Pastor Victor Olusegun Oshinfade is the Primate of the Holy Divine Evangelical Church (HDEC). In this interview with Ismaeel Uthman, he gives reason on why he named his church after the Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, years before he became the governor of the State of Osun. Excerpts:
When did you start your ministry?
I started ministry in 1980.
There are some people that venture into ministry because of livelihood and there are some called by God. Which category do you belong to?
I am called by God. I was with Mama Captain Abiodun Emmanuel of Cherubim and Seraphim society at Oke Suna in Lagos. Baba Aladura Adegbokiki Adetoro who was the crusader, Evangelical Church of Christ, Ipaja, later took us from Mama. From there, I started the Holy Divine Evangelical Church (Cherubim and Seraphim) in Idimu. We started at Ogungbemi Street before we moved down to Ejigbo road. We finally moved down to Atan in Ogun State.
What informed your decision to name the church after the former Governor of the State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola?
Rauf Aregbesola is a special creature on earth and God revealed that to me on April 18, 1994. God told me then that Ogbeni Aregebsola is a super human being and an abode of goodness. I can say personally that he is an irreplaceable person in my life. Aregbesola had started politics fully by the time I knew him during the days of the Social Democratic Party (SDP). We started a group together called Alimosho Dynamo. Aregbesola was the Chairman, I was the Vice Chairman, Hon Adelabu; former member of the Lagos State House of Assembly and Hon Bisi Yussuf now serving in the Lagos Assembly were members of the group.
The philosophy of Aregbesola was and still remains to ensure that life is more abundant for the people, especially the common people and to enhance socio-economic and infrastructure development. We had an Uncle called Philip who was also close to Aregbesola. By that time, Aregbesola would donate money; and we would go to quarry site in Ogun State to buy granite. We had a wheelbarrow we normally use to fill all the potholes in Alimosho. We started as a group in SDP for the ward congress. Later Aregbesola contested for the Federal House of Representatives around 1994/1995, but he lost due to the sentiments of some elders in that area. We lost the election narrowly because some people betrayed us. But Aregbesola believes that election is not a do-or-die affair.
Then, Aregbesola usually paid my house rent and that of Uncle Philip. He did a wonderful thing: uncle Philip’s house rent was due and immediately we left the venue of the election which he lost at Abule-Egba, Aregbesola called Uncle Philip and gave him money for his house rent, despite losing the election. That is the leadership, kindness and humanity we saw in Aregbesola.
I have a very long-term relationship with Aregbesola. Any party he belongs is where I belong too. When the Alliance for Democracy (AD) came, we all embraced the party. We had a group in Alimosho called Afenifere, led by Alhaji Layi Olatunde. We had another group led by Ige and Ayo Akinyemi also had his own group. Later, the two groups became one while the two leaders joined Afenifere group. It was that group that controlled the AD as a party in Alimosho. When there was crisis in the party and Layi Olatunde was removed as the Chairman because the members believed he could not lead the party. The party members nominated me and it was accepted that I, popularly known as Apostle of Peace, should become the Chairman of AD in Alimosho Local Government. And I became the AD Chairman.
When the AD wanted to conduct primary elections in 1999, Aregbesola told me to step down for Late Adimula Ogundola to become the party chairman. I left the chairmanship to become the Organizing Secretary of the party in Lagos state during Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s first term. Aregbesola led the campaign for Tinubu’s emergence as AD governorship candidate and during the gubernatorial election.
You are an active politician and you are also piloting the affairs of a ministry of God, how do you navigate between political and religious activities?
If you ask anybody in Lagos politics who I am, they will tell you that I am special person. One thing I learnt in the vineyard of God is that you give account of all you do in the presence of God. That has always been my watchword. That is why I associate myself with Aregbesola, because he believes firmly in the word of God. He did not mix anything with God. If Aregbesola is doing something and it is time for you to go and pray, he will tell you he’s going to pray.
I am from Ijebu-Remo in Ogun State. I was the Youth Leader of Isala Progressive Union from the time I was a student, because my father was a politician. Concerning how I am able to combine politics with stewardship in the vineyard of God: I lost my father in 1958, and my mother told me that I must be a Cherubim and Seraphim member. She said she was given a message about me when I was six months old. My mother said that there was a problem in my family and that it was either she died or sacrifice me (her son). On May 18, 1963 my mother told me that I must serve God with all my sweat and I must be a Cherubim and Seraphim member for life. She told me that I am a special creature. Concluding her discussion with me, she said ‘we shall meet again in life if God destines or on the day of resurrection’. That was how my mother left me.
I was a born in 1952 and my father died in 1958. That is why I used almost 12 years to finish primary school. It was my uncle who was a teacher in the old Western Region that took me round, I schooled in Inisa, Osun State, Ibadan and Abeokuta. Finally, I was taken to Mama Captain Abiodun Emmanuel in Lagos. I stayed with Mama till 1980 before Baba Adetoro took me to Ipaja. Those were the places where I grew up in the service of God.
With the account you have given, it seems you name your church after Aregbesola because of your political activities with him.
No, it is not that. It was inspirational. I got the message to name the church after Aregbesola on 18th of April, 1994, before I even bought land. I was told by God that I would have a church and would be named Rauf Aregbesola. When I told Aregbesola about the message, he said ‘which kind of church is that, how would the church be? But I told him God will fulfill the message. And God fulfilled the message on 2nd of September, 2006 when Aregbesola was the Commissioner for Works in Lagos State.
What was the reaction of church members to that name?
When we wanted to buy the land, we did not have money. It was a Muslim, Alhaji Kareem Afolabi that sold a land to me and asked me to be paying N5, 000 to him monthly. Unfortunately, Alhaji Afolabi died some months later. The man did not give me the receipt of the money I paid to him before he died. But his wife told me that she knew I had paid some amounts of money to her husband but that he will like to collect the balance of N500, 000. I explained the situation to Aregbesola who I fondly called “De-Young”. He asked if I was I sure that the land was real and not a 419 deal. I was sure of the land because God had revealed to me to use that place. Aregbesola told me he would find something to do by the next day. He asked me the next morning to meet him in his office. He called his Personal Assistant, Engr Lash (Bola Lashengbe) then to give me N500,000. I went back home and I told my church members and they shouted Halleluyah. That was how we were able to secure the land. The day we finished building the church through donations from people and Aregbesola himself, the church members jubilated and I reminded them of the message of a cathedral I got from God. The members nodded and said the message I got was real.
Before naming the church after Aregbesola, I consulted everybody that contributed to the building of the church and they all agreed to the fact of recognizing the man that started the good work. All of them were there during the dedication of the cathedral to Aregbesola . We named some structures of the church after other people that donated to make the building a reality.
There are some people that see Aregbesola as a religious fanatic. How do you see him?
No, Aregbesola is not a religious fanatic. Some of those who say that did not know Aregbesola. Those of us who knew him from the initial level are the ones who can say whether he is a fanatic or not. Up till today, he still calls and asks me to select the people that cannot afford to buy Ram in Alimosho during Ileya festival. I am Christian, I give him the list and he adds others to it. From inception till date, I am the one that normally shares the rams in Alimosho. He calls me for such things up till today. They are all documented. He was shocked the day I showed him the file.
