Why private jet is necessity for men of God -Olowojoba

Rev. Dr Charles Olowojoba, is the President and Senior Pastor, Dayspring Christian Ministries, Abuja. He is a 1979 graduate of Medicine from the University of Benin, Benin City, Edo State, who moved from medical practise to pastoral work.

He had held various leadership positions in the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) and was the founder of Maycare Hospital and Clinics in Kano. Having spent 14 years in the ministry, Olowojoba was elected recently as bishop and awaiting consecration.

In a chat with Abuja Metro, the cleric spoke on his life as a pastor, his election as a bishop, mission for the church and private jet as a tool for the propagation of his ministry among other issues.

How do you feel about your coming consecration as bishop?

I am happy, but at the same time sober.

 Why the mixed feelings then?

I am happy because it is an elevation. It is a recognition of the call and the work that has been put in. And I would say also, perhaps, the achievements that have been made over a very short time and of course, over the years.

I am sober because it means more responsibilities for me in every area. That is, first to the ministry, to humanity and to the nation. That is why it is something you receive with mixed feelings.

 Since the elevation, have you asked yourself why the honour?

Yes. I have had time to really consider that. I believe that the answer to that might be maybe, the recognition of the grace of God upon my life and our faithfulness and commitment to the call, as well as the impact that is being made.

 Can you let us into Dayspring Christian Ministry?

Dayspring Christian Ministry is one designed to minister to humanity and the total man. And the ministry was established by the visions and directions and instructions and the call of the Lord Jesus Christ which came to me first in 1994, which I didn’t quite understand then, and later, in 1996, there were confirmations, visions and direct communications until there were other confirmations that were sent by the Lord through other servants of His. The idea is to bring light to people that are sitting in darkness and in short, to raise shining stars and for people to develop a strong relationship, a reconciliation with their maker through the sacrifice, the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ who shed His blood for us to bring that reconciliation. The Bible says that if any man being in Christ, he is a new creation, old things have passed away and all things have become new.

 Why did you leave medicine for clerical work?

It is the call. That is the simple answer to that question. And if you look at it, you will see that both professions actually care for human beings. Human suffering affects me. I have compassion. It affects my compassion. I don’t like to see people suffer.

 Did you receive the call through medicine?

In medicine, you care for the suffering and in pastoral work, it is even a wider assignment.

 Is there any link?

I think at the end of the day, the way we are wired is actually an indication why God placed us on planet earth. I think it is that compassion. There is a link, though not everybody who is a doctor that has the same call.

 How were you able to establish branches here and abroad?

I think also it was by the grace of God. But there are certain things you also need to put in place. Well, we seize opportunities as they come. I think I am interested in human development. I believe that the greatest resources any nation can have are the human beings. So, if we have people developed, we release them to fulfil their destiny.

 There are a lot of churches these days, what distinguishes yours from others?

What distinguishes our church is that I believe that by the level of my exposure, I am able to minister to the high, the middle and the low. And we are unique in the sense that we are raising what I describe as shining stars. We help people to discover their potential, to develop their potential and to actualize their destinies on earth.

What is your take on proliferation of churches?

I would not actually agree with the categorization because it gives an impression of something bad. But really, it is not. Different churches exist for different reasons. If a man says I am called by God to establish a church, we were not there. So, we say God called you. But the proof is in the results. And I believe we even still need more churches because we don’t have enough.

 Really?

Yes, because God is very strategic. Uppermost in the heart of God is the salvation and well-being of mankind. And God is desirous of making that happen. So, He can reach different people, through different avenues and everything. You would recall that Jesus had 12 disciples. He broke the bread and gave it to all of them. And I believe that their personality showed in the way they distributed the bread. I think that is what God is trying to do to have churches in places.

Now that you have been elevated to a higher position, what is your vision for the church?

My vision for the church is to do on a higher scale, what we have been doing in the past 14 years.

 Where do you see the church in 10 to 14 years from now?

I see the church in every nation, every city, and every street of the world, raising shining stars. That is my call: to raise people from poverty to prosperity, to raise people from failure to success. My call is to raise people from suffering to live in a pain free zone.

How do you see Christianity in Nigeria?

Christianity in Nigeria is doing well. I am saying this because there are countries today that were built and established on Christian norms and values that are drifting away. And as they drift from those norms and values, you also see darkness creeping into their nations. We are beginning to see all criminal activities with their economy suffering. I think Christianity in Nigeria is doing well, but we can do a lot better. As long as there is one person that does not have a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, we have a lot of work to do.

What is the greatest shock you have ever had in your life since you became a pastor?

The greatest shock I have ever had in my life? Whaoooooooo! That is a difficult question to answer. I have had several.

Which has been the most challenging?

If it is the most challenging, that is simpler to answer. If you like, call it shock or challenge. The most that we have had was when we moved to a rented place. We started from a banquet hall of a hotel and we moved to a rented property that was actually almost designed like a church. We had an agreement to stay in the property for five years while we look for our own place of worship to put up. And eventually, a year and a half into the deal, the man sold the building behind us, leaving us in darkness and it was the new owner that wrote us a letter six months after the sale, giving us one month to leave. That was very, very challenging.

 How did you survive it?

As usual, we went into prayer, took it to the Lord who called me. And I went to Him and we prayed and fasted. We managed to convince the people to give us three months and after three months, it turned out to be a blessing. And after three months, we moved out to our own. We were able to acquire an eleven hectare land along the airport road.

 So, you did nothing to the original owner?

There was nothing really we could do.

 Why?

Because that was not going to solve the problem.

 But there was an agreement.

Litigations would drag.

 Did you take this action because of your lifestyle?

(He laughs)  You know the fact is that the Bible says follow peace with all men and holiness without which no man shall see the Lord. I am a peacemaker.

 How do you manage your home and the Church?

I am married to a very wonderful woman who is also in the medical profession. A pharmacist by training, but she also resigned to focus on the ministry. She has been a very wonderful pillar of support. We have a son, David, who is studying medicine in Europe, taking after my footsteps. Of course, we didn’t influence him. It was his choice and decision but we are glad he did.

 Is it tough keeping the home and ministry?

It is easy because both of us are in the ministry. My wife and I are in the ministry and we do things together. As a matter of fact, we are like Siamese twins. We are very close and she is my best friend.

 Family issues sometimes may want to derail you from the ministry. How true is this?

Because we are always together, I don’t have that problem.

Is it right for pastors and bishops to own private jets?

It depends on how you look at it. I don’t see private jet as a big deal because it is a tool. Jesus used a donkey in his time, probably the most expensive means of transportation at that time. So, he is not against it. For example, I discover that the busier I get, the more challenging it is for me to actually play my supervisory role as an overseer of a ministry. I imagine churches that are bigger than us that will have to do with meeting up an appointment in three nations within two days. You can’t expect them to effectively do that flying on commercial flights. One is because of their schedules, those airlines, connections and all that. For God’s sake, if you can afford it, it is a tool for the work.

Let’s say a pastor has a congregation of six million. There are countries that are less than six million and they have presidential fleet. Not just one jet, but they have fleet of aircrafts. Nobody talks about that. But this is a pastor that has a congregation of over six million people. Let us even say one million persons. There are countries that are five hundred thousand and they have all of these things. The idea is for them to easily move around and to do their job very quickly. I get invited to places and sometimes because of my schedule; I cannot preach in one place and still get to the other place. And I still want to come back to my place and supervise my churches. If God gives me a jet, I will never say no.

 So, you are looking forward to have one?

Well, I am not ruling it out. I am certainly not ruling it out. I have cars that I didn’t buy. I was given. My heart is not after those things. Motive matters a lot. There are people who are in the ministry to buy jets and I wish them all the best. But that is not the best. The poorest motive for doing anything is money. But the most sanctified motive for doing anything is passion for God and people.

 What is your take on the state of the nation?

We are not where we ought to be, but we are not where we used to be. I believe there is hope. I believe that we are in a place where I think we might be about starting to get it right. I believe in vision and I believe in planning. It is one thing to make excuses, but another to make plans. We need to set goals – long term goals, short term goals and we need to tell ourselves what we really want to achieve and our collective aspirations as a nation. I think the national conference was one of the steps in that direction.

Do you see Jonathan getting re-elected in 2015?

I am sure you want me to prophesy. I wouldn’t unless the Lord tells me. I believe if he plays his card right, he might come back.

What do you wish Nigeria at 54?

My wish for Nigeria is that terrorism will be over; every form of violence will go and that we will deeply love one another and be united.