Salvation Proclaimers Anointed Church, popularly known as SPAC Nation, is a congregation of God’s faithful in London. Headed by it’s lead pastor and founder, Tobi Adegboya- the Church is popular for helping it’s members achieve their dreams in diverse ways and live a life of victory as God’s children.
Though not void of controversy, because of his luxury and flashy lifestyle, the lead Pastor of the Church had chosen to maintain focus on God’s works and continually inspire with the word of God with his unconventional method of leadership.
Formally in a few locations, the SPAC Nation has recorded tremendous growth; now in 168 locations the world over, several call houses in London, as promised by pastor Tobi Adegboyega will continue to grow.
In this interview with the Media Room Hub crew, he talks about how he discovered his call to preach the word of God, his approach to God’s word, and some other personal details of his life.
Q: Youth development is one of the things that every visionary leader looks forward in pushing in any society they find themselves in. They bring up the young generation to a stage, where they can make a living for themselves. Why did you decide to go into that terrain?
A: I think first of all it reduces crime a lot because when young people don’t find something doing, they become restless and there is no telling what they can do next. I decided to go into that field because I was once upon a time, a restless youth, I realized that there are many things that we did wrongly and we wouldn’t have done it if we had a mentor-not just mentor by word or saying good words but people who would create the circumstances and situations for us to thrive and to be the best we can be. That would have channeled us towards building a great Africa, but that is what we didn’t have at the time I was growing up and that is why I decided to do what we didn’t have.
Q: Something must have triggered your interest in youth development. I am also interested in your growing-up days in Ibadan, can you give a brief background of a memorable incident that happened?
A: I grew up in Sango in Ibadan, South West of Nigeria. That was a very rough area growing up because my dad was very disciplined. I don’t think it was due to the fact that he couldn’t afford some things, he just thought to build a life for us. We were thought to live a humble life. I grew from there, we went to a better area, got into the university. Again, the point is still that you meet many young people, and for me, it was getting into the university and realizing that there are many people there without direction. They don’t know what to do with life. In Africa our parents choose a course for us to do. We are asked to do this course, and you either be a lawyer or a doctor. I felt if we can create a family, a movement that encourages young people to just be all they can be, it will help the youths. What we would have is tech minds, many other gifts that Africa have not tapped into. My experience growing up and getting into the university at that time made me see that a lot of young people simply need direction. I can’t forget that because I wish we had people who can firstly, attract us because we didn’t have people who attracted us then. We use to watch MTV base music stations, you see musicians with nice clothes and you want to be like them or footballers. Those days it was just footballers or musicians but what we are saying technically is that, we can look nice and be medical doctors, pastors or businessmen, and even entrepreneurs. We needed leaders who can attract us, they will listen to their messages, then again, I decided to be that for my generation.
Q: You mention football, do you love football, who was your favorite footballer in Ibadan then?
A: I don’t love football. I don’t know much about football, but those days, we use to hear about Segun Odegbami, Rasheedi Yekini. I wish we had a system that empowers and emphasizes our superstar, Rasheedi Yekini was great and he was from Ibadan, definitely for me, it is Rasheedi Yekini, 100 percent.
Q: I noticed that a lot of the footballers in the seventies didn’t plan their finances properly, what do you think made it so and how could that have been averted?
A: Leadership is everything for me. I think that young people, whether you are a footballer making a lot of money or you are just starting out in life, good leadership is mandatory. Leadership that is built on example and longevity, is what I decided to become because I followed leadership too. Leadership puts everything in our life in place. Leadership is not excited by what we have, it is excited by what we would be in the future. The youths needs guidance all the time, advising them will be finding the right course in life, something that is worth doing beyond your profession, something you can pour your life into after your profession and begin to invest in it from now on. I believe having the right leadership, people that are not trying to take from you because that is the problem some of us had with church leadership. The church is not a system designed to take from people- it is designed to give back. It is for people that want to give value back to you and build a good future with them.
Q: For a very long time, the Nigerian youths have been clamoring for involvement in politics and leadership- they want to take charge of their future and destiny, the reason being that they are tired of the older generation. Some of the youths have misused the opportunity already, because of that the older generation still thinks the youths are not ready for leadership development and are going to be more financially wasteful. What is your take on that?
