Interviews
Sacrilege: Missionary Blasts Clerics Over Tithes, Says It Is Anti Christ
His name may sound unpopular, but he is without doubt a good worker in the vineyard of God. Brother Louis Bassey okokon is a fisher of men and any reporter’s delight .
But before then, I had studied metrology, talking of the weather and I have another degree in Agric-Extension. My wife is a Chemical Engineer; she graduated from the old College of Science and Technology now University of Science and Technology, Port Harcourt.
Before I left University of Ibadan, the Lord began to train me, I was the Leader of the Jesus revolution Voices in the campus and during our time, we spent weekends going out ministering to quite a lot of people. But there is this missionary in town, Pa Elton, he was living at Ilesha and he was moving from campus to campus ministering to students and he happened to identify me when he came to the University of Ibadan, because I was leading the musical group then.
Often before the ministration, we, the musical group will come praising the name of the Lord and that was how I knew him, the extent I knew him. Until when there was a mystery, when I started the move with the musical team in University of Ibadan, the Lord began to train me since 1976 and I always like to drop this piece of information.
The Lord came into my room, taps me and took me to the spiritual realm.
We are still coming to that, Sir, for how long have you been into this calling?
I told you that in 1976 when I entered the University, that was when the Lord trained me, he woke me up and took me to the spiritual realm. The Lord asked me to look down and I saw multitudes of people, they were all praying with their hands and legs chained, but they were crying and calling on the name of the Lord, I said Lord, who are these people?
Then the Lord said, these are my people, I said these are your people, why were they chained? He said because my people perished for lack of knowledge, because they have rejected knowledge, I will also reject them and they will bring no people unto me, I said Lord you must do something to deliver them, they are calling on your name, the Lord told me, now that you are here, call on my name and see the power invested in my name.
My Dear, when I call on the name of Jesus, the power that erupted from the four corners of the earth removed the chains, grounded the chains to powdery form and wide wind came and blew everything out of the surface of the earth.
I said Lord, how come that just mentioning your name once and the power did this type of job, while some people will be calling the name of Jesus severally and nothing will happen.
Then the Lord said when you come into this realm of spirituality, you call my name once and heaven will answered, I now said Lord, please make me get there and that was the journey of my spiritual realm.
Your encounter with Jesus?
While I was schooling at the University of Ibadan, as the Leader of the musical group, we normally have rehearsals on Saturdays for Sunday ministration.
During one of our rehearsals, the Lord told me a sister had a problem, her father has just been knocked down by a moving vehicle and he has been taking to University College Hospital (UCH, Ibadan) but by the anointing on my palm, I should lay my palm on her palm and let her take that anointed palm of hers father and place it on her father’s head and her father will be made heal.
I stood bold making the altar calls, nobody came out, I couldn’t believe it, I said Lord I heard you well, I came out of the auditorium and called a brother to continue with the session.
I was moving up and down where we are having the rehearsal, not knowing that the sister had come, she was right in front of me there, instead of her to listen to the altar call I was making, she was praying for her father’s fractured head and she was not concentrating, so, after we finished the rehearsal, she later explained that she came late due to the accident of her father, before the problem, the solution was already there, I said the Lord gave me this anointing to place it on your palm for you to take to your father and you didn’t hear.
So, I followed the instruction and she went to place it on her father’s head, the next day, she came with testimony that her father was healed.
As a Leader of the group, because of what happened, I became a thin god, then the pride in me was so much that the Lord have to break me down, because you cannot manage pride with anointing.
Immediately I was moving on the road, I started saying Lord you have disgraced me, later I quickly started pleading that, Lord I am sorry, immediately I heard a voice and he said, I will appear to you, I was not myself again. Then, I had a Ghanian roommate, whenever I come early enough, I will be on the bed, while if he came in early, I will be on the floor that is how we have been living.
I came in early enough, I was on the bed still apologetic to God, I don’t know what is happening when my friend from his dream world started saying father thank you for the anointing and I saw Jesus walk in straight, the door was shut, then, sat on my bed, I said Lord, I am very sorry.
