society
Is Primate Ayodele A Fake Prophet Or Not? – An Investigative Journalist’s Account
Is Primate Ayodele A Fake Prophet Or Not? – An Investigative Journalist’s Account
By Ahmadu Gbiri
Arguably the most published man of God in Nigeria, Primate Elijah Ayodele has continued to raise eyebrows in society because of his controversial prophecies and their frequency; no prophet in Africa speaks as much as Primate Ayodele does. This brought within me an avalanche of questions that needed to be answered – Is prophecy that easy? Does Primate Ayodele’s prophecy come to pass? Does he prophesy or involved in guesswork? Why does he talk every day? Is he a political contractor disguised as a prophet? And many more questions.
As an investigative journalist saddled with the inherent responsibility of unraveling the truth and revealing hidden things, I took intentional steps to get answers to my many questions about the personality of Primate Ayodele beyond what many of us read on the internet and digging dip into his offline personality.
I put calls through to some of my colleagues if they are aware of any event where I can bump into Primate Ayodele and probably get some of my questions answered but everyone had just one answer – Primate Ayodele doesn’t go out, you can NEVER run into him in any event. This further interested my curiosity, What kind of a man speaks every day and never goes out?
Since I will never meet him in any public event, I knew the best place to get my curiosity quenched would be his church, INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church located at Oke-Afa, Isolo area of Lagos state. Due to the exigency of my situation, I immediately swung into action and planned to attend a Sunday Service, it was the first Sunday in the month of May 2023. I wore a white dress as I had a premonition that I was going to a white garment church considering the pictures I saw on the internet while searching for the church’s address on Google.
I arrived at the church around 5 am on the fateful Sunday morning because I wanted to attend all the services. I had read before that they hold four services every Sunday and the first starts around 4:30 am, I was thirty minutes late to the service. On arrival at the church, I saw a massive construction going on and about three white buildings. In one of the buildings, I saw people outside and praying, I needed no one to tell me service was going on already and those outside shared the same fate as me, they came late and couldn’t get space inside the large auditorium; it was filled to the brim.
I would have been gloomy because I didn’t get the opportunity to get a seat inside the auditorium but all thanks to the projector made available for people at the overflow section. On the screen before me, I got a glimpse of the auditorium even as the prayer session was intense. I saw the beautiful altar, the elegant choristers, the skillful instrumentalists, and everything in the all-white auditorium but I didn’t see Primate Ayodele. I was told by those standing beside me that he just finished leading a prayer session and had gone to attend to some members who wanted personal prayers and counseling with the Primate.
Just after the prayer session, I saw a man walk in, dressed in a multi-colored cassock and zucchettos. He was tall, good-looking, and commanded respect with his presence. I already knew that was Primate Ayodele, I had seen his face severally on social media. He returned to bring the first service to a close as he shared the benediction on arrival.
However, I was struck by the fact that I couldn’t say INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church is a white garment or Pentecostal church. Although white garment was predominant in the church but it wasn’t the conventional garment, it had a special gold lacing. Apart from the white garment laced with gold, some of the congregants wore other colors. Unlike the conventional white garment churches, I.E.S.C. doesn’t use candles or burn frankincense in service rather, they use mantle, anointing oil, and water, just like Pentecostal churches but I couldn’t say for sure where the church belongs. The setting looked a bit like a white garment and a bit of Pentecostal, I couldn’t place it.
Back to my mission, the other services soon began and I ensured I got a seat inside the auditorium. While the services were on, my greatest discovery of Primate Ayodele was that He is a very good preacher. He preached in all the services and I was almost carried away by how solid and informative his teachings were. I never envisaged that I would hear Primate Ayodele preach, I thought the only thing he does is release national and international prophecies but to my surprise, He didn’t even prophesy during the service. Many, just like me, didn’t know prophecy is almost the least of Primate Ayodele’s ministry folds. In public, he is known to prophesy every day about virtually everything but realistically, Primate Ayodele is more of a preacher, teacher, and philanthropist.
