Bishop Tunde Akin-Akinsanya is the President Tunde Akin-Akinsanya Ministries and Presiding Bishop of The Communion Faith Assembly, Abeokuta. He is also the Chairman, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Ogun State. He was 50 on Wednesday, 3rd October 2018. City People Publisher, SEYE KEHINDE spoke to him last week on life @ 50. Below are excerpts of the interview.
How did you celebrate your 50th birthday?
Well, if am permitted I would like to break your question into 2 questions. Why and how I celebrated my 50th birthday. I thank God for the reason behind my celebration. For every major step I take in life, there are reasons behind them and I celebrated my 50th birthday because of God’s faithfulness and kindness over my life. I celebrated with family, friends and colleagues in God’s presence. I celebrated in total adoration to God the maker of heaven and earth.
How do you feel at 50?
At 50, I feel that my real life has just begun. At 50, I see there are more grounds to cover, I feel this age as the age to impact more and more. Age 50 is golden, and what do you do with gold? In the olden days, gold is business. So, this is my age of doing God’s business like the way God patterned it. That’s how I feel
What are your reflections on life @ 50?
My reflection is to treat and handle life at 50, with great caution. Half a century is not a joke.
How has the journey been so far?
50 years journey is not 50 days journey or 50 weeks journey. I have seen both ups and downs of life. I have tasted poverty and penury in this journey. I have experienced rejection and labelled with bad names. I have been tagged as someone who won’t amount to anything in life. I have been cheated and robbed on many occasions. I have been publicly embarrassed on a national TV. But, God who brings people out from the miry clay brought me out and placed my seat within the circle of the significant personalities in this nation.
How did you get into the ministry? How did it happen? What year?
The Bible says Faithful is he who calls, he will also do it. God calls to his work through me. I’m just a vessel in his hand. God’s work in my hands has been divinely well nurtured and it’s producing amazing results. I have never had any regret in doing God’s work at any time of my life. I had seen the downside of Ministry and I know how painful it is when people’s expectations are not met. Once expectations are not met discouragement sets in. Many times I have been discouraged but never gave up. His grace has kept me on the go. And I thank God I answered his call. No regret whatsoever.
You are the Chairman of CAN in Ogun State. How has the journey been since then?
At every juncture of my journey, God has always provided steps to make ways for me. My role in CAN ideally was to wait for my turn to become the Chairman of CAN. Something like the finger of God, it was actually the finger of God, intervened and made me the CAN chairmanship without any lobby, without any woo, I became the State chairman of CAN in Ogun State. Ever since then, at the time of writing, the good Lord who brought me into this exalted position has kept his part of the deal in supplying all the resources needed. Human resources, financial resources and spiritual resources. I thank God for all my team members. They are a wonderful set of people. All the members of the executive are loyal to this God who put them on this seat.
The Bible says he that finds a wife finds a good thing but much more than that is Yetunde Mary nee Oshibote. She has been far more than being good. She is perfect for the role God sent her to play in my life. She came into my life and my life took a new turn. I will write an autobiography about her, She has been so supportive, loving and caring. My children have been wonderful. To God be all the glory.