A: Either the older generation like it or not, the young generation will take over. It is only a matter of short time. What must happen is the unifying force, we are a bit too divided and occupied with lesser things and that has always been my message. In a country like Nigeria where you have maybe 70 percent young people, there is no older generation that is going to give us power like a gift, like a present, we have to fight for it. The fight does not have to be a riot or a violent one, it is going to be intellectual. It has to be empowering people to have enough finances because taking power takes finances. I think every young person should get their PVC. We should all register to vote. We should not just be internet people, complaining and fighting on the internet. We should make our numbers count.
Q: If you see a reliable youth party, are you going to support them?
A: By history, I think the two-party system works in every country. I have no problem with the youth party, but the question I will ask is, do we have enough reach, enough finances, do we have people?. If a youth party calls me to come in, if I put 10 million dollars down, I am also looking for three or four more people that can do so. If we are all broke, it is just a ghost chase. I think using the parties that exist, pulling our numbers, and going to the parties to cause change is preferable over a new party, anytime, any day. If there is a formidable youth party coming up with the right resources, I will support that 100 percent.
Q: On social media, often, there is news of a man killing his wife or a woman killing her husband, at what point do you think couples have to go their separate ways before it leads to battery or murder?
A: We have been saying it for years, unfortunately, the kind of religion and society we have in Nigeria, will rather have one of them dead than go through in quote “shame”. Abusive marriages are not acceptable, for me, I think when there is abuse; once they have started beating each other especially a woman- once a man starts abusing the woman, I think that is a less man or a less woman. I don’t think any religion or culture should keep a woman in that kind of marriage because it always ends up fatal. At what point do they go their ways, if there is no joy in suffering, if there is no happiness and then you start adding abuses to it, I think the time is over, you should take that step and break free from all that religion instead of dying.
Q: These days one is scared of going on social media to read sad stories every day. What can you say about an old man who defiled a young girl and to those people having the same mentality and planning to do so?
A: I am happy that media is bringing those things to light, I am also happy that justice is being done in most cases because that is what we must empower first, to make people know that there are consequences for such actions, and we have a developing progressive judicial system that will make sure that everything is properly investigated and the perpetrators are brought to justice. I think we must keep educating ourselves that the girl child is very special, and by all means, they are to be protected and not violated. Whatever we want to do with the other person must be out of their free will.
Q: Do you think it is the role of mothers to instill in their sons how to treat women in the right way-like if a lady slaps them, instead of you retaliating, they should learn to walk away.
A: Yes, a mother should, and the way a mother has to get that done is to also make sure that you are not allowing a man to beat you in front of your child because it will then look normal. So yes, mothers, churches, leaders, and everyone should. Like I said a girl child is very special and she must be protected.
Q: How do you cope with the pressure and burden of God’s work and with who do you share your worries and ideas?
A: I make sure I am always with my people, and like I said before I live with many people in my house, I listen to them, we share the burden together because one person can not do everything, and because I have a good team that I can share the burden with, like the saying, easy lies the head that wears the crown, many people want to succeed but they don’t know the cost of success is high even after you have succeeded. God has helped me in the last 10 years with a very good team, a reliable team on every side, we were able to share the burdens together and I keep making it a point to tell people that I am not perfect, I can’t be perfect, I can make mistake, I am not putting the burden on myself, I just expect forgiveness as I forgive others, if I do wrong and I have a team that protects me from that happening.
Q: Is there ever a time where you felt frustrated or oppressed?
A: Yes, there have been times especially when you come in contact with the resistance of a very fascist system like where I live, and I call it system because it is not individuals, it not Mr. Charles or Mr. Richard, it is a system. At that point I felt this is a lot because you are trying to get kids off the street, you are trying to protect the country, then you have part of the country fighting you as well and you are saying what exactly do you want me to do?. I am saving the government money, I am not rewarded, and at those times, you just feel like giving up. What really happens in those periods is that just one message or text message or someone’s life changes, it gives you the power to find the reason why you are doing it. It is not for their reward, it is not even for your own comfort, it that little guy somewhere, that 14-year-old or a mother that is crying all the time saying that my child is going to jail, he just came back from jail, please help me. When you read messages like that in the middle of trying to give up, you just thought you have no choice, however bad or pressuring things may be.
Q: Do you think the church can play a positive and effective role in making Nigeria a better place?
A: The church has a major role, Nigeria is still very religious, people do go to church, unlike the UK. The church has a role in the economy and social life of Nigerian because we have numbers, I know the question is not how yet but the thing is that if we focus on changing lives rather than going to heaven, but if our life is tough here like it is in Nigeria if the churches begin to speak and put practical things in place, I think a lot of things will change because most of our leader go to church or they belong to one religious sector or other, in fact, I think the church has the leading role. We have a country whose vice president at the moment is a pastor, so we have a role to play honestly.
Q: How do you intend to use your platform to help Nigerians?
A: I was very particular about feeding the hungry- you know everybody has something in their heart. Helping those people in Nigeria, we have been doing it for about 8 years now; helping widows, sending their kids to school but then, also empowering entrepreneurs in Nigeria. If you ask me what is next for us, I think the reason why I have to be here is simple, in every country, without foreign investment, there is no money to put in Nigeria or international appeal. Any country that does not have that will lack financially, so one of the things we have been able to do here is to get the ears of people that matter especially in the UK to come and put money in Nigeria, to put money in young people, to create employment and it is to that end we are starting our first major visible project in Nigeria of the HQ, we have the backing of my governor here and some other banks coming to Nigeria with us to get people employed. We are doing a lot not just in Nigeria, but Ghana, and all those places. If I didn’t stay long enough here to win trust, we won’t have anything to bring there, we will just come to Lagos for nothing. I want us to bring resources, and that is exactly what we are doing now.
Q: What do you do on days you are free?
A: Somedays, I am just at home all through, resting, chilling, but most days, I think I start my day about 5:00 to 5:30 AM but from 5:30 to about 10:30 AM is my quiet time when holy spirit throws things at me to do, and from 10:30 AM I start attending meetings and whatever needs to happen, my day finishes at about 1:00 Am or 2:00 AM, I sleep for 3 hours, SPAC nation is like a mini country, it is a country of his own and there is always a lot going on there.
Q: When I came around, I notice you are a fatherly figure, How did you achieve this status among your people?
A: That is what we are really, it is called SPAC Nation family and I think it is because I am not distanced from them. I don’t preach on Sunday and vanish, we all agree together, most of the guys who are the leading figure in the UK now doing well financially, they were on their mum’s couch and then they started living with me, so almost all of us agree together. If you see me with them, you won’t know who is who because we all eat together- it is not a boss and servant relationship. It is a family relationship, sometimes, most of them are in my bedroom sitting down and we are talking, we talk till 1:00 AM, 2:00 AM, we laugh, then when we have to cry, we cry together, we do everything that we need to do together.
Q: What is the happiest moment you have experienced in your service to God?
A: I think it is more of a miracle moment when we make altar calls and see young people running to the altar surrendering their live, guns, drugs. For me, those are my happiest moment and we have that almost every week, they give knives, guns, drugs, everything on the altar which we give to the police after. One of them came to the altar with drugs in his pocket but he was so afraid to go back home because there is an uncle who gives him drugs to sell. I said give me the drug, then I took all the money in my pocket and gave it to him. I said don’t return it, then I said don’t do drugs anymore, don’t sell drugs anymore. In two years after, he has become a pastor, he is living well, he has a proper job, for me, those are the happiest moment, it means the whole world to me.
Q: What is the biggest misconception people have about you?
A: I remembered, you know because I don’t read the internet and news, but I think I have seen one- people think I might be arrogant. I have heard someone say that before, I don’t know where they got that from. But imagine a pastor where everybody has my phone number, I respond to people as much as I can, so I think it is a big misconception because they think I am successful but what they did not know is that I am not successful like I want to be yet.
Q: What message do you have for the youths and Nigerians in 2022 as they prepare for the 2023 elections?
A: 2022 is going to be good for the nations in the world. Of course, Nigeria will have the fight to fight and I believed that, for me, my message of hope might not sound like hope but we are going to fight through 2022 for a better 2023 and I think that is what will happen in order to have a better life, better future for our kids. I want to say to the young people be strong and courageous and, they are many people all over the world that have an interest in the development of the Nigerian youths and everybody is gathering forces, resources together to make sure that this dream come through, people like myself, we are many in the world, you may not know them right now. I think it is the turn for Africa, particularly Nigeria to rise and we are going to rise and nothing is going to defeat us.
Q: How did you discover your call to serve God as a preacher?
A: Absolutely, my dad was a pastor and he made sure we ascertain virtue and value even though, he was a chartered accountant. I think living in Sango makes me know how to relate with the down and also how I can relate with those who are high up there. I am not isolated from the world, I can mingle with both worlds and mingle perfectly with them.
Q: sometimes last year you stepped down as the lead pastor of SPAC nation. What affected that move?