A preacher because of his excellent delivery of God’s word, a teacher because everyone in the service including the young and old nodded their head intermittently to express how well they understood the message, and a philanthropist on account of the amount of money he splashed on church members during the service. During my visit to the church, more than 50 youths were called out to be given N500,000 each as an investment into their businesses and every member went home with food items parked in cartons and personally shared by the Primate.
After my long wait for the Primate to prophesy and I didn’t get, I inquired from one of the members, who I felt would be part of the media crew because she was with a digital camera, about where Primate Ayodele normally released his national prophecies which feature online every day. She made me realize that the church has a digital studio where the prophet retires at the end of the day to release warnings to nations across the world. With this revelation, I knew I had to rely on his TikTok account to get his prophecy for the day.
I wasn’t disappointed Primate Ayodele didn’t prophesy in the service, that wasn’t my sole mission. I knew that I can always get his prophecies on his social media pages but I wanted to experience his personality and the other things he does that can verify him as a true or false prophet. We are in a world where prophets ask members to do silly things in service, we have watched how self-acclaimed prophets walk on their members, smash them on the ground, order them to eat live animals and clothes, make them starve themselves all in the name of miracles and prophecies. Also, The word of God has established that no matter how gifted a man is, if he doesn’t have love, he is an empty vessel so I just wanted to have an experience of the Primate too.
In my quest for more knowledge of Primate Ayodele, I discovered that beyond what many read on social media, the prophet has a great and likable personality. I left the church around 6 pm on Sunday with so many members still lined up waiting to see the man of God. The services closed around 4 pm and immediately, he started attending to members in his office yet two hours later, He is still giving personal counsel to them. I think I now understand why he doesn’t go out; His church members are a major reason!
Meanwhile, two days before my visit, Primate Ayodele had set the internet on fire with his revelation of the next inspector general of police in Nigeria. The prophet mentioned that DIG Olukayode Egbetokun was the next in line after Usman Baba Alkali. In the video which was shared, the prophet stated that there will be gang-up against Egbetokun’s emergence but if he can pray to God, he will emerge as the next IGP of the country. This prophecy was also part of the reason for my visit to the church because I didn’t believe the prophet saw this without someone close to power telling him. I felt politicians attend his church and one of them could have easily given him a hint but surprisingly, no single politician was seen among his congregation.
The prophecy of DIG Egbetokun came to pass yesterday with the sack of Usman Baba Alkali by President Tinubu. I was astonished yesterday when the prophecy came to pass because everyone had thought Frank Mba would be announced following his sudden promotions in recent times. The fulfillment further confirms my discovery of Primate Ayodele’s ministry.
In all sincerity, some of the events that have happened so far in President Tinubu’s administration had been long foretold by Primate Ayodele. The suspension of EFCC Chairman, Abdulrasheed Bawa was prophesied in 2021 by the prophet, and the arrest of former CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele had also been revealed last year by Primate Ayodele. Even though the sack of service chiefs was expected, He mentioned it severally last year that they will be sacked.
Primate Ayodele has made me realize that there are still prophets who genuinely hear God and speak according to his directives. One thing about him is He is very detailed when it comes to prophesy. An instance was the 2023 presidential and governorship elections that were held in Nigeria. Primate Ayodele went as far as saying how the elections will go in the states, how winners will emerge, and what will happen in the next administration. He didn’t just reveal who will win the election like others, He went deeper by revealing things some would see as inconsequential.
Primate Ayodele has given many prophecies that have come to pass. We will recall that he warned last year that a sitting governor in Nigeria will be incapacitated; this has come to pass in Ondo state with Governor Akeredolu’s illness. His prophecies go beyond Nigeria and Africa, his prophecies have a serious impact on other continents too. The crisis in Sudan, and Senegal, the Russia-Ukraine war, US presidential election, Kenya presidential election, and many more others were all foretold by the man of God.
