Envagelist Theo Rays Ejike is a journalist, author and motivational speaker. The Convener of “Super Christian Fellowship Centre” in Onitsha, who champions what he calls “Divine Illuminatio (DI) Services and Prayer Solution for the World (PSW)”, recently spoke to CHUMA AUSTIN on Nigeria @61, Igbo presidency, security challenges and other burning issues affecting the country.
Excerpt:
By October 1, 2021, Nigeria will be 61 years as a sovereign nation. Are you satisfied with the journey so far?
Nigeria is facing a terrible security situation with terrorism, banditry and kidnapping wreaking havoc on the country. One cannot be satisfied with the challenges posed by insecurity in the country Nigerian leaders, starting with religious leaders to political leaders, have to reinvent, retool and rework the system of things away from the old order our fathers built to satiate geographical interests, away from inheritance into more liberal, expanded socioeconomic and religious order.
The problem of Nigeria is rooted in the old order, which limits socio economic and religious space and pigeon-holes the people into those for us and those against us. In other parts of the world people keep reinventing, retooling and reworking themselves but Nigerians appear to be standing still, focused more on protecting tribal and religious interests and inheritance of their forefathers than in building a strong, progressive and equitable nation out of the tribes and region.
As Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa, Fulani, Ijaw, Tiv, and others, we have more than enough human resources to transform Nigeria into world power but we are giving priority to tribal and regional interest. When Yoruba people floated Amotekun security outfit to safeguard Yoruba land, I laughed it off because Yoruba people have the capacity to bring about security outfit to safeguard the entire Nigeria. Disappointingly, Nigerians still believe in their places of origin and heritage as Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa, Fulani, Ijaw, Tiv, Igala and others.
And yet, the world has grown beyond these social and geopolitical limitations that we place upon ourselves. The world has grown beyond where people come from or who their fathers are or were or what they inherited. The world is no longer about where you come from geographically or what you inherited; it is now about what one knows and or is capable of doing; what one developed or achieved.
Sometimes, I wonder why Nigerians go to school because I don’t see the impact of what we are learning in the school in our system. People go to school for the purpose of equipping themselves for the services of humanity but I don’t see that services of humanity from Nigerians upon humanity in Nigeria, so what is the essence of going to school in Nigeria. I think it is important for Nigerians to do introspection and use our tongues to count out teeth. Enough of all these challenges in Nigeria in a world that is so sophisticated and advanced, please.
What exactly do you expect Nigerians to do in respect of your call for leaders to recreate, reform, innovate and modernize the system or, if I may use your words, reinvent, retool and rework the system?
Let us seek a stronger intimacy with God and embrace liberal and expanded religious and economic services of love, discipline, rule of law and hard-work. Second, we have to embrace stronger intimacy with the world by embracing innovations in the context of civilization driven by globalization. Part of the innovation is to move away from old order and stop seeing ourselves as Nigerians of Igbo, Hausa, Fulani, Yoruba and other extractions and start seeing ourselves as global citizens capable of doing all things.
We should put Nigeria first with a collective agenda on what we want to achieve and how we want our country to be. These are the basic steps we have to take. The present generation of Nigeria is revolving around five sets of people largely driven by the old order of ‘history and inheritance’.
The most unfortunate thing about the old order is that it lacks collective agenda – what we as a people want to achieve and how we want our country to be in the short and long terms. The five sets of people in Nigeria with their separate agenda are:
1) The people that like to occupy leadership positions
2) The people that want to continue to do white collar jobs with school certificates
3) The people that are after available space anywhere in the country to establish businesses
4) The people that want to defend the resources in their land and
5) The people that want to secede from Nigeria to form their own countries. These five sets of people are driven by four items of the old order which include going to school, going to the church and or mosque, doing selected kinds of businesses and relying on political power as the ultimate means of solution.
More so they are more interested in taking from Nigeria than giving to the country. That is the major reason why Nigeria is not working and why we need to reinvent, retool and rework our system.