A: Next-generation. I am just tired of people of color handing over after their death and work status, you can not tell me that you train people or their pastor’s or leaders for 10 years to 12 years and they can’t leave the same work, it doesn’t work that way, and that is why you see African politician don’t hand over, it is the same thing with the church. I wanted to see the next generation with us, I wanted them to make mistakes in my life whilst I am still young. Secondly, we spread a lot, there was so much going on, we grew from 5 houses to over 50 and 160 centers, I made these leaders understand the dynamics of a fast-growing work, they can’t do that by just queuing behind me, they have to take the lead and I have to oversee them and see them do their own thing.
Q: What has informed your approach to SPAC Nation?
A: SPAC nation was a response to something, I came to this country at the age of 25 that was in 2005, I saw young people restless, they always quickly label young people, the world labels them, the church labels them. I was trying to tell the church that I attended then, that I don’t think they are stubborn, that they need direction, so we were the response. Queens Road, Peckham in those days was very notorious and that was the first stop for us to start a fellowship. My approach came from the response to how do you reach a generation that doesn’t know God even though they dwell in church, most of them are pastor’s kids and all of that, how do you reach them, I have to look like them, in order to reach them, I have to attract them, I have to be something that they want to become, is just that when they come to me, I am ready to give them another kind of message which is the best hope. The vision as we start was to see a lot of young black people doing well in life without going through fraud, gangs, or drugs.
Q: What are your response to accusations and controversies labeled against SPAC Nation ?
A: Well again, like we have asked those who started the controversy or the rumors to give us proof over the years especially in a country that is as detailed as the UK and they gave us no proof. When they kept shouting, the metropolitan police said give us proof, they gave them but they threw it out, I understand that to do different work, you will pass through a lot of heat, I was at first naïve because we thought we are doing good work. BBC has about 6 reports that they have done on SPAC nation, 6 positive reports and 1 negative, 6 vs 1, these things are public, these things are there, so how do I respond to the controversy. I am saying that we can not be a perfect organization. Sometimes, some people will do wrong things but what we are saying is that instead of killing the work, bring it to the table and let see, we have not seen any till now, so there is nothing much we can do than to keep doing what we are focused on achieving.
Q: What do you owe your congregation and followers?
A: I think my job is to lead them, lead my flocks and the flocks I have got. The flocks of young people all over the world today follow Jay Z, Wizkid, Burna Boy, they want to look nice, they want to succeed. If you say the new generation pastor should like the pastor of 1960, it means that the pastor does not care about the young people, because if I care about the young people, it is not going to be about what I like or how I look to peoples opinion or argument, it is going to be about what reaches them, what will reach them but those who know me know I am not materialistic at all. For me majorly, it is about to reach a generation, take some of them from just following the thing without the message of Christ to what preaches the message of Christ but I have to look like what they wear. I think I said this to people a year ago, I am who I am either I am a pastor or not, if I am in a place either I am poor or rich, it going to be the closest place, he is going to look as if he is rich, that is what I have always been. I am not going to change that dress because I am a pastor and more so, it works to reach the generation.
Q: When last were you in Nigeria and how often did you visit?
A: I have not been to Nigeria for over 16, 17 years and people say do you not miss it, honestly, if you want to hear the truth, I don’t because we are doing all the works we are supposed to do in Nigeria more than any other politicians by the grace of God, we are in Nigeria and we are helping those who we need help and I have met those people I need to meet here, I have held on and I think it is about time to continue here.
Q: How did the name SPAC come about?
A: S is for salvation, P is for proclaimers, A is for anointed and C is for church. I think is just a coincidence that the abbreviation there is SPAC and it looks like a spark.
Q: Where do you see the SPAC nation family in the next decade?
A: We will be the number one bank that helps young people, my bank will give money and loan at no interest return. It is going to empower young people, I don’t think we can erase crime but we can reduce it by increasing the aspiration of hope to make young people want to do well in life and to give them the tool and training necessary for it. What we intend to do, I believe in the next 5 years, we will have over 10,000 employees. For them in Nigeria, church means a lot of people coming into a building, but for us, it is a lot of people going out from the building to impact the world, political world, fashion world, to have a presence there, and to lead people to God.
Q: Let us assume you are going for a luxury holiday. What are the 5 things you will take along?