Ministry-wise, Primate Ayodele has performed excellently well and proved his call as a true man of God, personality-wise, Primate Ayodele continues to exemplify the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ. For the question of Primate Ayodele’s authenticity as a prophet, I can boldly say that indeed, Primate Ayodele is very real.
An Account Of Ahmadu Gbiri – A Freelance Investigative Journalist Based In Lagos
Ajadi Rejects Pay Rise For President, Others, Says Proposal Insensitive To Nigerians Suffer
A South West Chieftain of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, (NNPP) has said that he rejects the reported plan by the Federal Government to raise the salaries of political office holders, including the President, Vice-President, Ministers and others, saying such move is insensitive to the current plights of Nigerians due to the present economic challenges.
Ajadi said many Nigerians are groaning under unprecedented hardship due to the harsh economy, saying what is expected of the political office holders is to make sacrifices.
It could be recalled that the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission, (RMAFC) has hinted at plans to review the salaries of political office holders in Nigeria, describing current earnings as inadequate, unrealistic, and outdated in the face of rising responsibilities and economic challenges.
At a press briefing in Abuja on Monday, RMAFC Chairman, Mohammed Shehu, disclosed that President Bola Tinubu presently earns N1.5m monthly, while ministers receive less than N1m, figures that have remained unchanged since 2008.
According to Shehu, “You are paying the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria N1.5m a month, with a population of over 200 million people. Everybody believes that it is a joke.
“You cannot pay a minister less than N1m per month since 2008 and expect him to put in his best without necessarily being involved in some other things. You pay either a CBN governor or the DG ten times more than you pay the President. That is just not right. Or you pay him [the head of an agency] twenty times higher than the Attorney-General of the Federation. That is absolutely not right”.
However, Ajadi in a statement made available to journalists on Wednesday, said at a time when reforms demand sacrifice, this proposal smacks of greed, tone-deafness and moral bankruptcy.
Ajadi said a progressive government in moments of economic crisis like Nigeria is currently going through will reduce the cost of governance rather than inflate it.
According to him, it is insensitive to increase political office holders’ salaries while workers have been struggling for a living wage without appropriate response from the governments.
“The proposed increase in salaries of the President, Vice and other political office holders at this time of economic hardship will amount to insensitivity to the plights of ordinary Nigerians
“The current Workers’ minimum wages is not enough to provide the means of livelihood for any worker. The inflation is biting harder on Nigerians. Contrary to the poor conditions of Nigerians, political office holders are flashing their riches, and displaying their wealth openly with utter disregard to the conditions of ordinary citizens. To now increase the salaries of these political office holders will not augur well for our country.
“In countries where the economy is bad, what obtained is for the political office holders to reduce their earnings as a sacrifice. It is with this that they will have the moral right to preach to ordinary citizens to make.sacrifice.
“In New Zealand, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and her cabinet reduced their pay by 20% during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“During the 2008 financial crisis, Ireland slashed ministerial and parliamentary salaries by as much as 30%.
“In the midst of Greece’s sovereign debt crisis, ministers and the Members of Parliament took salaries cuts in solidarity with citizens.
“True leaders tight their belts first before asking citizens to bear the burden of reform. For Nigeria’s political class to even consider “jumbo salaries” at a time of rising inflation, subsidy removal, unemployment and worsening poverty is unconscionable.
“RMAFC must immediately drop this self-serving scheme.What the nation requires today is fiscal discipline, leadership by sacrifice, not political overlords fattening themselves while citizens starve”.
Fubara Behind Campaign of Calumny Against Tinubu Over Rivers Emergency Rule – CJD
The Coalition for Justice and Democracy (CJD) has accused the suspended Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, of orchestrating a campaign of calumny against President Bola Tinubu as revenge for the declaration of emergency rule in the state.
