one went through. The ultimate is salvation. I went to Ekpoma the then Bendel State University. When I got to Ekpoma I gave my life to Christ. That was my turning point. In my turning point at campus I met with the  likes of Chris Oyakhilome who was also a force to reckon with. That was where the spiritual force in me came out. Chris Oyakhilome was ahead of me. He was in his third year, I was just a Jambite and I was following them and I mixed up with them during campus fellowship. I was highly gifted. While I was in school in Ekpoma, I visited Iruepken, Ekpochrie, Essan, Irua and some of those villages. There is one thing about Essan, there are places you can connect with witchcrafts, shrines, wizards and marine people coming from Delta areas. As a student in Ekpoma, God used me in all these environments. Right there in the campus, many were highly possessed, they would be vomiting into my hand from those villages. I did not go to bible school. University was my bible school. I got trained. That was how I continued preaching in the university amongst Buccaneers, Black axe, Vikings among others. They called me “violent talk”, that I like to believe in power. You know as a young man, when somebody is vomiting strange things, you will be  excited, somebody moving like a snake and all that. It was like Waoh! So when you came into a fellowship meeting to share your experience, it happened like an adventure. It was real fun. So when I crossed from Ekpoma to Abraka, the College of Education, it was around 1986-87. I started Christ Royal Family Church on campus fellowship, and from there I travelled to many campuses like Unilag, University of Ibadan, University of Ife, Sapele, Warri, Eku and all those places preaching on campuses as a student. I still have campus fellowship.

Finally in 1991, I came out of the university. My NYSC wasn’t on my lips. Ministry was my calling. Ministry is my life. In 1991, when I entered Lagos I started here in Egbeda Akowonjo, every power filled with messages in a road side beer parlour. I was moving from house to house. People that I gathered that December were the same people God used to turn my life around. I never knew anybody. I was coming with one shirt, one trouser but 22 years after, we are all over the world. We have our branches planted in major cities around the globe. It’s amazing. We have succeeded in touching lives. That is the story in a nutshell.

How did you receive your calling, was it through a revelation or how?

The only thing I can remember is that in those days in Ife, there was this prophet with dreadlocks and each time he came around our house, he would always point at me that I would be great. That I am a star and the glory of the family. My parents were not religious, when they came back, the religious people would call everybody, they would say please take care of this boy, he’s a star. Even some of my sisters used to beat me for that prophecy. But my life then was under demonic attack. I had to write WASC five times, all my mates were far ahead of me, until 1985 when I came on campus. I gave my life to Christ. It was a man of God called Samson Aki that said God is going to use me. Chris Oyakhilome saw me and said Tom you have a future. In 1986, Bishop Ben Idahosa told me at the then Miracle Centre in Benin City. He prophesized to me in a particular special meeting. People were telling me that they saw me in the midst of crowd. On campus I was preaching for fun.  It was exciting; a lot of cultists dropped their guns to this very anointing. We saw radical evangelism, I was a young man, I went  into evangelism with power. You want to come to classroom and share your experiences. Some say it is all about money not knowing that we used our pocket money to print hand bills, people like Chris Oyakhilome used their school fees for evangelism, we are talking about radical evangelists. It was when I started in Abraka Campus that students from Ife, Nsukka, Port Harcourt and the ones within my campus were supporting little by little financially. Still as students we will hold crusades in and outside campus. My campus members, made up of boys and girls were a treasure store of support, it is still the same fire that I used in the campus with the likes of Chris Oyakhilome that is still burning.

We have seen your ceaseless moments and miracles. Were you called into the deliverance ministry?

I come from a poor family, poverty reigned, ancestral curses and demonic attack. I was the first son to enter the university. My father built an uncompleted house for 20 years. My brother built for 12 years, he could not complete it. But here and behold, when the jinx was broken, I built a mansion 17 years ago in less than eight months. The Ikeja complex was built in five months and many more. Today, I have a comfortable family filled with graduates. I broke the jinx. An average riverine man has a challenge and all of us have to contend with it. And God in HIS infinite mercy gave me power to liberate. In my programme at Airport Hotel, Ikeja, I showed it in my TV programme, a lady vomited 36 golden rings about 6-7years ago before the camera. So, God has chosen me for deliverance right from my days on campus. I was so popular in the Christian community on campus and because of my deliverance prowess and boldness some called me Desmond Tutu and all that. I have a loud voice, I can speak, I am an orator. I was simply unstoppable. I was an activist.

You are from a poor family, how were you able to transform that experience to what you are today?

What I suffered drew me nearer to God. I became a minister, many times I give people who have one challenge or the other hope. Instead of you thinking it is all over, I give you hope, I always preach message of hope that you can do it. Then I was telling them that a time will come when we will be parking cars, I will enter as a celebrity.  Today, I move in with MOPOL and all that. The same place we started so poor, we have built so many places but I chose to be here because it reminded me how I started. Some people would have moved out. Here the wind blew our canopy, we rented chairs and equipments. From the same place we touched all over the world. A story of God’s grace. So, if you are suffering, your suffering will become a message, when you overcome your suffering, somebody will listen to your story.

With your encounter in the deliverance ministry, what is the real asset and how can it transform our society?

The situations need urgent attention in this country, many young men out there are very talented but face disappointment. Our young men with first class degrees are all over the place, counting their toes. Many do contract and they are not paid. They become indebted. We Africans have foundational problems. The bible says if the foundation is destroyed what can the righteous do. If God did not deliver me, I would end up not going to school, not married, I would end up not having a home, because that is what happened to everybody in my family. The reason why mine was different is because God stepped in. All those my elder ones that were suffering then, may be if they had made salvation, their story would have been different. Those that turned my life around were nobody, but when they came, they were delivered and are now helping others. Nigeria as a country is under demonic attack. There is a lot of mysteries going on. The church is praying, if not Nigeria would have been no more. Nigeria is a prophecy, every great man that comes to Nigeria prophesizes about Nigeria. There is revival in the land. Look at a young man like me, the facilities I have on ground, few Americans have it. Today, I travel around the world. Nigerian pastors are doing great all over the world. Look at the likes of Adeboye and Kumuyi, they don’t have them in other parts of Africa. We are the largest and because of that we will have more troubles. Look at the population too. The rate of crime here is quite different from Togo. Nigeria is being packaged for end time revival; if not for the prayer of the church, it would have been different. It would have been worse than this. But there’s hope. God has given Nigeria enough blessing and resources to turn the country around. Look at what these generals in the Lord are doing. You were in my church service today. Look at the people out there; some have no jobs, food, shelter and means of survival. When government frustrates them, they come to church. We try to help them, I give out scholarship. Do you know the number of people I have given out money to this morning after the church service. We pay their house rents. They don’t have senators to run to, they don’t even know their legislators. Church is still the only place that is close to the people. If these people were not given hope like what happened today, what will they turn out to be?  The economy is bad. Most of them, why they come to church is to seek for help.

You have lots of investments that you oversee, how do you manage all that and still run church service?

I have managers. There are managers in all the companies, all they need to do is to forward their reports. I have over 200 staff and I pay them every month. If senators, legislators, local government chairmen and councilors are doing the same thing, Nigeria would have been a better place. I have professors, engineers, pastors, principals, teachers etc to pay. Look at the oil sector, how many people can they employ, God will help us.

Your annual programme “IT IS WAR” is fast approaching, how are you preparing for this programme?

It is war right from the outset, it is a deliverance ministry. The Lord said to me, that he wants me to be more proactive in demonic situations. The Lord told me if I want to declare war in the mind of the people I should not just put on anyhow clothes, I have to put on military camouflage. It was from that point the concept of “IT IS WAR” came about. War against poverty, diseases, demonic attack and so on. No retreat, no surrender. It has been a wonderful programme at Airport Hotel, if you see me on camouflage, you will know what you are coming for, I have taken it across the world.

Most churches now invest in schools, but the irony is that they are very expensive, many people cannot afford their fees. What does this teach us as a Christian and a nation?

Yes, the truth is that our challenges on this issue are complex, I have schools but I am not making profit. Teachers and many workers will become rebellious if they cannot meet up with their bills. Most of them are asking for N80,000 a month. You have to get good hands to keep the students. Parents don’t like it when teachers leave. Good schools in this country pay more. But look at their colleagues working in banks, they earn more money. They want to earn money too. Qualitative education requires money. You have to think of your staff, provide accommodation for them. I am right now building a place for them. I give my lovely wife regard for her support because she has been at the helm of affairs in running our education system.

What is wrong if a pastor has a passion for governance?

One of their duties is to respect fundamental rights of others, that is what governance is all about. It also depends on the calling of the pastor. I can’t take it because my passion is not for politics. They went there for money. If they have passion for it, this country would have been great. I have a passion for the words of God and that is why after the university, I continued till this day. There is money in Nigeria but our leaders are not using it well.

The signal we are getting from Aso-Rock concerning 2015 election is that President Jonathan is going to contest. Are you satisfied with his leadership style and what is your message for him concerning 2015 if Nigeria does not break?

I don’t go to Abuja. I don’t parade myself in the corridor of power, this is where I sit and get reports. I get reports from the masses. The report is nothing to write home about. The church deals with masses. They are giving us weight. I am appealing to them to do something that will make us happy. All of us are meeting at the airport. Most of us travel abroad, we see the standard there. Can’t they give us steady electricity supply? We are not saying you should not eat but for God’s sake, give us a legacy that will go down well in the memory lane of generations. That is why I like Archbishop Idahosa, he was my role model because of the legacy he left behind.