He says, raise your hands, like I did to Moses, I am doing to you this day, he lays his hands on my hands, he said, I have called you as an Apostle and a teacher, you will go for me, go and do a special work for me, then he told me to open my mouth and there was a cloud in his hands, he said this is the unction of my spirit, I will speak through you and I have experienced this severally.
I will start ministering to people over 10-20 hours, I am not the one talking and my ministrations have often been interesting, questions from anywhere, I am always set to provide answers to it, people are wondering what manner of man is this, I am not the one talking, but someone inside of me is talking.
The first time he came to me, it was face to face, the second time, he said I want to show you the three dimensions, I didn’t see him but I will be hearing his voice, the third one is his fullness, I will be speaking through you inside, I will be taking a permanent residence in you and that is why when I speak, I am not the one that is speaking and so he lays his hands on me.
One of the controversial issues among the Christians that is currently hitting and hijacking the airwaves is the enforcement levied on tithes and offerings, sir what is your take as regards this?
Can you carry the bomb, the bomb is greater than Boko haram, and Boko haram is just a child’s play, what I want to give you if you carry it, then you are blessed because, it is going to wreck and close the churches down. If you have the mind to carry it, carry it word for word.
I am going to give you word for word, not what I learnt from the theological school, it was revealed to me by the Lord Jesus Christ so that we would begin to have a proper understanding of what tithes and offerings are all about.
When Jesus was about discussing on tithes, he came to me and said “the people I sent to come and minister to my people, they are now after their bellies. They are telling the people that I the Lord need their money, will you go for me? I said Lord; I am ready to do whatever you ask me to do. He said, how can I need their money, the earth is the Lord and the fullness thereof”.
For example, all the things inside this house now belong to me, do I need them again, it is not possible because they are all mine.
So, if God owns everything, you don’t need to tell the people that the Lord needed that thing again, it is already the Lords, that is point one.
Point two, when the Lord said the people are after their bellies, I said Lord, what are you talking about, Malachi chapter 3 verse 10, that is what we call the Almighty formula.
“ Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it”
After I finished quoting it and the Lord looked at me and the Lord said my son, I have the old and new testaments. The Old Testament talks about the Nation Israel, natural Israel but you are a natural Nigerian and a spiritual Israelite.
When you are born again spiritual filled, then how can you take a natural food and feed a spiritual man, it is not possible; it is natural to natural, spiritual to spiritual. Now because the Nation Israel are still there, nobody can extinct them, the power I have given to them I used it to write the entire scriptures for the whole world and that is why they are ever my people, no Nation can crush them, as little as they are, I am with them, but because they are natural, they are using natural weapon to fight, I am backing them because they are using natural weapon.
You that you are spiritual, if you use natural weapon, I will not back you up, your weapon must be spiritual.
The bible says “the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but they are mighty through God to be pulling down of every stronghold”; you are meant to fight with spiritual weapon, not with natural weapons.
Therefore, those laws I gave to the children of Israel, no one can take it from them, I will guide them, hence, the whole of old testaments must be interpreted spiritually before you feed on it. If you take it as natural, it is as later as it is, that is why Jesus said “for the later killeth, but the spirit giveth life.
That is to say, if you take the Old Testament as raw as it is and applies it to your life; it would kill you because you are a spiritual entity in the sight of God. Therefore, you must look for the Holy Spirit to translates, to give you the interpretation of the Old Testament; you can now apply that to your life as a spiritual entity.
And I said okay Lord, can you give me the spiritual meaning of Malachi chapter 3 verses 10 since I cannot take it as natural as it is and apply to my life, He says yes,
“ Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse”, tithes is 1/10 not 2/10 or 3/10 as it is been requested for these days by some ministers because of their greediness. They tell people bring 2/10, 7/10, 9/10 all is lie.
He said tithe is 1/10 and it was meant to be directed only to the Le-vit-i-cal Priesthood. Jesus further explained that the Nation Israel has 12 tribes out of these tribes, he chooses the Levite to be the house of the priests, then he commanded they were only to attend to priesthood duties.
When they were dividing possession they divided it to 11, but the Levites did not have any possession, but God said all you 11 tribes pay your tithes, 1/10 of your shoes, clothes, sheep’s, farm produce to the Levites, they were only to attend priesthood duties, he did not say 1/10 of your salaries.
