PastorLayi Bamidele is an interesting man of God with a rainbow and fascinating background. He hails from Ire, a town in Osun State, from the family Mr. and Mrs. Sulaimaon Gbadamoshi.
“I was born about 60 years ago. I was actually born a Muslim and I grew up as a Muslim and by the grace of God, I became an Islamic scholar at some point in my life”, he revealed.
However, he said that at a certain time in his life, God arrested him and he became a Christian. “I met God, no body preached to me. When I gave my life to Christ, there was a pronouncement I made the day I had an encounter with Christ. It was that pronouncement that is manifesting in my life today and what God has made me to become today is as a result of that. It is that manifestation of the confession of that day that drives me. I was alone but I never knew that God was with me on that day”, he said.
Today, he oversees Christ Glorious End time Evangelical Church, and the ministry turns 13 years by the December this year. He spoke with Integrity Reporters on his life and state of the nation.
Q: Politically, what do you think is going on in Nigeria today?
A: Let me start from the time of Goodluck Jonathan. When I noticed that things were not going right, I went back to the mountain in 2013, because I have a covenant with God when He called me to his ministry. He said, every 21st January, I should go to the mountain and pray. I was on that mountain when God told me that He has abandoned Jonathan, that Jonathan will not win but will bribe people in this country with the resources of this Nigeria but that he will still not win. When I get down from the mountain in February 2013, I wrote in the newspaper that he should not contest, that he would lose. One or two governors at that time responded, saying I was a fake prophet but I kept my cool. I told them that somebody is coming after Jonathan but that the person coming is not also a Messiah. I was one of the pastors that went back to the mountain when Buhari emerged. He was described as a man of integrity, discipline and that he would put those things that are not in place. But in a short time, discovered that the Buhari of old is not the Buhari of now, he is now a changed man. Though I said it recently in one of the dailies that I am part of the problem because when God spoke to me about Buhari, He said that Buhari was like Saul of the Bible and God referred me to 1 Samuel 8. Saul was not the choice of God but the choice of people and God told me that Buhari wasn’t His own choice but our own choice and that his government would be like that of Saul, look at what is going on now? Saul dealt with the Israelites, Buhari is dealing with us. That is why the first thing he did was to increase the price of fuel. Part of his promises was that he would reduce the fuel price, end Boko Haram within six months, but none of his promises was met. He also said that he will make exchange $1=N1 but exchange rose to N500 before it now came down about N300, and it has been fluctuating between that range.
The genesis of problem in Buhari’s government started from the foundation. His foundation is faulty and that is why he is still having problems up till now. He started his government with betrayal. He didn’t have money to fight to win the election against Jonathan. People sponsored him but the first thing was to betray them. People like Tinubu, Saraki, Atiku, Amaechi, Fashola and even more people.
The people who were not there when they were flying in the night, received juicy positions while he abandoned the people that installed him, you don’t bite the finger that fed you.
Another area where he failed is that it took him about 7 months before constituting his cabinet, which means he was not prepared for power. All he wanted was only to grab power but he was not prepared to rule. There is no blue print of what he has as a policy, that is why his government has not been able to stabilize for three years. When he wants to bring out his cabinet he brought out mediocre, people without ideas. In fact, he brought most of the people from CPC, a party that could not even win one local government.
Q: Are you accusing the president of nepotism?
A: Absolutely. He turned the govt into a family government. It is a government by a few. The Chief of Army Staff is from the North East, the Chief of Air Staff is from Bauchi State, the IGP is from Niger state, the Minister of Defence is from Kebi State, the Director of SSS is from Kastina, his home state, the director of National Intelligent Agency is from Kastina too, and we are now saying Fulani Herdsmen are killing, why won’t they kill? They have been killing and till now no one has been arrested.
Remember some youths rose to defend themselves in Adamawa, they killed one Fulani man and five of them were condemned to death by a Judge in Taraba within one month, which kind of country are we running? Buhari is a tribalist, he is a religious bigot, he is against the Christians. Nigeria cannot be like Turkey, I keep on saying it. Nigeria is God’s project and nobody can stop or change that. For the country not to be stopped, we need to stop Buhari. He came to witch-hunt, his anticorruption is one sided, nobody is in support of corruption. PDP is not the alternative, they are bad people too.
And coming to the South West we are disappointed in Tinubu. He is a total failure. I used to be his advocate since the days of SDP and MKO Abiola, if not because of anything, because he stood beside Abiola when everyone betrayed him. We have not benefited anything in the current government despite our position. The only thing we appreciate Tinubu and why he is called a good leader is because of his successors: Fashiola and Ambode have all done well.
Buhari promised that he would not allow any government official to travel out of the country for medical tourism but he was the first to travel to London and spent almost one year with Nigeria’s aircraft at the detriment of the poor masses’ money, where is his integrity? Go to any ministry were there 20 people, it is either sixteen or eighteen are Muslim and three Christians. Everything is upside down, people are suffering. Over 200 people were murdered in Plateau recently and the second day, APC was doing convention and some of their governors were dancing, including the governor of Kaduna state. Why this country is unable to settle down is because we refuse to say the truth. Until we return back to the truth, this nation will remain in trouble.
Q: You said early that God said Buhari is the choice of the people and not the choice of God, does it mean the voice of the people is supreme to the voice of God?
Q: According to what I explained to you, if you go to 1 Samuel chapter one and two, you would see all WHAT I am telling you about. God brought Jonathan for a purpose but he failed, because of the fear of men. One of his problems was his wife, she was the one that destroyed his government.
And because he was looking for second term, he turned the other way when they were stealing Nigeria dry and God was angry with him because he was not in control of the government again. So, Nigerians started crying for a new hand but we couldn’t wait for God to give his own choice, then God allowed us.
Q: Wait till what time?
A: We ought to have gone back and asked God to give us another person. When they brought Buhari, people were judging him by the flesh but we didn’t pray well.
Q: Sir, as a prophet of God, has God revealed anything to you regarding 2019 election?
A: I have said it in various newspapers. For 2019, I advise Buhari to withdraw from the race. If he contests, he will lose and if he forces himself on this nation again…
Q: Are you saying another party is going to win in 2019?
A: The thing is, let us wait and see. But if Buhari contests, he will lose. If they rig the election, the outcome, only God knows.
I want to appreciate God for the person at the herm of affairs of Lagos State, Govt Ambode, he is doing very well and people commend his efforts. But something stated since the beginning of this year which would have electoral effect in the fourth coming election. Lagos is turning to a dump site, I don’t know if the problem is from the Ministry of Environment or the people packing the dirty. Everywhere is littered with dirt. There are some areas that dirty have not been packed for the last one month and if he is not careful, it might affect his re-election. He should do something about it. If it means changing the commissioner, let him do that. I want to commend him. If he continues like this, his re-election is sure.