Let me make a clear observation as God inspired me to understand. The major causes of insecurity in Nigeria are poverty, hatred, discrimination, lack of interest in hard-work – in other words laziness – and inordinate quest for political power.
But, what are the causes of poverty and others mentioned above?
The causes of poverty and other things fueling insecurity are rooted in our system which seems to lay greater emphasis on protecting our geopolitical interests and inheritance than building a progressive, equitable system that delivers the common good to the greater majority.
And yet, as we may know the emphasis on where we come from and inheritance attached thereto, limit our religious and economic capabilities and freedom. People stick to what their fathers did in the past and, consequently, they cannot develop functional industries and businesses in key areas of the modern global economy such as agriculture, medicine, chemical, textile/garment, raw materials, sports and technology. As a result of this inability to develop enterprises and businesses in the modern economy, we rely on political power as the ultimate solution to our problems.
That is why there agitating of Biafra, Restructuring and zoning. At this modern age we are more interested in zoning and rotation of power than in electing the right kinds of people to lead the country aright, irrespective of place of origin, creed or religion.
What is your take on the 2023 general elections, particularly the Presidential poll?
Former governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi said that there are more political, economic, religious and social tasks that are much more important than 2023 election, which we have to start doing immediately and I agree with him. 2023 election is already an issue of tribal interest, which is already a problem that we have to start dealing with immediately.
More so, the issue of 2023 is based on expectations, so investing our hope in it is like chasing shadows. For now, we have to face the political task of educating the people in the art of running government, most importantly how to run a political party and how to conduct credible elections. Political parties eyeing the presidency cannot conduct credible ward elections or primary election to elect governorship candidates in Anambra State.
How can a political party that cannot conduct credible election produce a credible president in 2023? Your answer is as good as mine. As a resident of Anambra State, I am following the political process of 2021 governorship election in the State and I can tell you that some of the people that came out to run for governor don’t know much about politics. Some just jumped into the race without any plan ab-initio, even about the political party on which to run.
People need to be taught about how to run for elective office and how to be part of a political party. Second, we have to embark on massive religious works of prayer and promotion of love, rule of law and hardworking immediately. We also have to start socio-economic work on how to face competition in modern world.
I tell you that Nigeria will be better off if we can get cities like Lagos, Kano, Port Harcourt, Onitsha and Abuja among others, to complete with Cairo, Johannesburg and Khartoum among others. As rich as Lagos is, Lagos cannot produce a football club that can compete in Africa. What a shame?
We have to do socio- economic and business works such as getting Onitsha traders to do other things outside going to their shops in the streets and markets.
Crime will reduce in Onitsha if we can get people into night life with entertainment business, sports business and technology businesses. I have said that champions of Igbo Presidency have to lead the crusade for immediate solution through other means ahead of 2023.
Let Ndigbo churn out good ideas and knowledge on how to deal with the security challenges, how to address the challenge of poor power supply, how to massively improve on food production, how to improve on infrastructure mostly road construction, how to improve on internally generated revenue, how to create jobs for the youth, how to improve on the quality of education and healthcare delivery plus how to develop sports and technology among other things being expected by Nigerians. I believe that by so doing, the chances of Igbo man taking over from Buhari will be brighter.
The issue about Nigeria is another nightmare facing the country, what is your advice to Nigeria youth?
An Igbo adage has it that if a child is wise enough, he will kill what killed his father, but if he is not wise enough what killed his father will equally kill him.
So my advice to the youth is to shine their eyes and shift from the old order that contribute to the failure of the fathers and then work hard to evolve a new Nigeria of their wish. I dedicated DI Services to the youth as a platform to evolve a new Nigeria.
I want the youth to join me and move Nigeria forward in global perspective. First the youth have to observe and identify the dynamics of the world and which drive the world in different order and perspectives. Let’s queue into the current order and perspective which is saying that the entire world is a global village and that all human beings are one and equal.
