PRICE WE PAID TO ESTABLISH RCCG IN EAST AFRICA – Prince Obasi-Ike

PRICE WE PAID TO ESTABLISH RCCG IN EAST AFRICA – Prince Obasi-Ike

When E-life was in Nairobi Kenya for a conference in October, 2018, it became pertinent to speak to some Christian leaders in the country to gauge the spiritual, nay Christian tempo of the country. One of the notable preachers Kenyan Christians mentioned as touching lives and shaping destinies are the Nigerian born husband and wife, Prince Obasi-Ike, the regional coordinator of Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG East Africa and his wife, Esther, a fiery speaker, author and Pastor of Solution parish of RCCG in Nairobi. In this interview, Prince Obasi-Ike, from Abia state narrates how RCCG got to East Africa, specifically Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Seychelles and Tanzania; the contribution of the Church to Rwanda during the genocide and the spiritual tenor of the Kenyan Christians. Excerpts from the interview conducted by Bola Adewara.

What was your first experience the first time you arrived Nairobi, Kenya?
In 1995, I came over to Kenya with my friend who is now in Canada, Pastor Ademola Faremi. Two of us were sent from Nigeria to survey and start a Church in Kenya and we were welcomed and received by strangers. The arrangement had been made in Nigeria for those people to receive us. So after six weeks, Pastor Faremi had to go back to Nigeria but I decided to stay. By that time, we had a mature house fellowship and we picked it up from there and because of the way teaching in RCCG is done in those days is still very much part of us.

As a worker, we were told that if we got to a place where by there is no RCCG, we should start one there. So coming to Kenya, by God’s grace we started the work with a fellowship and one Ugandan joined us. We were using the hostel of the Young Women Christian Association, YMCA as Church. After service, if you were a new person in RCCG, we would want to know you personally. So he introduced himself as a citizen of Uganda, that was way back December 1995. I collected his number and promised to pay him a visit in Uganda, which I did in 1996. However, after I visited him, we surveyed and ministered in his Church where I worshipped. I actually ministered there.

The next time I went there, it was to start a parish. So, I sent a message to RCCG Dominion Parish. The Pastor who took over from me in the prayer ministry in the Church in Ikeja family at that time was the person they sent over to stay with us in Nairobi. For about three months, I went with him to Uganda. That was how we started the branch in Uganda. I kept visiting over and over. Later, I communicated with the Assistant G.O. in Lagos that we needed somebody in the country. So, they prepared a Pastor who had already been in mission department. That was how we fully started the Church in Uganda and Rwanda. Same thing happened in South Sudan, Burundi and Malaysia. Right now, my job is to coordinate the Churches in East Africa. However, by God’s Grace, I am the special assistant to the G.O on Missions. Our main target is to plant Churches around the world.

When you got here, what were the initial challenges with Church planting?
The challenges we faced were diverse. In this country, you cannot start a Church except you are registered or covered by a registered Church. It’s not like Nigeria where you can put up anything and begin to run with it. We came and by the grace of God, the Church of the people we stayed with agreed to give us a cover with which we operated for one and half months.

When we started, we went round Churches to see what was on the ground. We noticed that there was not much of teaching in the Churches, it was more of preaching. We decided to package our RCCG with Digging Deep program whereby if you were doing Bible study, people were allowed to ask questions and receive answers. Those people who were coming from other Churches for that meeting went about spreading the news, like the case of Saul and David saying, ‘These people teach very well, they allow us to ask questions.’ Because of that, we began to generate enemies. This led the Church that gave us covering to withdraw their cover. There was a bit of fear but we continued with the Church and by God’s grace, another man who had met our G.O. some years back gave us a new cover after we have operated for a month without it. The new cover lasted us till we eventually got registered in 1996. 

We also noticed three things: Christians were very shallow about the understanding and application of the Word. People who had been in Church, who had the boldness to talk to others about Christ started visiting our Church. People were being dealt with without knowing that there were satanic forces responsible for what was going on in their lives. It was like evil spirits were just sleeping in here. Since we knew so much about deliverance, we began to minister to people and God was setting them free. God just needed to do something for us to get approval in that land.

By the reason of things that were going on, people didn’t understand the power of God and they started talking negatively about us, saying we were idol worshippers, using native power (laughs). They said some Nigerians were using strange powers. Such statements made me angry and I decided I was going back to Nigeria but God used a sister to stop me and then I had a change of mind not to leave. I said to myself, “I will stay and they can say whatever they want to say’.

There are some negative reports about what some Nigerians and Nigerian Pastors do in foreign lands. What is the situation here?
The negative reports and image are very sad. However, we have tried our possible best to change that because in 1999, some Nigerians Pastors came to Kenya, used an online medium to deceive people in the name of business. One was caught and the others ran away. Nigerians take advantage of Kenyans in business and those who are not doing anything. The Kenyan women seem to like Nigerian men because of the way Nigerian families relate. So many of them would love to marry us. Therefore, some negative Nigerians will come with that pretence of wanting to get married to them and at the ending, mess things up by collecting their money. It’s heart breaking. Sincerely speaking, we have been trying our effort to change and boost the images of Nigeria.

