Poju Oyemade is the Senior Pastor at the Covenant Christian Centre, Lagos. Pastor Poju is a teacher of the Word of faith, with insight into how believers can apply biblical principles in a pragmatic and practical way, in their daily lives.
This dynamic pastor organises regular faith seminars, summits, financial and business workshops where people are taught the principles of success and how they could be applied on every front to produce results.
Pastor Poju is the convener of Nigeria’s biggest economic convergence, The Platform Nigeria, a periodic Summit that discusses Worker’s Fair and National Development Fair, where prominent businessmen and women share how they thrive in their industries, using and applying workable principles.
Pastor Poju spoke with City People’s Online Editor, SEUN JOSEPH, on the economy, public office, political will and the role of the church in the state. Excerpts
What was the goal for this year’s Platform?
Well, basically the goal of the platform is to create awareness concerning any specific area. Don’t let me say every platform, but this platform was to create awareness on the area which has to do with the economy going forward, in terms of development. What are the new ideas we can inject into the economy to move it forward?
Based on your goal for the platform, how did you conclude on the Selection of the speakers?
You see, let me put it this way, what I understand, for example, in some nations are the fact that when they have a problem, they try to get intellectuals together and brainstorm with the intellectuals to proffer ideas that they could now inject into what they are doing to move the nation forward. So, we sought the people who have the intellectual capacity and the experience to bring in ideas that could move things forward.
There have been events like this in the past, are there any steps taken to actualize the ideas earlier suggested so far?
You know, people keep saying that, they ask me about steps taken, but every organisation has its role. A farmer who plants seed is not the one who is going to develop the factory and process it into tomato paste. So, everybody has a role to play. So, you do something extra to inspire people. It’s just like you educate people and they chose to use the education for something progressive. We just believe as a media organisation that we should put something useful out there and we believe if we plant the seed, things will come out in good place.
What’s your general view of Nigeria at 59?
Unfulfilled potential.
Can you expatiate a bit, sir?
You just think about it, if you take the human capacity of Nigeria all over the world who left this nation. They left because they felt they have talents and they got frustrated with the environment and are all over the world now, doing perfectly well. I think they said right now we have about 22,000 doctors who are Nigerians. If you take all these people and the quality of work they’re doing, the intellectual work they are doing and you bring all of them to the Nigerian space, you would understand what I mean. So, it’s a nation with huge potential that seems not to be useful owing to bad policies.
Do you think a religious body should be the driver of this kind of conversation right now?
Yes.
Why?
The reason is, first of all, I said this in my opening speech that Nigeria is a religious society and when you bring things from a religious angle, there a way the Nigerian mind opens up to it. And I don’t think as we are in this country now, there is an institution that is cut out to discuss basic issues as it affects the development of the nation, but if we develop those institutions, if we develop think tanks, if we develop places, then I can agree. But as it is in Nigeria, I don’t think there’s an institution now that will have the capacity to do it on a mass scale that will be trusted, not something that is partisan, or biased or has an agenda, so in an ideal situation, for example in America and the UK, churches don’t play this role because they have institutions that do that. We have foundations, they have non-governmental organisations, that serve as think tanks that we know, even media houses that organise it.
Let me give you an example, somebody called me one day, about 6 am to tell me that there was a road accident and there were causalities. I was wondering that it was a pastor that he could call? When I dropped the phone, I now thought that maybe he just felt the other institutions are not reliable and the only person he believed would respond was a Pastor. Or maybe he will know people in certain quarters who will rapidly respond to the call if it’s coming from me. so religious institutions have to play an additional role to their specific mandate that they have received from God.
Nigeria at 59, what is your message for our leaders?
At 59, the basic message to them will be. They travel to other countries. They see how those countries are organised and the reason this country has not developed is not because of anything magical. They should decide to act, for example, Professor Soludo is in the economic advisory team, one could almost hear him sounding like, our suggestions may not be taken or implemented. But even those people in those rooms there, if they take economic ideas suggested and actually implement them. This country is going to move into a new space.
So my advice to them is that they should develop the political will to work on things that they know to be true. Yes, it might not please a few of their friends, but it will leave a legacy for them in their lives that they will not believe the amount of loyalty they will get from the populace and the benefit that will go to their children and grandchildren for doing the right thing.
You said earlier in your opening remarks that Nigeria is a religious country. Other countries that are less religious are more developed, could it be that our religious society is not living up to what they should do?
Let me tell you what happens. Societies bought into religion hundreds of years ago. From religion, they got into what they call enlightenment age. They discovered principles, they tapped into the mind of God. They found out those principles, they applied those principles into their world and their nation started to grow. They have discovered the principles, so even if they are less religious now, they have understood the working of the principles and how to achieve them. Other nations come in, they don’t have as much religion. They humble themselves and applied those principles; they work. Now, the problem we have in Nigeria is because of the religious factor. people, instead of learning the principle that will make things work, they are turning to God. For example, you are here now. If I finish here, you will request I pray for you. You might say that’s the best thing that has happened in this interview you came to do, not even your professional work.
So, I can agree to an extent that we have become superstitious, however, religion in itself is not a detriment to human progress. The real thing is not a detriment to progress.
What is the role of the church in the process of development of a nation?
The problem with Nigeria is not intelligence, it is moral. The country can inspire people but it takes the conscience to execute the saddled task. So, it’s about the church claiming its role as a guide to nurture our conscience.
Because we can change policy to the best policy, but if you formulate policy and the man there is a thief, he will be looking for a way to use your policy to steal from you. So that policy itself becomes a tool. So if a person is a criminal, regardless of the policy, he will still be looking for means to access money from the policy formulated.