A: A book definitely, and of course, my bible. I love reading it sometimes, and definitely my laptop, I can only find three. I am a very boring person that is why, of course, money, a lot of money, a bag of money like a big bag of money. With those four, I think I will be good.Salvation Proclaimers Anointed Church, popularly known as SPAC Nation, is a congregation of God’s faithful in London. Headed by its pastor and founder, Toby Adegboya-the Church is popular for helping its members achieve their dreams in diverse ways and live a life of victory as God’s children.
Though not void of controversy, the Lead Pastor of the Church had chosen to maintain focus on God’s works and continually inspire with the word of God and his lifestyle.
Formally in a few locations, the SPAC Nation has recorded tremendous growth; now in 168 locations the world over and several call houses in London and as promised by pastor Toby Adegboya will continue to grow.
In this interview with the Media Room Hub Crew, he talks about how he discovered his call to preach the word of God, his approach to God’s word, and some other personal details of his life.
Pastor Tobi Adegboyega
Q: Youth development is one of the things that every visionary leader looks forward to pushing in any society they find themselves in, they bring up the young generation to a stage of their own where they can make a living for themselves. Why did you decide to go into that terrain?
A: I think first of all it reduces crime a lot because when young people don’t find something doing, they become restless and there is no telling what they can do next. I decided to go into that field because I was once upon a time, a restless youth, I realized that there are many things that we did wrongly and we wouldn’t have done it if we had a mentor-not just mentor by word or saying good words but people who would create the circumstances and situations for us to thrive and to be the best we can be. That would have channeled us towards building a great Africa, but that is what we didn’t have at the time I was growing up and that is why I decided to do what we didn’t have.
Q: Something must have triggered your interest in the youth. I am also interested in your growing-up days in Ibadan. Can you give us a brief background and something that happened that still remain in your memory, like a story that still lingers?
A: I grew up in Sango in Ibadan, South West of Nigeria. That was a very rough area growing up because my dad was very discipline. I don’t think it was due to the fact that he can’t afford some things, he just thought to build a life for us. We were thought to live a humble life-. I grew from there, we went to a better area, got into the university. Again, the point is still that you meet many young people, and for me, it was getting into the university and realizing that there are many people there without direction- they don’t know what to do with life. In Africa our parents choose a course for us to do, we are asked to do this course, and you either be a lawyer or a doctor. I felt if we can create a family, a movement that encourages young people to just be all they can be, it will help the youths. What we would have is tech minds, many other gifts that African have not tapped into. My experience growing up and getting into the university at that time make me see that a lot of young people simply need direction, I can’t forget that because I wish we had people who can firstly, attract us because we didn’t have people who attracted us then. We use to watch MTV base music stations, you see musicians with nice clothes and you want to be like them or footballers. Those days it was just footballers or musicians but what we are saying technically is that we can look nice and be medical doctors, pastors or businessmen, and even entrepreneurs. We needed leaders who can attract us, they will listen to their messages, then again, I decide to be that for my generation.
Q: Obviously you love football, who was your favorite footballer in Ibadan?
A: I don’t love football, I don’t know much about football, but those days, we use to hear about Segun Odegbami, Rasheed Yekini, I wish we had a system that empowers and emphasizes our superstar, Rasheed Yekini was great and he was from Ibadan, definitely for me, it is Rasheed Yekini, 100 percent.
Q: I noticed that a lot of the footballers in the seventies didn’t plan their finances properly, what would think made it so and how could that have been averted?
A: Leadership is everything for me. I think that young people, whether you are a footballer making a lot of money or you are just starting out in life, good leadership is mandatory. Leadership that is built on example and longevity, is what I decide to become because I followed leadership too. Leadership puts everything in our life in place. Leadership is not excited by what we have, it is excited by what we would be in the future. Advising them will be finding the right course in life, something that is worth doing beyond your profession, something you can pour your life into after your profession and begin to invest in it from now on. Have the right leadership, people that are not trying to take from you because that is the problem some of us had with church leadership. The church is not a system designed to take from people- it is designed to give. It is for people that want to give value back to you and build a good future with them.
Q: For a very long time, the Nigerian youths have been clamoring for involvement in politics and leadership- they want to take charge of their future and destiny, the reason being that they are tired of the older generation. Some of them have misused the opportunity already, and even the former president Olusegun Obasanjo said that if you give this generation that opportunity, they will mess up everything. What is your take on that?