Now these generations of ministers have transformed their own Bible to feed their appetites. At this junction, it is even good to go back to where tithes started.
It started from Abraham and Mel-chi’e-dec. Mel-chi’e-dec was a Priest of the Most High God; he was a physical man on earth, but a Priest and a King. And during Abrahamic era, Abraham was about going to fight the 4 Kings that were troubling Lot and he came and consulted Mel-chi’e-dec when he returned; Mel-chi’e-dec gave him bread and wine instituting the new covenant.
Mel-chi’e-dec was a prototype of what is about to come. Now as he gave bread and wine to Abraham, Abraham gave him one tenth of his spoils.
Mel-chi’e-dec was a Priest and King, while Abraham being the great grandfather of the Levites was lower than King Mel-chi’e-dec, the Bible did not tell us that Mel-chi’e-dec pays tithes to God.
The Priest and King order do not pay tithes to God, we are excluded because Jesus has lifted us from the Le-vit-i-cal Priesthood to the Mel-chi’e-dec Priesthood through his death and resurrection, therefore, the Priest and King order cannot pay tithes to God, since Abraham paid tithe to Mel-chi’e-dec, but Mel-chi’e-dec do not pay tithe to God and we are Priests and Kings we cannot pay tithes to God (1st Peter chapter 29 verse 9)
“But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light”
Revelation chapter 1 verse 6:
“ And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”
Jesus has lifted us from the Le-vit-i-cal Priesthood to the Mel-chi’e-dec priesthood.
What the ministers are doing is that they left the new covenant where Jesus brought us into and drew us back into the old covenant.
For the laws, if you practice one law, you must practice all, so if you pay tithes and offering you must be ready to sacrifice sheep’s and lambs for the forgiveness of your sins, get ready to divide your congregation according to the 12 tribes of Israel, even ministers, you become the Le-vit-i-cal Priesthood that they should be paying because the Bible says “when you follow the law, follow all the laws, you break one, you break all, therefore, Priests in this order of new covenant order, we are not suppose by any reasons to pay tithe.
(Mathew Chapter 23 verse 23).
“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.”
When Jesus came, that was when grace started that is why he said “I didn’t come to destroy but to fulfill”. After Christ came, no more practices of the laws, meaning that, even during this dispensation, tithe was even a lesser matter, it was not a major thing, ministers of God are now moving around making it as if, if you don’t pay tithes, you will not make heaven, abomination!
Galatians Chapter 3 verse 10
“For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.”
So, if you pay tithes and offerings, you are under the curse and not blessing. As far as the law is concern, you don’t pick one and drop others, you must do all. The ministers have constituted themselves a spiritual nuisance, giving the people falsehood information.
“If tithe is of the Lord, no man is justified by the law in the sight of God”. In this dispensation we must live by faith, ministers of God continue to preach faith from morning till night, but they don’t have faith in the one who sent them to do the job, I have faith in God, for good 36 years in the ministry without tithes and offerings, do I look like a pauper?
If you insist that God sent you to come and preach the word, why are you not preaching the word, did God sent you to look into the peoples’ purse?, we are not of the old covenant but the new covenant.
Galatians Chapter 3 verse 12-13
“The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, it says, The person who does these things will live by them. Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written. Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole. He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit”.
But the ministers are taking us back to the curse through compulsory tithe.
Hebrew Chapter 7:
“ 1 For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him;
2 To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace;
3 Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually.
4 Now consider how great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils.
5 And verily they that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their brethren, though they come out of the loins of Abraham:
6 But he whose descent is not counted from them received tithes of Abraham, and blessed him that had the promises.
7 And without all contradiction the less is blessed of the better.
8 And here men that die receive tithes; but there he receiveth them, of whom it is witnessed that he liveth.
9 And as I may so say, Levi also, who receiveth tithes, payed tithes in Abraham.
10 For he was yet in the loins of his father, when Melchisedec met him.
11 If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the law,) what further need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchisedec, and not be called after the order of Aaron?
12 For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law.
13 For he of whom these things are spoken pertaineth to another tribe, of which no man gave attendance at the altar.
14 For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Juda; of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood.
15 And it is yet far more evident: for that after the similitude of Melchisedec there ariseth another priest,
16 Who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life.
17 For he testifieth, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.
18 For there is verily a disannulling of the commandment going before for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof.
19 For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by which we draw nigh unto God”
Some ministers even said Mel-chi’e-dec was Jesus, it is a lie, Jesus came once into this world through Mary. The law of paying tithe must be changed.
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Jesus came from Judah not from the Levites, He is among the 11 tribes that pays tithe, He is into the business of giving and not business of receiving. So, your tithes are not paid to Jesus as claimed by the ministers. People who go around paying tithes are just wasting their time.
Our churches had failed from their expected responsibilities, they are busy buying jets, building universities, what has that got to do with God. While most of them even abandoned their calls for politics.
Leadership must be firstly addressed spiritually before physical, because it is the spiritual that controls the physical. They also rushed to the Presidency organizing night vigils so that they can collect brown envelopes, while the people are dying.
We must not misinform the people because, when Jesus comes, He would be looking for a perfect church.
Ife Grand Resort & Leisure, one of the best hospitality-care centers in Africa, located on an expansive hilltop, adjacent to the Ife-Ibadan Expressway at about 4 km from the heart of the ancient and culturally important city of Ile-Ife, in Osun State, Southwest Nigeria, is the right place to be not only for tourists, fun-seekers, holidaymakers, travellers; but also for government institutions and individuals seeking exciting and memorable experience.
Reuben Abib, the General Manager, of Ife Grand Resort & Leisure, in a chat with Idowu Ayodele, reveals the intrinsic values that set the hospitality center apart from others.
Excerpts:
Why is Ife Grand Resort & Leisure described as the people’s palace?
It is, indeed; the people’s palace! You know not everyone can enter the Enuwa palace of the Ooni of Ife, but Ife Grand Resort & Leisure is the extension of that same palace. Here, at the People’s Palace, everyone can feel and be treated like royalty. We set up on over 328 acres of land, over a hundred rooms with chalets of different categories.
We actually have tree houses as well, very interestingly, they are all air-conditioned, we have Eclipse nightclub, a zoo, African Village, which hosts a Bamboo Restaurant and a local kitchen where guests can visit to witness how local food menus are prepared and served to them in local pots, the Adire Oodua Textile Hub where they make traditional adire clothes (tie-and-dye).
The resort also houses a 200-capacity cinema hall nearing completion and would be commissioned soon, an event centre, a conference hall, an indoor spa centre for manicures and pedicures, swimming pools, restaurants and bar, barbecue, where you can get your catfish, bush meat, palm wine among other facilities. Honestly, there is so much to do here, this is a place to be.
Considering the huge staff strength, both permanent and casual workers, how have you been able to manage and coordinate them for optimal productivity?
We are very much like a family here. So, I see myself like a father figure to all my staff, even a father figure to my customers. We may not always agree on some issues, but the fact is that if you realise you have a relationship that you want it to be extended beyond this present moment, then you have to manage yourself to protect such relationships. There is one Yoruba proverb I owe dearly to my heart is that when a child knows how to wash his hands well, he eats with the elders.
Interestingly, it is something the Yoruba culture has taught me which is the way we treat each other, the respect we give each other, we love each other so much that we bow to each other, in simple greetings, you must adopt humility to succeed. The secret I am trying to bring to the table is that you must love your children even if you must discipline them, binding it together, I think things are working fine here with us.
I am able to manage a diverse group of individuals with unique talents, skills, and abilities.
There are many resorts and hotels in Nigeria, what exactly sets Ife Grand Resort & Leisure apart from others?
We are the source, the cradle of the Yoruba race. The resort itself exemplifies everything that is housed within the Yoruba culture. One of our unique advantages is the pristine rain forest which is just a three-minute walk, and a tropical utopia for leisure seekers and discerning guests who cherish tranquility and communion with nature amid personalised hospitality services.
We are surrounded by nature , both flora and fauna.
