Giving hope to orphans and the less privileged gives us joy at Heal the World Movement -Apostle Dr. Olukilede
Apostle Dr. Tola Olukilede is the President of Heal the World Movement as well as the founder of Tola Olukilede Ministries International with headquarters in Sango Ota, Ogun State.
This great philanthropist whose Ministry has helped many orphans, aged and down trodden in the society also doubles as the 1st Vice President of Ikeja Crystal Lions Club, District 404B2. His Ministry is this week holding its annual International Covenant Believers Convention with the theme ” The Word Wonders”. He spoke with some select journalists on the convention, vision of his Ministry and many more. Our correspondent, Ifeanyi Eduzor was there.
SIr, can you tell us about yourself and how you got the vision to establish your Ministry
My name is Apostle Dr. Tola Olukilede. I’m the President of Heal the World Movement and founder of Tola Olukilede Ministry International. I am also the 1st Vice President of Ikeja Crystal Lions Club for 2021/2022 Lions year. I hail from Ondo State, Ilara- Mokin to be precise where they have Elizade University and I have been the President of the Ministry since inception.
God founded this Ministry through me and gave me the Grace to run it. Our purpose of establishing the Ministry is basically to touch lives and we have been doing that for the past 25 years since it was officially inaugurated in 2003. And to the Glory of God, since then, we’ve been waxing strong especially being a blessing to the helpless, father to the fatherless, husband to the widows and helper to the aged which forms our core Ministry.
The other thing is that we are also a teacher to teach the people the meaning of covenant and that’s why people call me the Apostle of covenant. The covenant community is all about giving to touch lives as it is in the Bible and it is different from the society own. We all know that the Bible teaches giving and it’s benefit and that’s what this Ministry is all about; to teach the public both Christians and non Christians the purpose of giving .
When you look at the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, you will discover that the whole essence of Christianity is all about giving and we’ve found out that anybody who is not a giver is not actually a Christian and that’s what we try to project to the public and the purpose of doing this is to encourage every human being to touch lives by being a giver so that this World would be a better place.
Right from inception, we have been giving students, the helpless and orphans life scholarship that will end when the person says he’s no longer interested in going to school and I said it recently that I’ve never found any organization in the whole World that gives school life scholarship. Even Chevron and other multinational oil companies, don’t do this. What they do is to give yearly scholarship and whoever wins it this year might not be lucky next year and I begin to wonder what one year scholarship can do for somebody in need because that person needs help until he doesn’t require help any longer.
What we discovered in Nigeria is that they do cosmetic managerial service where they just announce we’re giving out 1000 scholarships and depending on their profit margin next year, you might not hear of it again and that’s where we’re different because since inception, many people have enjoyed our scholarship from Primary school until they pass out from the University and when we count the number of people that have benefited from our school life scholarship, it runs into hundreds.
One would like to know how your Ministry identify the kids you pick from the orphanage homes that qualify to enjoy your scholarship and how you monitor their progress
We identify them according to their needs. And the first criteria is that the child does not have a father and mother which means he is an orphan. Secondly, he/ she doesn’t have a home before they brought them to the orphanage home or that the parents are so poor and helpless that they cannot take care of the child. We do this through thorough investigation. In this Ministry, we investigate a lot, we don’t do things by emotion because we know a lot of Nigerians can tell lies to draw sympathy. They can even be crying to get your attention but such things doesn’t move me. In fact the more you cry , I get angry with you because I believe you’re just trying to play up emotion on me knowing fully well that if I cry before him, he will take pity on me. To be sincere with you, when you cry, I will walk out on you because we do thorough investigation before taking the responsibility of training any child.. There is a current case now of a man in a hospital at Ikorodu that sent me his name that he is seriously in need and we’re going to investigate his case. His sister, knows about what we’re doing and sent a text to me with the name of the hospital and the picture of the brother, saying he needs help urgently but I told her that not until I send a Pastor to investigate his case. I won’t send a dime. I believe if he’s going to die, even if I send money, he will still die. So, the fact that you’re pressurising me will not work because I must carry out diligent investigation. The sister has been calling but we’re on our mission week right now and the Pastor that could have gone there might be busy and the best I could do is to pray for him that God should sustain his life until we’re able to reach him and decide what to do based on Doctor’s report.
You know because of our philanthropy, I receive so many help alert from people on daily basis from Nigerians who knows what we’re doing.
You’re aware that it was announced on Monday at the programme of our ‘Home Day’ that we have 352 students we have already paid their first term school fees this year and beginning from January, 2023, we shall start paying their second term school fees. They also gave account that eleven of them have graduated from Universities and Secondary Schools and I immediately asked the various orphanage homes to give us more names so that the number can increase to 400 so that we can increase our benevolence and offer help to more people. Though things are difficult these days but I found out that it is in time of hardship that people should give out so that things will not be hard for them and that’s what we have been teaching people; that it’s not enough to go to Church or profess Christ or talking about religion but they should also talk about lives they’ve touched. I have also discovered that everything we have in this World was given to us by the Grace of God and when we’re going, we will not carry anything to Heaven and so we encourage people to give so that this World will be a better place.
It’s equally important I tell you that we’ve been receiving a lot of testimonies. When you go to the Welfare Department of Lagos State University Teaching Hospital ( LASUTH) and mention Heal the World, they will tell you we’re always there doing good job. They always call us to come and intervene and from there testimonies abound. At times they call me to say that someone is about to die and that I should sow a seed and once we do that, the person will live.In fact everybody we have sent money to in LASUTH survived and that’s the convenant we have with God. The Almighty knows that it is our sweat and will not allow it to be wasted and if can struggle and reach out to someone with N5,000 or N10,000, I will always tell God don’t let me waste my money and God has been sustaining the Ministry.
Your Ministry is holding its annual International Covenant Believers convention this year, can you tell us more about it
We have a theme for the convention which is “The Word Wonders”, which means the word of God. What we’re trying to do is to teach the people how they can become a wonder by the word of God. And looking at my own testimonies, I have never been sick since I knew Christ and the reason is that I have located a word in the Bible which I have lived with every day. And that word is that he took our infirmities and sicknesses away according to Mathew 8:17. I stand on that word every day and there is no way the devil can collect what Jesus took.
What this means is that Jesus took away Hypertension and Diabetes and it can not kill me. He took away 39 group of diseases away and among these diseases are those that kill man.So, Christ took away all those sicknesses and diseases and through that believe in the word, I’m a wonder to my Medical Doctor. There are cases I will just go to his Clinic and he will shake me. He will tell me that I have high blood pressure and to be sincere with you my blood pressure at a stage rose to 260 and I will tell him that it is normal but he will say Sir, don’t go home, we will admitt you but I will tell him that nobody carried me to his Clinic and as such I can’t be admitted and he will just be looking at me and later will be expecting a call for an emergency which never happened for the past 27 years. Most times, he just looked at me and say Sir, you’re different but what makes the difference is the word.
People will like to know those that will be attending the convention
We are expecting between 5000-10,000 participants at the convention and our target is to reach out to them both physically and online. We have representatives/coordinators in many states of the Federation including Lagos, Ogun, Kwara, Delta, Adamawa, Edo, Rivers, Abia, Enugu, Ebonyi, Akwa Ibom, Oyo and many others but presently, we don’t have a coordinator in Abuja. We are also expecting delegates from East Africa especially Kenya and Uganda and right now many of them have started arriving the country. More than 200 of them indicated interest to attend but only a few were successful with their Visa application and it will interest you to know that all these people are footing their bills.
