Interview, News

Some Pastors Are Supposed To Be Jailed – Elder Apostle Solomon Alao

His Most Eminence Elder Apostle (Professor) Solomon A. Alao is the Supreme Head Cherubim and Seraphim Unification Church World Wide. He spoke with selected journalists including our Ogun State Correspondent, WALE ADEWUMI recently on wide range of issues comprising; Economy, Spiritual, Security and others. It was indeed a mind blowing and revealing session. Excerpts:

Elder Apostle (Professor) Solomon A. Alao

What is your honest assessment for this government under PMB?

Well, let me be frank with you, I have a great respect for him. I am a true Christian to the core and he was my nominee when we were looking for the right person in this country. When I met with him in January 2015, I told him that if you disappoint Nigeria, you have not done anything but if you disappoint me, you have disappointed God. I told him he is going there to clear all the dirty things, and he is trying his best whatsoever.

I have never seen any head of state to confront the Chief of Army Staff headlong as he does. No head of state has ever done what he’s doing. What he’s going through now is corruption fighting back. We pray that he will be able to complete his tenure in office. What he has done so far is that he has laid down a sort of foundation. Stealing by impunity will reduce. So to that extent I have to give him some respect.

Of course he has his limitations because birds of the same feathers flocks together but not this time around where there are fake characters in his cabinet and nothing he could do to it. Let me tell you this secret because of my experience as a leader of C&S Church, one of the biggest churches in the world, Nigeria is a complex country and things have rotten for a very long time and to correct it is a big task.

Where will he start from; indiscipline, road, electricity, housing, things are very bad and you cannot do everything at the same time, you have to do it one by one, that is why it is taking time. It is not Buhari who made it, the foundation was there before he got there. I will give him a pass mark for what he has done so far.

Buhari and his cabinet advocated change, like Fashola who said a government that cannot fix power supply within 6months is a failure, what do you think. Don’t you think we should blame the man for choosing his cabinet?

It is easier to blame somebody when you don’t carry the load. Our constitution creates problems for us. The so called federal character which says each States should have a minister each; that is the first problem. If in Oyo State we have 8 materials you cannot take more than one. And if you have many nonentities in other States you have to take one of them. That is the problem he is facing now.

Also, the policies are not helping either, I don’t want to give names, Buhari is trying but some of the leaders don’t give him free hand, they give him a lot of headache, because they want to put a square peg in a round hole and this man say No. Fashola is a fine material, you know that.  Adeosun is a good material, but there are so many things she cannot do alone, the people behind the operators are the ones creating problems. If you don’t work successfully with powerful civil servants, you are not anybody, I’ve worked with a lot of civil servants right from the time of Tafawa Balewa. Civil servants can ruin the most intelligent person in government, because you can formulate a policy but they will implement it. And when they turn it the other way, that is where the problem starts.

Fashola said any government that cannot create power supply is a failure, accepted, but we are the one creating the problem. Firstly, we have the so called avengers, what are they avenging? Disrupting oil supply. Secondly, we as Nigerians of about 170 million Nigerians are using what they are not paying for (electricity), I don’t think up-to 120million citizens pay for their electricity because of corruption.

When the distribution company disconnects light, another staff will go and reconnect it overnight. And if there is no money to fund it, it would collapse. We are also part of the problems. And unless we change the attitude, it will continue like that.

Do you think we need restructuring?

I think that is our basic problem, whether we like it or not, it is good for us to be one indivisible country. The strength of United States of America lies in its size. In Africa, Nigeria seems to be giant because of our size, the bigger the population, the wider is the market. That gives economic advantage. The only mistake we are making is that we need to restructure. If we don’t restructure, we are only putting our head ahead evil days. Nigeria cannot go on like this. We have so many nationalities.

What is giving us problem is what the military brought upon us. They say we are Federal Republic of Nigeria, we are not, we are Military Republic of Nigeria. The way we are practicing is pseudo-military regime. Why don’t we go to what our forefathers left for us, let’s go to regions. Each of us developing at her own pace, and then have a weak center. If there is a weak center, Nigeria will have peace. Why don’t we go back to regionalism. Weak center has happened during the time of Tafawa Balewa, everybody will come and contribute to the center and that will bring peace and unity. We need restructuring. There are certain people who are capitalising on what we have now, they call us oases. I have my blame on Jonathan.

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After the convocation of the National conference, he should have put things in motion, he didn’t do anything. He should have started it, he shouldn’t have thought of waiting for the second term. That is why I give it to Fashola when he started radical demolition, people are saying he should wait for second term and he said he didn’t care for second term that he needs to do it when he has the time and people were shouting, when they see what he is doing, they supported him.

Buhari in his broadcast last week made mention of hate speeches?

Dealing with agitators, you don’t intimidate me if you want restructuring. Secession is treason felony, we don’t do that. If you want anything, you can ask in a polite way, unlike this boy Kanu, look if I were the president, I will ensure that I revoke his bail. Awolowo did not do half of that before he was imprisoned. How can you be going round to say you will break this country? Look,  there is still law. I don’t think the president has gone too far. If anyone treating me about secession, I will hold him to treason, and I will release machinery on such a person. Why is he there, he is the Commander in Chief. Somebody threatening me, do you want him to carry out his threat before you react? You don’t threaten the head of the family, we need dialogue.

As a religious leader, what do you think we can do as to security, we have rituals, rapists here and there among others. Meanwhile all these come from religious houses?

You caused it, if you see me riding what is not expected of me, living in big houses that does not worth my income, why don’t you report me to those that matters or single me out in the press. These people are either members of a church or mosque. I have said it on several occasions that if I were Buhari, many of those parading themselves as religious leaders owning jet would be in jail. I will ask him where he gets the money to own a jet. These kidnappers are found in some of the churches. I’m not priding myself, if you donate some money that is far from your income, I will reject it and question you. But most religious leaders don’t do this; that is why I’m a poor priest. But you journalists keep quiet. The people who are to be blamed in the country are churches and mosques. Agree with me, because most of them are not called by God but are called by their stomachs. Most religious leaders don’t care about your welfare, how you make it is not their business, all they want is your money. If all of us are making the same noise, things will change.

I always say it on my program on air that if you want to support my ministry, I don’t want your blood money, if someone gives me 30million naira, I will trace the source and reject it if necessary until I see proof. Sometimes God speaks to me to collect money from people. About two years ago somebody phoned me and said he wanted my bank account that he wants to help me and I said to him that I will pray about it. A week later, he called back and I asked him how much does he want to pay into my bank account, he said 14,000 naira and I said okay. However, I asked him where he is working and the nature of his job. After his explanation I accepted the money because the money is not much and I know is what he can afford. That’s what we should be doing.

There’s a church I won’t like to mention its name whose member donated 8million naira, the bank the person is working is one of the bank that liquidated those times.  Someone donating such huge money is not being queried and questioned by the church.

Can we now say that all the things happening in the churches today are signs of the end time?

Well, it is. But it is parental control that is lost. In fact in our own time,  during 1974/76, I was travelling with a Swedish man and we were both in the plane from Lagos to London and to West Germany and back to Australia, when we were coming back we introduced ourselves and I said I am a true Nigerian. I told him no other country is better than Nigeria. He said he has a contract proposal and wants to submit a letter to the ministry of works and needs someone who can assist him to make sure the letter gets to the right person. I told him I will help him that I know the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Works.

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I submitted it as promised and he told me that he will give me 6 per cent of the contract of 60 million pounds. He gave me his card but I later tore it, you may think that is craziness because 6 million pounds at that time is not a small money but a huge money and the position I’m occupying now, I wouldn’t have been holding such position. It could have marred my image and title because I don’t want to be spoiled by money. How many religious leaders would do that? People put too much love on materialism.

Most of our young boys today want to ride a big car in the university. Many students in school go home with what don’t belong to them and their parents won’t question them on it. That is where moral decadence has come from. People that are kidnapping are members of a church or mosque and many of the priests know them but they don’t care because of what they get from such person. On the day of judgement you will see surprises. People you think are saints will be roasting. You journalists can also help in revealing those fake people in the community.

There are issues in C&S, both Eternal, Sacred and others,  as the leader what have you been able to do so far to bring the church under one umbrella?

This is a question I can write volume of columns on. C&S is a replica of Nigeria. Things have gone too bad for so many years since 1925, what I’ve done is a hell of a courage. If I have feared for my life, I will not be doing what I’m doing now.

I’m the head of C & S Unification of Nigeria, yes, and I’m just into service about two years. I’ve had my challenges. Some people think I will take their sources of livelihood from them. Jeremiah 3:6 says; “There shall be no ark of Noah in my Tabernacle, neither do anybody replicate it, and people still follows it, killing fowls, goats and so on.”  I am against it and some people don’t like that but I have my mandate.

Before somebody said he’s a prophet I must found out who anointed him. I want to say it clearly that prophecy still exist and God makes affirmation. I was in UK 29th of July at a program of all white garment churches worldwide held in London where most important people attended. Former President Obasanjo came, I was also the Chief Revivalists, Oshoffa came and other men also from white garment churches. When it’s my turn to minister,  I leaned to the Queen of England and I said inspite of all sort of things going on in Nigeria, if I’m a prophet of God, Buhari is coming back home on his feet very soon and not as a cargo. I said it while I was being televised live on CNN that I’m coming back to UK before the end of August and before I come back President Muhammadu Buhari will be in Nigeria by then, that’s prophecy.