A: Either the older generation like it or not, the young generation will take over. It is only a matter of short time, what must happen is the unifying force, we are a bit too divided and occupied with lesser things and that has always been my message. In a country like Nigeria where you have maybe 70 percent young people, there is no older generation that is going to give us power like a gift, like a present, we have to fight for it. That fight can not be a riot or violent, it is going to be intellectual and it has to be also empowering people to have enough finances because taking power takes finances. I think every young person should get their PVC, we should all register to vote, we should not just be internet people, complaining and fighting on the internet, we should make our numbers count.
Q: If you see a reliable youth party, are you going to support them?
A: By history, I think the two-party system works in every country, I have no problem with the youth party, but the question I will ask is, do we have enough reach, enough finances, do we have people?. If a youth party calls me to come in, if I put 10 million dollars down, I am also looking for three or four more people that can do so, if we are all broke, it is just a ghost chase. I think using the parties that exist, pulling our numbers, and going to the parties to cause change is preferable over a new party, anytime, any day. If there is a formidable youth party coming up with the right resources, I will support that 100 percent.
Q: On social media, often, there is news of a man killing his wife or a woman killing her husband, at what point do you think couples have to go their separate ways before it leads to murder, and what is your take on that?
A: We have been saying it for years, unfortunately, the kind of religion and society we have in Nigeria, will rather have one of them dead than go through in quote “shame”. Abusive marriages are not acceptable, for me, I think when there is abuse; once they have started beating each other especially a woman- once a man starts abusing the woman, I think that is a less man or a less woman. I don’t think any religion or culture should keep a woman in that kind of marriage because it always ends up fatal. At what point do they go their ways, if there is no joy in suffering, if there is no happiness and then you start adding abuses to it, I think the time is over, you should take that step and break free from all that religion instead of dying.
Q: These days a lot of scary news on social media especially about how older men defile young girls and what word do you have for those people still doing it but has not been caught ?
A: I am happy that media is bringing those things to light, I am also happy that justice is being done in most cases because that is what we must empower first, to make people know that there are consequences for such actions, and we have a developing progressive judicial system that will make sure that everything is properly investigated and the perpetrators are brought to justice. I think we must keep educating ourselves that the girl child is very special, and by all means, they are to be protected and not violated. Whatever we want to do with the other person must be out of their free will.
Q: Do you think it is the role of mothers to instill in their sons on how to treat women in the right way-like if a lady slaps them, instead of you retaliating, they should learn to walk away.
A: Yes, a mother should, and the way a mother has to get that done is to also make sure that you are not allowing a man to beat you in front of your child because it will then look like it is normal. So yes, mothers, churches, leaders, and everyone should. I said a girl child is very special and she must be protected.
Q: How do you cope with the pressure and burden of God’s work and with who do you share your worries and ideas?
A: I make sure I am always with my people, and like I said before I live with many people in my house. I listen to them. We share the burden together because one person can not do everything, and because I have a good team that I can share the burden with, like the saying, easy lies the head that wears the crown, many people want to succeed but they don’t know the cost of success is high even after you have succeeded. God has helped me in the last 10 years with a very good team, a reliable team on every side. We were able to share the burdens together and I keep making it a point to tell people that I am not perfect. I can’t be perfect. I can make mistake, I am not putting the burden on myself, I just expect forgiveness as I forgive others, if I do wrong and I have a team that protects me from that happening.
Q: Is there ever a time where you felt frustrated or oppressed?
A: Yes, there have been times especially when you come in contact with the resistance of a very fascist system like where I live, and I call it system because it is not individuals, it not Mr. Charles or Mr. Richard, it is a system. At that point I felt this is a lot because you are trying to get kids off the street, you are trying to protect the country, then you have part of the country fighting you as well and you are saying what exactly do you want me to do?. I am saving the government money, I am not rewarded, and at those times, you just feel like giving up. What really happens in those periods is that just one message or text message or someone’s life changes, it gives you the power to find the reason why you are doing it. It is not for their reward, it is not even for your own comfort, it is that little guy somewhere, that 14-year-old or a mother that is crying all the time saying that my child is going to jail, he just came back from jail, please help me. When you read messages like that in the middle of trying to give up, you just thought you have no choice, however bad or pressuring things may be.
Q: Do you think the church can play a positive and effective role in making Nigeria a better place?
A: The church has a major role, Nigeria is still very religious, people do go to church, unlike the UK. The church has a role in the economy and social life of Nigerian because we have numbers, I know the question is not how yet but the thing is that if we focus on changing lives rather than going to heaven, but if our life is tough here like it is in Nigeria if the churches begin to speak and put practical things in place, I think a lot of things will change because most of our leader go to church or they belong to one religious sector or other, in fact, I think the church has the leading role. We have a country whose vice president at the moment is a pastor, so we have a role to play honestly.