There are members of the organisation from East Africa who wanted to be at the convention and because a lot of them want to come, I have decided that in the early part of 2023, I will carry the convention to their countries so that they will also enjoy what we’re doing. But in order to make many people participate, we are having viewing centres both in Nigeria and other countries such as Kenya. Uganda, South Africa, Ghana, Liberia, Sierra- Leone, Zambia and Ethiopia and we expect them to connect through viewing centres and the social media. We feel it is better that way than bringing them here because we’ll be faced with problems of logistics such as accommodation, feeding and transportation. Feeding in the sense that most East Africans don’t eat pepper and if they’re here, it becomes a burden to us because who is going to cook food here without pepper. In the past when many of them have taken pepper they find it so uneasy.
We are also going to have Apostle Uche Obiechie who is based in Kenya and Pastor ( Dr) Oluwayemi Deputy General Overseer GOFAMINT Ministry and many annointed men of God who will be taking part in the convention. Also apart from our in-house artists, great gospel singers like Kelly Wisdom and Bola Dada will also be ministering.
The problem am having as the President of this Ministry is that it is a teaching Ministry and not just a Ministry whereby any Pastor can Minister. This is because a lot of Nigerian Pastors only know how to shout the word; they don’t know how to teach the word and that’s why people go to Church and still remain the same. There is no way you would identify with the Ministry and your life will not change. We don’t just shout the word, make noise or quote the Bible as if we’re in the Seminary, our Ministry is deeper than Seminary. You know that the Bible said that the word I sent to you are life and spirit , they are not just letters. But we found out today that many Churches in Nigeria flourish in letters. What did Jesus did when he rode upon the horse and they were shouting Halleluya and they can talk on that for the next one hour but when you get in touch with our own Ministry, it is not all about letters. There are two things that were revealed with riding on the camel which means that walking on the street will touch lives rather than sharing stories and for that reason, it will always be difficult for me to invite any Pastor apart from those that the spirit will direct me to invite, so am led by the Holy Spirit every year on whom to invite.
But how will the weekly programme look like
The convention started on Monday, November, 14, 2022 with our ‘Home Day’ whereby we invited orphanage homes and elderly people giving them financial and material help. We also organised health talk on Diabetes in partnership with Ikeja Crystal Lions Club and held quiz competition and other things to make them happy and have a sense of belonging. Tuesday the 15th was publicity rally to create awareness for the convention and on Wednesday, the teaching itself began from 9am- 2pm and we will have three teachings per day. On Thursday, we are going to have teaching and health talk show. We are going to invite medical personnel who will teach and test people free of charge on kidney and liver function and diabetics and any one that needs help on any of these will receive it free of charge. Friday is also about teaching and talk shows on business while on the last day being Saturday is for Thanksgiving and celebration which will also witness the graduation of our students in the Bible School.
What security measures are you putting in place bearing in mind the security challenges which the country is presently experiencing
For the past years, I have never received any security threat. Even when Boko Haram was at its peak, there was no time we were harassed. Ota is quite a very cool and peaceful place. There is no threat of life and property in this place and as far as I know till today, there has not been kidnapping in Ota. This environment is safe but that does not mean that we shall not be careful. I believe that if we’re going to have any issue on security, it will be possibly on Saturday when many people will be on ground. So, as far as security is concerned, we’re okay. And again I don’t want to sound religious but God is the owner of everything. You cannot be a blessing to people and God will allow some useless people to harass you. I have never been harassed in my life before. Even when I come in contact with armed robbers, they will just look at me and say you can go because God will look at the fact that I am a blessing to people I don’t know and will preserve my life. Also it will interest you to know that I have encountered accident many times; my Jeep has entered into a ditch and instead of it somersaulting , it stood still. I have never buried any of my member or leader since I started this Ministry. I have also never buried any of their children because we believe we’re covenantly covered. You can’t be a blessing to people and God will allow you to die any how and that’s why I said I cannot die by accident because God will look at the case because out of the 352 children for this year, my family alone is taking care of over 200 and God knows that if I die, the destiny of these children will be in jeopardy and for that sake, he will not allow any evil to happen to me and that’s the convenant.
You will also realise that Redeemed Christian Church of God do their monthly night vigil every first Friday of the month and suicide bombers cannot go there because Angels of God will not allow them have access to the venue.
So, am so sure that with God’s presence, we are secured and he will not allow evil come to us.
As Nigerian election holds next year’s February, do you have any plans of teaching the people the importance of voting during the convention
The Bible says that my people perish out of ignorance and lack of knowledge and that’s why we’ll be giving information to participants on what to do to keep themselves and their families safe during the election. We shall also tell them about the importance of everybody going to vote and not after you have not voted, you will keep complaining that somebody has rigged the election. We have been doing this during our monthly programmes and will do same at the convention because it is going to be widely broadcast. We are also going to pray for genuine change in Nigeria. Everybody have lost hope in the country but when God steps in, hope can be revived. Talking about all the people that are contesting, if God touches their mind, you can see a bad man turning out to be good. We should pray that God should answer our prayers because if he does, he will just touch the mind of a bad leader overnight and he will become a good person and change things. When we look at the leading Presidential aspirirants whether Atiku Abubakar, Bola Tinubu or Peter Obi, there is nothing we can do to change them unless we want to kill ourselves but the only thing we can do is for God to touch the mind of whoever will be the next President and use him to make Nigeria great again to the benefit of all.
Sir, I know you’re a very busy person, how have you been combining your busy schedule with the Ministry
With Grace, all things are possible.To me at times I wonder how I combine three things together. It’s not only Ministry I am involved in, am also a business man. I have an automobile workshop and a Printing Press. I also have a farm in Owode and a building Construction Company involved in some projects. And you might ask why am I doing all these things and the answer is that anybody doing this my type of Ministry which is not a Church must have money because if you don’t have money, the Ministry will die. In the beginning God told me that if you must do this jod am sending you, you must be in business. When God gave me the vision , I asked him how am I going to do the work because my parents were penniless and I didn’t inherit anything from them and God told me to go and venture into business and then reffered me to Job who was a business man and a Minister of God and I keep on using Job as a reference point to other Ministers who have Ministry and they don’t have any business they’re doing and that’s why a lot of them are doing a lot of things and I keep on telling them that God cannot send you on a Ministry because he said go and feed my lamb and for you to feed the lamb of God, you must have what it takes to feed the lamb and what you need mostly is money; to give them food, shelter, clothes and everything they need. So,a Minister of God suppose to be somebody who distributes and that’s why you discover that in every of our monthly programme, people are given food to take home. We equally understand that things are very difficult these days and since we started the convention, we have been given out things to people to cushion the effects of hardship in the country and there is no way you can become a wonder in the word without feeding people. This is just like when God said I will make you a blessing and you will lend to nations and not borrow as was recorded in Deuteronomy 28: 12. One may ask how can someone lend to nations and the simple answer is that when you feed people and pay their school fees , you’ve already lend to a nation and since I started this Ministry, I have never borrowed in my life. There is a lady from Uganda staying with me. We were paying her school fees but when US dollar was becoming difficult to obtain because of the high exchange rate, we arranged her coming to Nigeria and she is now at Elizade University and will graduate next year in accounting and through her, I have lend to her country. Many people are not living by the Bible and that’s what we’re trying to teach them, to live by the word and practicalise it.