After that, people challenged me that I’ve gone too far, I told them I’m not the one that said it but God. They said I have to tell people what they want to hear, this is not recorded but openly. What is going on in this country is worse in Aladura churches. I read it on paper that some people called themselves prophet and have something to bury in their churches. The fact that they wear white garment does not mean they are Aladura, they are not part of us and I can’t control those who are not part of me.

Freedom allows anybody to found a church and nobody queries it. That’s the problem I’m facing and things are changing gradually. Things have taken shapes after 2 and half years I’ve been in office. It won’t be overnight but gradually. We went to UK and they accepted me as overall leader, even Oshoffa lined behind me, which has never happened before. We will get there.

Can you foresee the future of Nigeria… is there any hope?

A lot of hope, I smell it and I sense it that one day Nigeria will become a super power. If all of us can put our hearts together, what is militating against us is lack of unity. And what is limiting against the lack of unity that we have is the restructuring that we need. What we need is to have a leader who will listen, and whether Buhari listen or not, if he didn’t do it, another leader will do it. If it has not been destined from above to make the restructuring happen, he won’t do it because he is not been given from above. But I see one day that Nigeria will restructure and we go to real federalism. The moment we embrace federalism Nigeria will wake up as a giant.

It is been said everywhere that the problem of Nigeria is not God but ourselves. We only pray for miracles instead of thinking themselves out of difficulties. What’s your view?

Well, I won’t take it that way, I will say that we Nigerians deserve the type of government we have and two things are responsible. I’m a Christian clergy, but religion should be a thing of the mind. I want to see in the country one day that in our national psyche where people will be asking themselves are you a Christian or a Muslim. Obasanjo wanted to do it but they killed it. That is why when people challenged me why I supported Buhari in 2015, I told them I don’t care who govern me, I care who put food on my desk. This is what Nigerians lack, and that is why when it comes to politicking in 2019, they will give 500 naira to poor people and they will stupidly vote for them, without thinking the repercussion that comes after they have voted them in. It is when we rise against such thinking that we shall overcome, or else, we will continue to have this same problem.

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People who should not be in government are there because of ethnicity and tribalism, or religious sentiment, even quota system. If I have the power, I will squeeze religion in this country, it shouldn’t be an important factor. Go and worship whatever you believe in, even if it’s stick, but make Nigeria great. We should not emphasis religious beliefs. Many people go to churches because they are looking for miracles. Many are not called by God but they are using psyche power which is the power of darkness to do miracles. It is also very potent. But God power is more potent. My fear is that if care is not taken, there will be a revolution in this country, because it will consume so many lives including myself because it will be cleansing. And fear grips me every time because thousands of students graduate every year without jobs, and educated minds, very smart.

We have to educate our leaders too that these people turning out of universities without jobs, in about 10 years time there will be trouble. If that is what is going to be, so be it. But I think restructuring will suffer the problem. Many countries that are at their peak today is because they have the right leaders. I once said electricity will work in this country if we employ a rugged method. How? I will pass a law which says if you’re a staff in any electricity company, you must not have a generator in your house or office, even in Aso Rock. When they see the sufferings, they will do something. Also if you build a house that is more than your income, I will first of all seize it and then you defend it legitimately.

People may turn it to something else or a dictator, but you need a semi-lunatic to govern this country. When we started setting ourselves up, corruption would be killed. The corruption is our bane in this country. Why will a sane person be riding against a one way traffic, why don’t you take the person to a psychiatrist to spend about one week with the lunatics. Or alternatively, I will encourage corruption to cure corruption. When you drive against a one way traffic, the fine is 500,000, if you can bring somebody to pay the 500,000, automatically, you get 50 per cent of it as your own share. So before I let you go, you will still give me at least 20,000. You need this type of dogged methods to cure corruption.

You appear to be too busy. How, when and where do you relax?

I work and read quietly a lot, I don’t have time for swimming. I have studied Bible several times, and how many times do the angels rest in heaven. If they rest one hour, there will be trouble, we are the replica of angels. Maybe at old age, I will rest because I’m only 79 years… laughs!

Does God still speak to people? And do people also hear God speaks to them nowadays?

Yes God speaks and it is through intuition, we can find it in Revelations 3:10. When God speaks to you, things you will tell people will look stupid. God never change from ages past. For example, about two years ago I was travelling from Abeokuta to Lagos, I had problems with my radiator, I bought a keg of water at Apata in Ibadan,  before I got to Abeokuta, I’ve emptied the whole keg. I filled it again, by the time I got to Ewekoro, the gauge was emptied. It was around 10pm but I stopped eventually at the road side, no single drop of water. And I was the only one. I said father what do I do, and He said I should take sand and pour it into the radiator, but because it is the voice of God, I obeyed. As soon as I did that, water gushed out. I drove to Lagos, three days later, the radiator was still full, but you have to be very careful, when God speaks to you, devil can also be speaking to you, you have to be patient. When you want to use the grace for selfish reasons, Satan will take control. But when you don’t intend to do that, Satan will not come. God still speaks to His own.