We have more than enough facilities, stable security and fantastic personnel that will make your visit to this destination an exciting and memorable experience. In addition to everything you can do here, we are just a few minutes away from the 401 historical and religious sites in Ile Ife, so if you want to see culture first hand, this is the best place to be. There is so much to do here, so much to learn, there is no way even once in a lifetime you can take everything away. We are just a few weeks to Olojo festival, literally there is always a festival in Ile-Ife.
If you really want to get in touch with yourself and your culture, Ile-Ife is the only place to do that, this is the source.
How affordable is Ife Grand Resort & Leisure?
We are the most affordable four-star resort in Nigeria, I can assure you of that. This is the people’s palace, we want it accessible and affordable for all, the reason we deliberately splashed the prices by half. Can you imagine a standard room for N10,000 in a four-star resort?
Having spent some quality and eventful years in Africa, particularly Southwest Nigeria, how would you describe the Yoruba culture?
I am an African American. Growing up in Canada and the US, they will be telling us that our culture is dead. In 2017, when I met the Ooni of Ife and I saw living culture, I saw the culture of the Emeses, the culture of the cult, I saw the culture of the Yoruba people, prostrating before this amazing King, and I was touched to the soul. I am actually a born orphan, and one thing about orphans is that not only that people adopt us, we also adopt people. I must say that I have adopted Yoruba because it resonates with me – the history, the culture, proverbs, and wisdom of the Yoruba people, is something that I feel it is within my soul and it is wonderful.
Likewise, I spent 11 years in the Gambian and I already spent over 5 years in Nigeria, I can always see that for we the repatriated Africans, it is actually easy to find our home here and this is very welcoming. Thank you for sharing your culture with me.
Alhaji Muritadha Adeyemi Adeniji is a leading player in the Cocoa and cashew business in Nigeria. Therefore his insight into the challenges and prospects of the agro-industrial sector cannot be faulted. His company, Starlink Global & Ideal Limited, provides a wide spectrum of marketing and financial services for the procurement and export of Agricultural Produce and Commodities to both local and international markets.
SGI agricultural produce also includes raw cocoa beans, raw cashew nuts, shea nuts, and natural sesame seeds. SGI today has grown tremendously and is well represented in all cocoa-producing zones of Nigeria.
In this interview with online news editors, he bares his mind, among other issues, on the status of cocoa production in Nigeria, even as he expressed his fear about the future of the crop. Excepts
Sir, Nigerians are concerned about the dwindling production of cocoa in Nigeria, because the crop used to be a major contributor to the economic development of the country most especially in the western region in the 60, and 70s. Do you share their fear?
I appreciate your concern about the future of Cocoa in Nigeria. Unfortunately, we used to be number 2 between the period 1968 and 1975. Up to 1992, Nigeria still struggled to be between number 3 and 4 but we are now number 7. Ivory Coast as of 2013, the country was producing 1,000,000 tonnes. Today, Ivory Coast produces 2000400 tonnes. They have doubled their production and have even added more within that period. Looking at the same time, Ghana used to produce 750000 tonnes but they are now producing 950000 tonnes. Cameroon used to produce 350000 tonnes they are still on the 350000 tonnes. Indonesia used to produce 450000 tonnes, they are now producing 280000 tonnes.
They have had a reduction in their production. Nigeria used to produce 250000 tonnes, they are now on 300000 tonnes. Brazil produces 320000 tonnes. All other countries of the world produce the rest of the tonnes.
The total need for Cocoa in the world is 4million tonnes in a year. 75% of the production is done by Ivory Coast and Ghana, which is why they went into a collaboration to ask for Liquid Income Preferential from the chocolate makers. I am the first Nigerian and African to be a member of the Federation of Cocoa and Commerce (FCC), which is responsible for regulating the Cocoa economy in the world. This gives me insight into the problems and solutions to Cocoa production.
When we talk about Nigeria, it’s not only about Cocoa but the quality of leadership has been the problem. When we have leaders that only think about 4 or 8 years in office and do not have a long term plan. This is criminal and injustice to the people they are leading. We must have a well structured country, that has immediate, short and long-term plans. Developed countries of the world have all these plans with strong institutions that Nigeria is lacking.
Unfortunately, corruption has killed almost everything in Nigeria. I don’t like politics and I won’t be one of them. Take a look at the time of late Chief Obafemi Awolowo who was an Ijebu man, what was Cocoa production like in Ijebu then? He institutionalized Cocoa production across the Southwest. He had a big Cocoa farm, not for himself but for the country in the present-day Edo State. Things need to change. The law of diminishing return is taking effect on the Cocoa trees as some are now 100 years while some are 75 years. If they are cut down how many years would it take for us to have the new ones? What incentives are being given to the youths as motivation to engage in farming?
What have they been doing in Ivory Coast that Nigerian government has not been doing?
In Ivory Coast, the government allocates 2.5 hectares of land to the youth to engage in farm production. Nigeria’s government needs to create a medium for large farm sites and put necessary social infrastructures to make life bearable for the people. West Africa produces almost 75% of Cocoa in the world, all other countries cannot. We are blessed in this part of the world. For instance, in Indonesia, natural disasters destroy the farms. The government should start to have long-term plans. This is one of the reasons we are faced with the challenge of insecurity such as banditry, kidnapping, and others. We need to face the reality of how to navigate the perennial problems. Unemployment is directly proportional to poverty, banditry, kidnapping, and terrorism.
So how can we get it right?
For Nigeria to get it right in Cocoa production, the government needs to remove what is known as Land Use Act. The people should be allowed to have access to land. This is one of the major problems of agriculture in Nigeria. Physical planning is very key. We are very lucky, Nigeria has the largest arable land in the whole of Africa. You can see the incursion of foreigners into the country, Chinese, Indians, and others are buying lands in large quantities and they are collecting documents from the government, we need to be careful about that. We are talking about colonization, what is going to happen would be worse than colonization. We should learn from the apartheid in South Africa and Palestine because the major cause of what is happening in Palestine, Zambia, and Zimbabwe is land. This is also evident in Kaduna and Jos.
No government agency or parastatal in Nigeria is working, corruption has destroyed all of them. We are not investing in technologies that will improve our agricultural system. We need huge investment in technologies in our institutes for us to have alternatives. The kind our fertilizers we use on our farms are the ones killing our soil.
The government should create an enabling environment supported by reasonable laws that wouldn’t be broken. So many people are interested in agriculture but they are being discouraged by the lack of enabling environment.
I want to call on the government to have a well-structured system, long term plans and be proactive in the needs of the citizens, especially the youths. We don’t have accurate data in Nigeria, we only have estimates.
The Nigerian government has been talking about diversification of the economy, especially in agro-industrial sector, in your own opinion do you think they are walking the talk?
As a stakeholder, I have constructively criticized the government to challenge them on the necessary things to be done. Nigeria is retrogressing at a fast pace, something needs to be done. The chocolate factory needs 24 hours electricity, are we having this in Nigeria? A factory cannot be successfully run in an unpredictable place like Nigeria. Look at the price of diesel which used to be N350 which is now N800. So many companies are folding up in Nigeria not because they are fraudulent, it is because they operate in a very harsh economic environment.
How did you get into this business?
I was a biochemistry lecturer at the University for 11 months. Religion discrimination and politics in the institution made me leave lecturing job. There was a terrible gang-up as I was the only Muslim, I didn’t see myself developing quickly in such an environment. When I left, I secured another job in Union Trust before the death of my Managing Director which made me leave there after 11 months.
I never wanted to do this business because I have experienced different things in this business. I had so many crises in the Cocoa business. Although, it is my father’s business. Hunger and desperation forced me to stay in the Cocoa business.
How long did it take you to build Starlink Global & Ideal Limited?
We started in 1999. Today, we are the largest exporter of Cocoa, Cashew, and palm oil in Nigeria. In the last 10 years, the growth has been wonderful. We are now into processing, we have just bought the largest and multi-million processing plant in Nigeria.
At SGI, we have 452 direct workers and about 900 appendages. We see the human being as the most important asset. We have warehouses in about 16 states. I motivate my staff for maximum production with sustainable empowerment. Most of them are now self-independent
Chief Mutalubi Adebayo Ojo read Mass Communication at the University of Lagos, he later proceeded to the University of Ibadan to study Law. He equally served as the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice under late Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State.
Last Tuesday, he appeared on Ayekooto On Radio, a magazine programme anchored by Olayinka Agboola live on a private radio station in Ibadan, the capital city of Oyo State. Read some of his submissions:
On one of your Social Media profile pages, you wrote that laws must be used as tools of social engineering, for economic development and poverty eradication. Why did you think along this line sir?
Lawyers are called legal luminaries all over the world especially in a democracy to lighten paths and ways of their fellow citizens so that they can see through and will not fall or slip from their ways. Law is an object to develop the country and engineer development and tackle poverty.
Today, as we are speaking, do you consider yourself to be a full fledge politician?
I must not pretend about that. I am a card-carrying member of the All Progressives Congress (APC). I formally joined the party very recently during the revalidation exercise. When I was in government under our late leader, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, I was not a card-carrying member of the party.
What was it like when you were the Chief Lawmaker in Oyo State?
It was all about service to humanity, contributing your quotas to your community, state and society at large. All of us cannot be satisfied to remain in our comfort zones because if it is something we are going to eat together with our family and how to educate our children, we do not have such problems. Let us think of others who are less privileged and who do not have the same opportunity like us. In life there are basic amenities of life such as food, shelter and education and health. Let us strive to make life more meaningful to people, I believe that any aspiration to be in government and public service should be geared towards service. As a commissioner, I served to the best of my ability.
States are at war with Government on the issue of the Value Added Tax collection (VAT). What is your opinion?
I have a very different view and I have expressed it at different fora before. Value Added Tax (VAT) is not listed specifically in the exclusive list. We have already had in place a VAT act – since the era of the military. The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has been collecting it from individuals, company without any level of protest from any level of government. It will be wrong for any state now to enact another VAT law like Lagos and Rivers have done. We already have a federal act which has covered the field and that will be inconsistent with any law that is happening now.
During the second republic, we had a similar case between Attorney General of Ogun State and Aberuaba which was litigated up to the Supreme court that it was stated that Ogun State could not enact sales tax.
Also, during Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as Governor of Lagos State, there was this law that was enacted by Lagos state government on hospitality and consumption tax. It happened that Eko Hotel took the state government to court that they could not be paying the same tax when they were already paying same to the federal government and they won the case.
Now, as a lawyer and politician, you know the way things are in Nigeria today – insecurity and economic woes, where did we get it wrong?
Leadership is the major problem facing Nigeria. Our current president, Muhammadu Buhari has failed and has disappointed many people. He has failed woefully and the party, APC has lost its goodwill that brought it to power in 2015.
But some observers said Jugdes/Lawyers, Policemen and Journalists are mainly responsible for the situation Nigeria has found itself..
I do not agree with that assumptions that Lawyers, Judges, Police and Journalists are responsible for Nigeria’s problems today. We have all failed. We cannot have a better country if we do not have a good family unit. A good community cannot exist if there is a bad local government and state. We have lost it all and all sectors are affected. We are the problems and if people in the country agree to change and do the right things then Nigeria will be better.
What do you think is the difference between APC and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)?
There is no difference between the two parties. Our political parties are not ideology-based. They are just platforms through which one can get elected to serve. There is nothing like progressives’ party in my understanding. Both parties are bereft of ideologies.
So, what is the way forward sir?
We cannot keep complaining that because politics is a dirty game. It is dirty because majority of the people participating in it presently are dirty. We must not leave it to charlatans, we must all participate in it to improve the system.
What is your stake on the ongoing agitation for Yoruba nation?
Looking at the rate at which we are going in this country, unless Nigeria is restructured, we may disintegrate. Things are not at ease and we have never been divided like this before. The Hausas are seeing themselves as different from the Fulanis. There is nothing like one north again, even the Hausas and the Fulanis are even more divided than the south. We need to sit down and find solutions to the myriad of problems we are facing.
Independence of Yoruba Nation is just one of the valid options to be used to solve Nigeria’s problems.
Before you go, do you wish to send a message to fellow politicians?
Let us all resolve to do the right thing at the right time. Let us be selfless and put the interest of the country at heart first and let us love Nigeria above our personal interest.
I will also counsel Nigerians not to cut corners and to do the right things always.
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