Q: How do you intend to use your platform to help Nigerians?
A: I was very particular about feeding the hungry- you know everybody has something in their heart. Helping those people in Nigeria, we have been doing it for about 8 years now; helping widows, sending their kids to school but then, also empowering entrepreneurs in Nigeria. If you ask me what is next for us, I think the reason why I have to be here is simple, in every country, without foreign investment, there is no money to put in Nigeria or international appeal. Any country that does not have that will lack financially, so one of the things we have been able to do here is to get the ears of people that matter especially in the UK to come and put money in Nigeria, to invest money in young people, to create employment and it is to that end we are starting our first major visible project in Nigeria of the HQ, we have the backing of my governor here and some other banks coming to Nigeria with us to get people employed. We are doing a lot not just in Nigeria, but Ghana, and all those places. If I didn’t stay long enough here to win trust, we won’t have anything to bring there, we will just come to Lagos for nothing. I want us to bring resources, and that is exactly what we are doing now.
Q: What do you do on days you are free?
A: Somedays, I am just at home all through, resting, chilling, but most days, I think I start my day about 5:00 to 5:30 AM but from 5:30 to about 10:30 AM is my quiet time when holy spirit throws things at me to do, and from 10:30 AM I start attending meetings and whatever needs to happen, my day finishes at about 1:00 Am or 2:00 AM, I sleep for 3 hours, SPAC nation is like a mini country, it is a country of his own and there is always a lot going on there.
Q: When I came around, I notice you are a fatherly figure, How did you achieve this status among your people?
A: That is what we are really, it is called SPAC Nation family and I think it is because I am not distanced from them. I don’t preach on Sunday and vanish. We all agree together, most of the guys who are the leading figure in the UK now doing well financially. They were on their mum’s couch and then they started living with me, so almost all of us agree together. If you see me with them, you won’t know who is who because we all eat together- it is not a boss and servant relationship. It is a family relationship, sometimes, most of them are in my bedroom sitting down and we are talking. We talk till 1:00 AM, 2:00 AM. We laugh, then when we have to cry, we cry together. We do everything that we need to do together.
Q: What is the happiest moment you have experienced in your service to God?
A: I think it is more of a miracle moment when we make altar calls and see young people running to the altar surrendering their live, guns, drugs. For me, those are my happiest moment and we have that almost every week. They give knives, guns, drugs, everything on the altar which we give to the police after. One of them came to the altar with drugs in his pocket but he was so afraid to go back home because there is an uncle who gives him drugs to sell. I said give me the drug, then I took all the money in my pocket and gave it to him. I said don’t return it, then I said don’t do drugs anymore, don’t sell drugs anymore. In two years after, he has become a pastor. He is living well, he has a proper job, for me, those are the happiest moment, it means the whole world to me.
Q: What is the biggest misconception people have about you?
A: I remembered, you know because I don’t read the internet and news, but I think I have seen one- people think I might be arrogant. I have heard someone say that before, I don’t know where they got that from. But imagine a pastor where everybody has my phone number, I respond to people as much as I can, so I think it is a big misconception because they think I am successful but what they did not know that I am not successful like I want to be yet.
Q: What message do you have for the youths and Nigerians in 2022, as they prepare for the 2023 elections?
A: 2022 is going to be good for the nations in the world. Of course, Nigeria will have the fight to fight and I believed that, for me, my message of hope might not sound like hope but we are going to fight through 2022 for a better 2023 and I think that is what will happen in order to have a better life, better future for our kids. I want to say to the young people to be strong and courageous and, they are many people all over the world that have an interest in the development of the Nigerian youths and everybody is gathering forces, resources together to make sure that this dream come through, people like myself. We are many in the world, you may not know them right now. I think it is the turn for Africa, particularly Nigeria to rise and we are going to rise and nothing is going to defeat us.
Q: At what point in your life did you discover God called you to serve as his preacher?
A: Absolutely, my dad was a pastor and he made sure we ascertain virtue and value even though, he was a chartered accountant. I think living in Sango made me know how to relate with the downtrodden and also how I can relate with those who are high up there. I am not isolated from the world. I can mingle with both worlds and mingle perfectly with them.
Q: Sometime last year you stepped down as the lead pastor of SPAC nation. What affected that move?