Let’s look beyond our tribal and religious background because they are not strong enough to move forward. The idea of Nigerians seeing ourselves as Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa, Fulani, Christian and Muslims is not in line with the current world order and perspective.
Ideas and knowledge have dramatically and massively improved in the last fifty years. Thus, the world today is substantial enough, resourceful enough and benevolent enough to help us (humanity) solve our problems.
The world today is rich, friendly, wiser, knowledgeable, cheap, affordable, available and accessible and that makes it possible for us to overcome challenges but unfortunately Nigerians are not interested in observing and identifying with the dynamics of the world.
Nigerians still believe in inheritance. Life on earth is driven by two things namely what the time is saying and what the man or the people are doing. There is a big difference between the present time and the time when God used Moses to evolve Israel. Moreover, as Nigerians or Ndigbo, we don’t have the same purpose of God with the Israelites, so things cannot work for us if we follow the system of Moses and the Israelites.
There is a huge difference between the present time and the time when Zik, Awolowo, Ahmadu Bello and others evolved the tribes and regions that make up Nigeria. There is much different between the time the missionaries brought Christian churches and the present time, so following the system of the missionaries won’t work for us. Let us (Nigerians) take things from the perspective of this time.
When we say that the world is substantial, resourceful, benevolent, rich and affordable is all about man or the people.
Everything about the world is all about man or the people, so let us try as much as possible to be substantial, resourceful, benoevent, rich, wiser, knowledgeable, affordable, friendly and accessible because by so doing we shall solve our problems and get better.
You are into an ecclesiastical project called ‘Divine Illustratio” (DI) What is the services all about?
A: Divine Illuminatio services is a Christian outreach, an expanded religious ideas, visions and operation anchored on a deeper, expanded view and understanding of the concept of God and man.
DI Services is about a broader concept of gospel, about world evangelism that focuses on how to unite the forces of God and man to address the challenges facing humanity, in line with the Biblical declaration that Jesus Christ is the ultimate solution to the problems of life and that with God all things are possible.
In my search for the truth, under the inspiration of God, I have discovered that the major factor militating against Christianity, in particular, as an institution of God is the poor level of understanding about God and man among Christians.
What I mean by expanded view and understanding is people giving room for new ideas and knowledge, a kind of cross-fertilization of ideas that enhances the individuals into high capacity operations. Ideas rule the world. DI Services is to propagate ideas on stronger spiritual principles, stronger social spectrum, stronger economic operations and stronger political methods among the people starting from Igboland to other parts of Nigeria upward to the rest of the world.
The main target at the outset is to enhance the Individual operations among the people. Individual operations among Nigerians in particular are very poor. That’s why Nigerians are facing all kinds of problems @ 61. People select the kinds of businesses they do and expect the government to do magic forgetting that government is a product of quality individual operations.
Everything we do including forming and running government revolves around individuals operations. We cannot get a government when the quality of the individuals and operations of the individuals are poor. What we need in Nigeria today is high capacity individual operations. You cannot get it right without strong individual operations for security among the people. You cannot get enough food without strong input of the individuals of the individuals into food production and so on.
So DI is bringing ideas on socio religious, socio economic and socio political activities, methods and principles that will enhance individual operations among Nigerians. What we need to change the society is spiritual revival, social formation, economic expansion and political advancement.
In other words, DI Services is about using Divine instrumentalities of Christianity to give the people stronger spiritual background, give the people stronger social formation that widens the social spectrum beyond where people come from or what they inherited, expanding the economic space beyond stereotype businesses and advancing political means into effective methods. It is instructive that some churches don’t allow any information about or from other churches or religious organisations to be shared in their own churches.
Needless to say that, to all intents and purposes, this attitude is impacting negatively on Christianity. It is as if Christians, under the various denominations, don’t actually understand what God and man can do and that’s why we are suffering especially in Igboland, being a Christians-dominated enclave.
