Fela’s Shrine used to be my church –Pastor Eragbai

Ben Eragbai

Pastor Ben Eragbai of Divine Appointment Ministries tells ‘Nonye Ben-Nwankwo about his calling and life as a pastor

Why did you decide to roll out the drums for your birthday?

I am a ‘bush’ man. I have never celebrated my birthday before. But you cannot be 50 twice. So I decided to mark it and use the opportunity to show gratitude to people who have imparted my life and then reach out to the less-privileged. We want to give out scholarships to some orphans in the church. We want them to go to school no matter what.

We learnt you led a very rough life, how true is this?

Out of your mess, there will be a message. As far back as 1985/86, I would leave University of Benin and come to Lagos to Fela’s Shrine every Friday to attend Yabis Night. We would have a hangover all through the weekend and on Monday, I would return to school. Fela’s Shrine was my church. It was all I knew. It was terrible.

Were you born into a privileged family?

I was born with a wooden spoon. Things were very terrible. I can never forget the day my parents bought a pair of shoes for me. I was afraid to wear the shoes. I kept them very well thinking I would wear them during Christmas. I thought the shoes would wait for me. When it was Christmas, I realised that my legs had outgrown the shoes. I tried forcing my legs into them but to no avail. I had to use a razor blade to ‘release’ the shoes to give them space. That was the end of the shoes. I was so sad. My parents were very poor farmers. Even when I got to the university, my mother drummed it into my ears that I should always remember that we were poor and should not go and behave like the rich people. I used to eat at one restaurant in the school meant for poor people. The owner of the restaurant never cooked with meat, she graciously scattered crayfish in the soup. One day, somebody took me to another restaurant and bought food for me. The quantity wasn’t as much as the place I used to eat but after eating, I realised that I was full. I took a bottle of soft drink and I went outside the restaurant and posed. I was just sipping the drink with a straw. I told my friends that level had changed. I defined my environment and my mentality changed. Your mentality will determine your reality. You cannot have the mentality of a peasant and find yourself in the palace.

Are there times you regret your decision of becoming born again?

Never. I made up my mind to accept Christ. Nobody compelled or forced me. I had had enough of the world. The life here is better. I used to smoke but I no longer smoke. Why would I miss smoking even now that there is cancer everywhere? Why would I want to commit adultery? Sin makes people to age. If you are faking your Christianity, that is the only time you might have a problem because it would get to a time you wouldn’t be able to maintain that fake life.

Do you still get sexual advances from women even as a pastor?

I went to preach in one country recently. I was in my room and somebody knocked. I saw a young beautiful lady when I opened the door and I thought she was there to provide room service. I asked her what she wanted and she said she felt I might need her company. I rebuked her and chased her out of my room.

Was it a difficult task while choosing a wife?

When you are leading a mega church and you are not married, you will be under pressure. Many ladies would be jostling for your attention. I got so many gifts from ladies more than I got from men but after my marriage, I didn’t see any gift again. One lady spiced pepper soup for me, the aroma was very nice. But I was about to eat it, something just told me to stop, I threw it away. Three days later, the lady left my church. Nobody knew what happened; they didn’t know that I threw away what she brought for me. It is still a mystery. Another one came into my office one day and grabbed my legs. She asked me what the problem was. She asked me if God had not spoken to me about her. She said God had spoken to her that I was her husband. I had to call my secretary to drive her out of my office. If you take things for granted, you will be grounded. It was difficult.

How did you manage to get one eventually?

My mentor and the current PFN president, Felix Omobude, knew about it. He and Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor called me and asked me if I wasn’t going to get married. I told them that I feared my anointing could be affected by getting married. I used to keep a vigil every night. They told me that I ought to be married. I agreed but I didn’t know how I was going to ask a member of the church to be my wife. How would I just bring her and instead of counselling or praying for her, I would now tell her I would want her to be my girlfriend?

But it couldn’t have been difficult because you used to ‘toast’ women a lot before you got born again…

Oh yes! I had them in legions. I was an expert. But that was under the influence of alcohol and marijuana. But this time, it wasn’t that easy. I also remembered one of my church members who wasn’t in the country. She was a sports journalist and she had travelled to Manchester to cover a match. She just crossed my mind. So I said since she wasn’t in the church, it would be easier to talk to her on the phone. I called her and she said, ‘daddy, how are you?’ I was afraid the more; how would I ask someone calling me daddy to be my wife? I cut off the phone. I asked myself if I was a coward. I called her back and she asked me if I made a mistake, I said no. We exchanged pleasantries and I asked her about marriage. She said she wasn’t ready for marriage then. I cut off the line again. I called again. I asked her what she would feel if a pastor wanted to marry her. She asked me who the person was. She asked if I was the one. I said I might be. I told her to come back. And she did. I took her to meet my father in the Lord and that was it.

Now that some people are advocating that churches should be paying tax, do you agree with them?

I don’t have anything against that. But there are some things you ought to know and then I leave you to make the judgement thereafter.

What are the things?

There is this armed robber that we know. He claimed he was a banker and was defrauded and he was sent to prison. Inside the prison, somebody recruited him to be an armed robber. Some human right lawyers came to the prison to plead his case and he was released after he had spent more than three years in the prison. By the time he came back home, his family had already rejected him. It was the robber who recruited him in prison that gave him an abode and food. The first operation he was supposed to go for saved his life.

How?

I was preaching one day and we had horn speakers. One of the speakers was facing the bus stop where he was standing. He was there to scout the area before the operation later that night. He heard me preaching, so he decided to enter the church. God told me later to tell the congregation that there was an armed robber in the church and he shouldn’t go for the operation or he would lose his life. I told the person to come and see me later in the office and this robber came. I thought he was not telling the truth but I eventually confirmed his story. We rehabilitated him and gave him a house, gave him clothes and now, he is a pastor and he is married with children. Many people have called me telling me their lives have changed just by watching my TV programme.

But what has this got to do with paying tax?

I will tell you. Even in this area (Palm Groove), we drilled boreholes for the community. The one the government drilled spoilt the day it was commissioned. In America, you are given tax deduction when you pay offering in church. But the government wants to take from the church. Soviet Union stood against God and it went down. If the government decides to dabble in the church affairs, God will remove His hands from Nigeria. It is the church that is telling people not to go into crime. I don’t think there is any church that preaches sin.

But the church is getting so much, is there really anything wrong if they pay tax from what they get?

I agree that they are getting much. But you shouldn’t because of that affect the rest. The church is not responsible for the corruption in the country. The roads are not tarred. How much is a senator earning? But the government should be fair enough and try not to dabble into God’s affairs. There are churches everywhere in Nigeria and these churches are interceding for this country. Is the church not giving scholarships to people? We don’t go on air to announce it. We always help in one way or the other. Some of these people agitating that churches should pay tax are in the occult. But they have never agitated that their cults should pay tax. In the midst of originals, there will always be the fake. You cannot because of the fake ones, attack the original. The church is doing so much; I would say the government should let the church be.

Some men of God hobnob with politicians; how do you react to this?

You cannot change a man if you are far from him. Jesus was condemned for going to the house of Zachaeus and Simon the leper. Some people say men of God don’t tell these people the truth. They tell them the truth but power is intoxicating. They would always do what they want to do. They believe they are in charge.

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