Many Christian leaders such as Bishop Mike Okonkwo of TREM and Dr. Daniel Olukoya of MFM have used Sports to empower the youths and take them out of the street and crme, does your Ministry have any such plans
Everybody must have a focus. When you see a man of God who doesn’t have focus, he will derail. Our focus is educating the children and giving them hope. For those Ministers who are focusing on sports, it may be because they have interest in sports. I believe as a Christian organization when you go into sports, you must ensure that everybody involved in that game is a child of God and they must not be involved in drugs and other social vices and for that Ministry to thrive well, that man of God must be involved in that sports either as a coach, mentor or trainer so that he can be close to them and monitor them. Today when you talk about drug , it is more in sports and music. They take it at back stage to be able to perform and there are even gospel singers engaged in this immoral practise. I have one of my Christian daughters who was involved in it and when I got the information, I counselled her to stop. In my Ministry, the youths we are mentoring, we call them world changers and what we teach them is the word of God and leadership to make them different from their peers and how to do things differently from their colleagues.
What word of advise do you have for Nigerians as your Ministry embarks on the convention
The Bible says that faith without work is useless. In Nigeria we have faith and that’s why we pray always but we are not taking steps to work. We want miracles and everything to work well but we are not taking steps towards achieving that. We pray for no corruption upon ourselves and our leaders but give an average Nigerian a chance and he will want to cheat his fellow human being because he wants to acquire everything which is corruption. We are also too tribalistic in this country. For example if a candidate whom everybody knows is a criminal and corrupt is vying for any position, people knowing his track record will still support him because they believe they’re from the same tribe which is also corruption. Now when you are praying for a better Nigeria, you will first of all ask yourself what have you done to make the country a better place. So, I will advise Nigerians to work for a better country by doing the right thing and see yourself as a leader. If am oportune to talk to Nigerians today, I will tell everybody that he is a leader and that they should bring out their leadership qualities so that the country can move forward. Over the years, I have seen that politicians have promised us a lot without fulfilling them and at my age now, I can’t believe any of them because I no longer have hope in them. The only thing is to see that those coming after us and those around us have a change of mindset that is totally different from the generality of Nigerians. What we need is for Nigerians to have a change of mindset to have a better society. Nigerians must also be givers. I will ask them how many children that are not going to school that you can identify and help instead of spending your money on irrelevant things. I want to tell you that to the Glory of God, I have helped not less than ten children in my street and today one of them, a lady whom I know very well is now a Medical Doctor in the United Kingdom.She has got married and started giving back to the Ministry. So, when you make sacrifices for others, tomorrow will be better and we should always ask ourselves, how many people have we helped.
In all these, what role do you think Government can play in encouraging organisations like yours to have a better society
Without mincing word, all of us know that government is not doing anything. Government is only interested in collecting taxes and at the end of the day, we don’t even know what they do with those taxes. I will appeal to them to start doing something to encourage us. It might be one or two million naira every year and it will go a long way to help our work. They should help us financially and not giving money to all these cosmetic organizations. Government should have a way to monitor and verify genuine organizations. We started what we’re doing about 27 years ago and have been doing it all alone. What Government should do is to find out whether we have children we’re helping or not and give us grants which they will continuously monitor it’s usage. You can imagine the extent we will go if we get between N5-10 million grant on yearly basis .They should stop giving these monies to politicians because it will encourage corruption and end in individuals pockets. It is a well-known fact that when it comes to the issue of life and death, our government does not care and that’s why people are not ready to die for the country because when you die, they will not even sympathise with your family rather, they will look for something and put on your head that you’re the one that caused your death and blame you.
The other time, I wanted to repair road in my street but my Local Government stopped me saying I cannot repair the road without their approval and when I went to the Concil office for the approval, they told me to go and bring the money and I told them that I cannot do that and as am talking to you the road is still bad. There is no reason why government cannot encourage people and ask them to pick 1,000 students and pay their school fees and they will monitor their progress and when they are doing that, it will encourage citizens to play a better role because government cannot do it alone. In other countries when government cannot do everything, it encourages people to do something. Now when you see our roads, what’s government doing to fix them. They will not repair them or encourage people .What does it take them to tell wealthy individuals to repair a road like Ota to Abeokuta and put a toll gate there and then tell them how much they will be collecting to recoup their investment. No business man who knows that he will get his money back from such investment that will not accept the offer.