Christians in various denominations appear to lack the understanding of the Biblical declaration that with God all things are possible. The worst part of it is that these sets of Christian denominations seem more interested in consumption than production. They channel the interest of God and man into consumption instead of production and that is why they have failed to demonstrate the abilities of God and man to deal with challenges facing our earthly life.
The key interest of today’s church leaders as pastors, bishops, prophets, general overseers and others would appear to be simply to rake in as much money as possible through offerings, tithes and donations from adherents. Daily and weekly activities are anchored on what to consume and not what to produce. They are neither hard-working nor inspiring the people to be hard-working. That’s why corruption is thriving in Nigeria even with all the churches we boast in the country.
Christians are at the centre of corruption in Nigeria because they are following the system instead of working hard to change the system. That may explain why Ndigbo as Christians have so far failed to build a socio economic system that promotes growth and quality of life in Igboland. The point is that Christians in various churches have failed to emulate Israelites showcase God in terms of works, in terms creativity, productivity and providing solutions to the problems of humanity.
Christians copy the way of worshipping God in the temple in Israel but failed to copy the way the Israelites live and work to the glory of God. It is neither right nor safe to narrow all that God is to making money to build cathedrals or temples. The glory of God is not about building 100,000 capacity church auditoriums; it is about building lives with strong socio economic development, making food, jobs, security and money available for the people.
Corruption, poverty, hunger, diseases and death are ravaging Nigeria and Igboland amid churches here and there and that makes clear that these crop of Christians are far from what God represents.
From what you are saying, you are bringing up different kinds of Christian services. How could you explain what you intend to do differently from what these other denominations are doing?
I am reinventing, retooling and reworking Christianity with expanded view and understanding of God and man under the inspiration of God. The present sets of Christians are organizing people to worship God and seek blessings of God under the umbrella of the Church but under DI, the Church means people that represent God in action for the wellbeing of humanity.
Jesus Christ is God. And in John 14:12, Jesus assured us that those who believe in Him shall do greater things than Himself. This is first. Second, other denominations are more interesting in making people to follow and not to know. Jesus Christ is more interested in making people to know than following Him.
Jesus Christ is more interested in giving knowledge than having compact followers behind him. Thus, DI Services is more interested in making people to know and not to follow. The problem of Nigeria is that people are more interested in following than knowing. We have a situation where people go to Church to follow and not to know. People are in politics to follow and not to know.
People even go to school to follow and not to know. People go to school to do Masters and Ph.D just to follow and not know. Unfortunately the church and schools are comfortable with people’s choice to follow and not know. What we need in Nigeria is high capacity operations from individuals and institutions that will make people to know and not to follow.
The major problem facing Nigeria today is that people do not know how to form government. It is wrong for Christians who have the authority of heaven and earth to expect government made up of people who cannot build their village to bring about a better society. DI Service is of the position that Christians have all it takes to build a workable government at all levels in Nigeria.
This is not about Christians occupying leadership positions but about bringing about workable ideals, methods and principles. Another area where DI Services is different from the present set of Christian churches DI is built on the universal concept of God as well as general service that cut across all fields of human endeavor but the churches we have now are built around the dispensation of priesthood and temple worship, with activities based on gifts, historic events and reputations of others.
Christianity is about characters of God in totality not event or gift or reputation of others. DI is built around the characteristics of the power and righteousness of God under the dispensation of the Holy Spirit; it is about a vision of God’s kingdom with activities based on how to respond to the needs and tests of the time.
Christians copied the way they worshipped (worship) God in Israel under the dispensation of priesthood but failed to copy the way the Israelites (Israelis) generally live and work as God’s own people.
Christians are supposed to be closer to God (through Christ) and, therefore, more powerful than the Israelites (Jews) but they limit themselves to the control of priesthood and narrow their activities to gifts, historical events and reputation of others (like the Apostles, Disciples, Saints, others) and often show more interest in money ‘donated’ by adherents in forms of offerings, tithes and donations to build temples or cathedrals and for the leaders to take care of themselves.