In a strongly worded statement on Wednesday and signed by its president, Comrade Raymond Aighona, the coalition alleged that Fubara was also behind the circulation of a document on social media which falsely accused the Sole Administrator of Rivers, Ibok-Eket Ibas, of mismanaging half a trillion naira and inflating contracts under the guise of funding President Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid.
The group dismissed the allegations as “baseless blackmail”, insisting that the sole administrator had acted strictly within the limits of the emergency powers granted him and under the constant oversight of committees set up by both chambers of the National Assembly to monitor Rivers during the emergency rule.
“Siminalayi Fubara has chosen the path of bitterness and deceit. He has not forgiven President Tinubu for saving Rivers State from total political anarchy through the declaration of emergency rule. Now, in an act of reckless vengeance, he is sponsoring falsehoods, pushing forged documents, and trying to smear the reputation of the President and the sole administrator. These antics will not succeed,” Aighona declared.
The CJD said it had carried out its own checks and found no evidence to support the claims of financial recklessness being circulated online against Ibas.
“Every action of the Sole Administrator is monitored by oversight committees from both the Senate and the House of Representatives. His expenditures are scrutinised and subjected to due process. For anyone to claim that he single-handedly pulled out half a trillion naira from the coffers of Rivers State is not only laughable but deliberately mischievous,” the group added.
According to the CJD, the social media document, which alleged that inflated contracts were being used to bankroll the President’s 2027 campaign, bore “all the fingerprints of Fubara’s political desperation”.
“This is nothing but a forged narrative manufactured by those who lost relevance under the emergency rule. Fubara is the unseen hand behind these malicious reports. He hopes to poison the minds of Rivers people against President Tinubu and to discredit Ibas, whose steady leadership has restored calm and order to the state,” Aighona said.
The group further warned that such “propaganda politics” could inflame tensions and destabilise Rivers if not exposed for what it truly is.
“What Fubara is doing is reckless and dangerous. Rather than take responsibility for the failures of his short-lived administration, he is weaponising lies, sowing distrust, and dragging the President’s name into his personal vendetta. This is not only unfair to President Tinubu but also a betrayal of Rivers people who are finally enjoying stability after months of turmoil,” the statement continued.
The CJD praised Ibas for what it described as “disciplined and transparent stewardship” since his appointment as Sole Administrator.
“Ibas has not gone beyond his authority. He has been meticulous in carrying out his duties and has kept faith with the mandate to stabilise Rivers State. He deserves commendation, not blackmail. Anyone suggesting otherwise is only doing the bidding of embittered politicians like Fubara,” Aighona said.
The group called on security agencies to investigate the origin of the circulating document and to expose those behind the “malicious forgery”.
It also urged the Nigerian public to treat such reports with contempt, stressing that the claims were designed to smear the President and destabilise Rivers.
“There is no half-trillion naira missing from Rivers’ coffers. There are no inflated contracts funding the President’s re-election. These are lies from the pit of desperation. The real story is that Fubara, who has been constitutionally sidelined under emergency rule, is fighting back with propaganda. He must be called out,” the CJD stated.
The coalition reaffirmed its support for the emergency measures in Rivers, insisting that the intervention had prevented total collapse and restored a measure of peace and governance to the state.
“President Tinubu acted to save Rivers, not to exploit it. Ibas has executed that mandate with dignity. The blackmail campaign being funded by Fubara cannot erase these truths. Nigerians should see through his desperation and reject his propaganda,” Aighona advised.
Beyond Optics: Setting the Record Straight on Nigeria’s TICAD Booth
I feel compelled to clarify misconceptions around Nigeria’s so-called “unmanned booth” at TICAD, which has unfortunately become the subject of misleading commentary.
First, the space in question is not a national pavilion. It is a designated spillover area—typically used by delegates without access to the main auditorium to follow proceedings, hold side meetings, or work quietly. Countries may choose to convert such spaces into national showcases, but it is not compulsory. