Pelemoh Martins, a reverend and coordinator Church of God Mission, Lagos-West, Okoko, spoke with SEYI JOHN SALAU on the need for Nigerians to go back to true worship and service of God by rendering selfless service to man. He also spoke on some national issues. Excerpts:
Could you please tell us more about yourself?
By the grace of God I grew up like any normal child and had my primary education in my home town. I am from Ibilo in Akoko-Edo Local Government, in Edo State. I got born again at a very tender age, did everything possible to serve God. The quest to know Him more and more actually pushed me into leadership position in the church. I served in almost all the whole departments in our ministry until I came into the ministry. I would not want to say I came into the ministry fulltime but then I worked, pastoring as a young man. Proceeded to the higher institution, attended Polytechnic in the North where my faith in Christ was strengthened. I schooled in Bauchi with so many riots, but then it strengthened my faith. So, I came to Lagos as a youth corper, had a good place to work and then the grace of God upon my life was the thing which challenged me to work in the ministry, and I came into fulltime ministry shortly after my youth service in Lagos and I served in various locations and worked as a part time in Lagos and was transferred to Ibadan. From Ibadan, was transferred back to Lagos, spent five years, after that I was transfered to Delta State where I spent three years. In 2014, I was brought back to Lagos, to the Zonal Headquarters where I am presently.
Looking at CGMI Lagos-West under your leadership, how has it been?
By the grace of God before now Lagos-West was very broad, was covering as far as to Victoria Island, Badagry, and in 2014 shortly after my resumption we calved out another zone from our zone, which is Victoria Island zone. We now cover from Apapa to Badagry and presently we are believing God to actually expand the zone because there have been lots of restructuring in our ministry of late. The number of our branches has reduced drastically, we have to give Victoria Island some branches, we give Lagos Central some branches, so we are trying to open new branches. You know, Okoko area is peculiar because of the traffic situation. So, as much as we can, we are coming together once a while to hold programmes but not as much as we would have liked to do if the traffic is not there. But, we are doing great by the grace of God.
As a church, how do you reach out to your host community?
Oh great, when I resumed here 2014, the road – this street was abandoned for so many years I was told, when people are coming to church they pack their cars by the main road. The first thing I did was to work on the road, and working on the road I discovered that the fencing of our church (our compound) was too close to the road and because of that there was no proper drainage system. I had to break-down the whole fence and gave some meters to the road, constructed a new fence, and also when I came in here there used to be a lot of armed robbery cases around here, so I had to fix street lights on this street and it has specially minimised greatly the rate of crime. Also, sometimes my youths go to the street, the market at Ishashi there to go and clean the gutters. So we clean the gutters and make free flow of water and all of that. We do so much to affect the community and we also discover that there are some people around who are kind of destitute; sometimes I call them and try to rehabilitate them, ask them what they can do. Some of them as much as possible I know giving them money will not solve their problem, I advise a couple of them, you go get what you do, let’s know what we can do. These are the things we are doing.
Would you say the church has positively impacted the host community?
By the grace of God, yes. Even recently I went to the police division, the divisional headquarters here to request for their services, they told me that of late they’ve seen the great impact of the church on the community. The community leader has visited me several times to commend what God is using us to do.
Looking at the state of the nation, what is your advice to politicians and people in position of authority?
It’s simple, the bible says the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom and if we put ourselves in the shoes of other people, feel what they are feeling the bible says we have a high priest who is touched by our infirmities. If we feel what people feel, we will be able to lead them well. One of the greatest challenges we have in our country is that everybody is too much after his own, what you have to get and save for your children; that has actually crippled a lot of things. My candid advice to politicians and our leaders is that let God rule them, rule their heart and let them be concerned about other people. If you pass a road and you see that the road is not good and you are in a position to effect a change; you effect a change. By the grace of God I’ve traveled to few countries, I see the way some leaders behave over there, they are concerned about the people and they are not after accumulating wealth for themselves. If our leaders can copy those good things they do, we will do better in this country.
Over the years, people say that the greatest problem of Nigeria has to do with leadership. All our leaders claim to serve God in their own right – either Christians or Muslims. Where is the place of God in the leadership of the country?
Being religious does not really make one a good leader. Sometimes, when I sit down to look at what is happening in the country, I think its misplacement of priority, we don’t really put right people in the right places. Sometimes, if you see people who know what they are doing and you put them where they are supposed to be, they will do better. A situation where you put a figurehead leader in a place and you expect people under him to help him do the work, he does not have idea of what is to be done, he will not be able to do the right thing. It’s just like in a church setting, if you put a teacher in the place of an evangelist, he will just teach, but if you put an evangelist in the place of an evangelist, he will do well. We profess God, we talk about God, but do we fear this God? How can a man say he fears God, and you dupe, you cheat, and you see people suffering, these people sent you there and you see them suffering and you neglect them, where is the fear of God? So, if we really fear God we will not be concerned about ourselves; if we really fear God, we will put God first. How do we put God first? We serve God with our position. How do we serve God? We serve humanity, we don’t see God, it’s these people you see, you serve them, and by so doing you are serving God. So, if our leaders can return back to serving man, serve man as though you are serving the Lord to be able to fulfill the will of God.
The North has remained a killing field where Christians are being massacred by Muslim fanatics, yet Christian leaders are not speaking up; is it out of cowardice or what?
The problem is not far-fetched; Christianity is all about life and peace. We give life and we preach peace. It’s not gotten to that stage of preaching violence for violence, these are some of the things that are in our society, and over there in the North some of them believe that when they kill Christians they are killing the infidels (unbelievers) so to speak but Christians don’t have that mind set. And, an average Christian has the understanding that killing is a sin so by so doing, when they are coming up with all their riots, Christians are being careful. It’s not that they are cowards, no – the truth is that they are just trying to keep their faith not to offend God. I think that is the major reason; sometimes you see Christians striking, we have some Christians who also believe in this school of thought that look if you are pushed to the wall you have to defend yourself: you strike, some Christians believe that, for instance when I was in the North there was a time we had student crisis and during the student crisis it was supposed to be just a normal riot but it turned out to be a religious fracas; Christians and Muslims, so in our fellowship they will always tell us please you have to maintain the peace no matter what. When they see you maintain the peace, by this they will know that you are a child of God. But, they don’t have this consciousness, so what do we do. In the midst of this there are some groups of young Christians from the South here who said no – if they carry cutlass we will carry cutlass, so we have a very little fraction of Christians that believe that they can also strike. But, I pray for Nigeria that we will not get to a point where both religions will now begin to think that we can carry ammunitions to defend and to fight, when we get to that point it will turn to something else.
If you were asked today, to make one request for Nigeria, what would be that greatest request?
My greatest request; this morning for instance I did make a request for Nigeria on our family alter, I asked God to revive Nigeria and reform Nigeria again. And, I told them do you remember there was a time that we have what they call Udoji in this nation, that God has not changed. Do you remember there was a time that a Peugeot car was being sold 5000 naira that God has not changed. So, I pray God to revive Nigeria again bring restoration to our country, let the heart of our leaders yearn for God. That is my greatest request.
SEYI JOHN SALAU