Also, a good numbers of Nigerians have been deceived that there is employment and job opportunities in Kenya. By the time they arrive here, they realize that there is no job. What they do is look for any woman that will accommodate them and so… the sad story starts. It’s that bad.

The black man has been ridiculed with the saying that ‘if you want to hide anything from the black man, put it inside a book.’ Is that also true of Kenyans? What is the reading culture like in this country of the foremost African writer, Ngugi wa Thiongo?
They actually read here. Kenyans like reading very rapidly, particularly if it’s a good book. Anything that will help them grow in their Christian works, businesses, etc, they will go for it.

What is the influence of Nigeria here? I went to a Church and the Pastor was telling me that Nigeria gospel music rule the air waves. Is that true?
It is quite heavy because of online program in the sense that people watch the online programs. You know we also have talented gospel musicians. It feeds their awareness. That is the truth. The gospel music impact is quite heavy and that is changing quite a lot of lives. It has positive impact here…

Having been here for a very long time, don’t you receive a kind of jealousy or reactions locally, maybe back home?
Well if there is, it hasn’t been known to me but the fact and reality is that, there is no way there will not be; there will definitely be because even before we joined RCCG, I got saved in 1982 at the tertiary institution, the Federal Polytechnic, Bida Niger State where I studied Banking and Finance. God spoke to me concerning the fact that I wasn’t going to practice banking but preach the gospel. That is what I am doing. So, you see me, am always going to villages to win souls. I am on the move. Before anybody says anything, I have gone to another village to win souls.

After a long time outside Nigeria, don’t you still miss home? How often do you visit home?
Oh very often.  It could be between three and six times in a year. To tell you the truth, I don’t miss home. But anytime I go home, am always excited. It is always a good time going home because while driving round, you will see some people misbehaving, someone shouting, abusing each other, people trying to fight for nothing. You see people urinating along the streets. These make me laugh because you don’t see such things here. There was a time I took my wife to the Redemption camp in Nigeria. There was this military truck beside us, heading the same way with us. So there was this man blocking the road and I couldn’t go further, and these military men said I should move my car. But I told them, ‘Where do you want me to go?’ In the process I started laughing and they told my wife that this man is not a serious man.

What do you think of President Buhari’s government?
Buhari disappointed me so much. Two months after he resumed office, he came to Kenya and we hosted him as Nigerians. Questions were thrown at him and he tried to answer. Some of the things he said made me wonder if he was really prepared. I told some people around me that truly, Nigeria went so bad during Jonathan and they needed time. So let’s allow them time. I studied Economics, I did Banking and Finance so, I know that it was not going to be easy to come out of the mess that the previous government put us.

Now when the time I expected Nigeria to come out and with all the money they said they were receiving from different sectors; there is nothing to show for it. Then I started getting disappointed. Then the killings started all most everywhere. I actually made up my mind that if I happen to be in Nigeria, thank God the V.P is one of us as a Senior Pastor; I would personally campaign against him. Not even in the area of their economy but more so for killing Christians. What reason do they have to do so? I just don’t want to believe that Nigerians will not be stupid to elect him, but I have a fear and which of course is going to be taken into prayers.

Also, everything that they have done have shown clearly that they want to rig the elections, and except the people are determined to make sure that such a thing doesn’t happen. The only way Buhari will go back is if they succeed in rigging the election. But truth be told, I don’t see him going back of becoming the President.

What are your thoughts on the 2019 Presidential Election?
I am convinced that people who are intelligent will be wise enough when they go to vote. If the economy is well and there is insecurity, there is no benefit for that economy. You will have money and you can be killed anytime because of the fact that it has been very clear that President Buhari is not able to generate security for Nigerians. I believe very strongly that Buhari has no reason for coming back the second time. He couldn’t do anything about the killings by the Fulani herdsmen on his first term, what will happen if he goes for his final term? So, my message to Nigerians is that our economy requires full recovery. It hasn’t recovered and Buhari is not the only person who can recover it. If there is another person who can be trusted, let’s consider him even though it is difficult to trust any politician in Nigeria.

I feel that any other person beside Buhari would be a better person to rule Nigeria. Nigerian budget has been going up and up and we have not done anything with the money. If Nigeria can take up any other individual, that will be a better candidate particularly someone who has a soft heart, somebody who has a listening ear. I believe that Buhari as a military man doesn’t have a listening ear. He wants to do whatever he wants and that’s not democracy. So, let us Nigerians be wise. Let them choose wisely. It will be a big mistake if Buhari goes back.