From the Bible, the dispensation of priesthood is traceable to Melchizedek. Subsequently priesthood moved to the Levites during the era of Moses as leader of Israel. Later on, priesthood moved to our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Chief priest that directly connects everybody with God without any third party in-between.
So, priesthood outside Jesus is a third party meant only to lend support to the faithful to learn more about God and His programme of salvation through Christ. But, it is most unfortunate that Christians have turned priesthood to mere human kind of leadership with church leaders acting more like worldly kings and queens and investing more interest in the acquisition of worldly things than implementing the vision of the kingdom of God through the direction of the Holy Spirit.
Let me explain this very well. Someone might have a divine call or claim to have a divine gift of healing or prophecy. Then on the strength of the ‘gift’, the person places himself as a priest and starts to operate on the basis of Biblical verses explaining or depicting events that characterized God’s relationship with the Israelites and what Jesus Christ and his apostles did.
For instance, healing and other services they proclaim in the churches, especially in the Pentecostal ones, are traceable to what Jesus Christ and His disciples did, as written in the Bible. Pentecostal is traceable to event in Israel called the Feast of Pentecost. Furthermore, the payment of tithe to church leaders is in connection with God’s relationship with the Israelites under the dispensation of priesthood. It is not clear if anyone with the gift of healing was a priest and therefore entitled to receive tithes.
Both Jesus and his apostles were gifted in assorted ways – they had gifts of wisdom, knowledge, healing, prophecy, miracle, signs and wonders but they never placed themselves as priests or received tithes from anybody. Moreover, God is beyond priesthood and beyond history. God is not just about what happened during the time of Moses. God is also beyond what Jesus Christ and his disciples did.
What I’m saying is that the programmes and plans of God for humanity cannot be limited to God’s relationship with Melchizedek. The programmes and plans of God cannot also be limited to God’s relationship with the Israelites neither can the programmes and plans of God be limited to what Jesus Christ and his apostles did or to anyone’s reputation. God is not stereotypical in nature.
What is the vision of DI Services for South East Zone?
The vision of DI Services for Southeast Zone is to connect Ndigbo into a liberal and expanded socio-religious and economic works that will bring our greatness into reality. Greatness is not about feelings, it is about creativity. You cannot attain the height of greatness if you are not doing the work that greatness demands.
For me, the greatness of Nigeria in general and Ndigbo in particular is embedded in feelings not in works. As mostly Christians, Ndigbo should copy the way the Israelites (Israelis) live and work.
As Christians under the current denominations, Ndigbo are selective in both religious and economic choices and that is why we are suffering. For instance, as Christians, Ndigbo have failed to develop and produce basic necessities of life such as food, medicine, chemical, textiles/garment and raw materials either for domestic use or commercial purposes.
The rates of hunger, disease and illness in Igbo land are quite high. The number of untimely deaths caused by diseases and, by extension, sicknesses is very high among Ndigbo. Diseases such as diabetes, stroke, cancer, cardiac arrest and HBP kill people in Igboland more than in other places in Nigeria largely because Ndigbo don’t even produce enough food to feed their population well as to keep them healthy.
As Christians, Ndigbo have not been able to emplace a strong position in politics neither have they been able to exhibit strong political skill in Nigeria. As Christians Ndigbo cannot boast of a collective spectacular achievement in Nigeria except building market markets and gigantic church building. As Christians Ndigbo cannot root a political party of a string Igbo background. You don’t expect others to build a political party and concede top positions of the party to Ndigbo.
Ndigbo have not been able to emplace, transparent democratic process at home. Which is why, as Christians, we cannot conduct credible elections in Igboland. As Christians, we pay little or no attention to sports development in Igbo land. Way back in 1977, students of Christ the King College (CKC) Onitsha went to Finland and conquered the world to win the world secondary school football tournament, 41 year after that feat, football is dead in Onitsha because as Christians Ndigbo seem to be ignorant of football business.