A: Next-generation. I am just tired of people of color handing over after their death and work status, you can not tell me that you train people or their pastor’s or leaders for 10 years to 12 years and they can’t leave the same work, it doesn’t work that way, and that is why you see African politician don’t hand over. It is the same thing with the church. I wanted to see the next generation with us. I wanted them to make mistakes in my life whilst I am still young. Secondly, we spread a lot, there was so much going on, we grew from 5 houses to over 50 and 160 centers, I made these leaders understand the dynamics of a fast-growing work. They can’t do that by just queuing behind me, they have to take the lead and I have to oversee them and see them do their own thing.
Q: What has informed your approach to SPAC Nation?
A: SPAC nation was a response to something, I came to this country at the age of 25 that was in 2005. I saw young people restless, they always quickly label young people. The world labels them. The church labels them. I was trying to tell the church that I attended then, that I don’t think they are stubborn, that they need direction, so we were the response. Queens Road, Peckham in those days was very notorious and that was the first stop for us to start a fellowship. My approach came from the response to how do you reach a generation that doesn’t know God even though they dwell in church, most of them are pastor’s kids and all of that, how do you reach them, I have to look like them, in order to reach them, I have to attract them, I have to be something that they want to become, is just that when they come to me, I am ready to give them another kind of message which is the best hope. The vision as we start was to see a lot of young black people doing well in life without going through fraud, gangs, or drugs.
Q: What are your response to accusations and controversies labeled against SPAC Nation ?
A: Well again, like we have asked those who started the controversy or the rumors to give us proof over the years especially in a country that is as detailed as the UK and they gave us no proof. When they kept shouting, the metropolitan police said give us proof, they gave them but they threw it out. I understand that to do different work, you will pass through a lot of heat. I was at first naïve because we thought we were doing good work. BBC has about 6 reports that they have done on SPAC nation, 6 positive reports and 1 negative, 6 vs 1, these things are public, these things are there, so how do I respond to the controversy. I am saying that we can not be a perfect organization. Sometimes, some people will do wrong things but what we are saying is that instead of killing the work, bring it to the table and let us see. We have not seen any till now, so there is nothing much we can do than to keep doing what we are focused on achieving.
Q: What do you owe your congregation and followers?
A: I think my job is to lead them, lead my flocks and the flocks I have got. The flocks of young people all over the world today follow Jay Z, Wizkid, Burna Boy. They want to look nice, they want to succeed. If you say the new generation pastor should look like the pastor of 1960, it means that the pastor does not care about the young people, because if I care about the young people, it is not going to be about what I like or how I look to people’s opinion or argument. It is going to be about what reaches them. What will reach them but those who know me know I am not materialistic at all. For me majorly, it is about to reach a generation, take some of them from just following the thing without the message of Christ to what preaches the message of Christ but I have to look like what they wear. I think I said this to people a year ago, l am who I am either I am a pastor or not, if I am in a place either I am poor or rich, it’s going to be the closest place, he is going to look as if he is rich, that is what I have always been. I am not going to change that dress because I am a pastor and more so, it works to reach the generation.
Q: When last were you in Nigeria and how often do you visit?
A: I have not been to Nigeria for over 16, 17 years and people say do you not miss it, honestly, if you want to hear the truth, I don’t because we are doing all the works we are supposed to do in Nigeria more than any other politicians by the grace of God. We are in Nigeria and we are helping those who we need to help. I have met those people I need to meet here, I have held on and I think it’s about time to continue here.
Q: How did the name SPAC come about?
A: S is for salvation, P is for proclaimers, A is for anointed and C is for church. I think is just a coincidence that the abbreviation there is SPAC and it sounds and looks like a spark.
Q: Where do you see the SPAC nation family in the next decade?
A: We will be the number one bank that helps young people, my bank will give money and loan at no interest return. It is going to empower young people. I don’t think we can erase crime but we can reduce it by increasing the aspiration of hope to make young people want to do well in life and to give them the tool and training necessary for it. What we intend to do, I believe in the next 5 years, we will have over 10,000 employees. For them in Nigeria, church means a lot of people coming into a building, but for us, it is a lot of people going out from the building to impact the world, political world, fashion world, to have a presence there, and to lead people to God.
Q: Let us assume you are going for a luxury holiday, what are the 5 things you will take along?
A: A book definitely, and of course, my bible. I love reading it sometimes, and definitely my Laptop, I can only find three. I am a very boring person that is why, of course, money, a lot of money, a bag of money like a big bag of money. With those four, I think I will be good.