As Christians, we are unable to exploit our innate innovative skills to develop technology. As Christians, we boast no functional social infrastructure in Igbo land – no roads, no first-class schools, no sports facilities, nothing. Indeed, as Christians, we have failed to move beyond the system we inherited from our fathers.
I have a lot to tell Ndigbo about liberal religious principles that will bring the desired transformation and expanded economic works that cut across agricultural, sports, medicine and technology among. For instance 5 rich traders at Onitsha can give us big cassava farm under PLC business. Another set can give us a world Class University or world class hospital or large scale industry as PLC business.
I have information and practical prayers that will make a difference in opening the mind of the people and developing the human capacity into expanded business and into politics. Igbo land will skyrocket to the next level if we can harness and galvanize the billionaires and millionaires we have all over the world into expanded businesses in agriculture, education, health, sports, politics, technology and industrialization.
“As Christians, we are unable to exploit our innate innovative skills to develop technology. As Christians, we boast no functional social infrastructure in Igbo land – no roads, no first-class schools, no sports facilities, nothing. Indeed, as Christians, we have failed to move beyond the system we inherited from our fathers. I have a lot to tell Ndigbo about liberal religious principles that will bring the desired transformation and expanded economic works that cut across agricultural, sports, medicine and technology among.
For instance 5 rich traders at Onitsha can give us big cassava farm under PLC business. Another set can give us a world Class University or world class hospital or large scale industry as PLC business. I have information and practical prayers that will make a difference in opening the mind of the people and developing the human capacity into expanded business and into politics. Igbo land will skyrocket to the next level if we can harness and galvanize the billionaires and millionaires we have all over the world into expanded businesses in agriculture, education, health, sports, politics, technology and industrialization.”
“Greatness is not about feelings, it is about creativity. You cannot attain the height of greatness if you are not doing the work that greatness demands. For me, the greatness of Nigeria in general and Ndigbo in particular is embedded in feelings not in works. As mostly Christians, Ndigbo should copy the way the Israelites (Israelis) live and work. As Christians under the current denominations, Ndigbo are selective in both religious and economic choices and that is why we are suffering.
For instance, as Christians, Ndigbo have failed to develop and produce basic necessities of life such as food, medicine, chemical, textiles/garment and raw materials either for domestic use or commercial purposes. The rates of hunger, disease and illness in Igbo land are quite high. The number of untimely deaths caused by diseases and, by extension, sicknesses is very high among Ndigbo. Diseases such as diabetes, stroke, cancer, cardiac arrest and HBP kill people in Igbo land more than in other places in Nigeria largely because Ndigbo don’t even produce enough food to feed their population well as to keep them healthy.”
“And yet, the world has grown beyond these social and geopolitical limitations that we place upon ourselves. The world has grown beyond where people come from or who their fathers are or were or what they inherited.
The world is no longer about where you come from geographically or what you inherited; it is now about what one knows and or is capable of doing; what one developed or achieved. Sometimes, I wonder why Nigerians go to school because I don’t see the impact of what we are learning in the school in our system. People go to school for the purpose of equipping themselves for the services of humanity but I don’t see that services of humanity from Nigerians upon humanity in Nigeria, so what is the essence of going to school in Nigeria.
I think it is important for Nigerians to do introspection and use our tongues to count out teeth. Enough of all these challenges in Nigeria in a world that is so sophisticated and advanced, please.”
“We have a situation where people go to Church to follow and not to know. People are in politics to follow and not to know. People even go to school to follow and not to know. People go to school to do Masters and Ph.D just to follow and not know. Unfortunately the church and schools are comfortable with people’s choice to follow and not know. What we need in Nigeria is high capacity operations from individuals and institutions that will make people to know and not to follow.
The major problem facing Nigeria today is that people do not know how to form government. It is wrong for Christians who have the authority of heaven and earth to expect government made up of people who cannot build their village to bring about a better society. DI Service is of the position that Christians have all it takes to build a workable government at all levels in Nigeria. This is not about Christians occupying leadership positions but about bringing about workable ideals, methods and principles.”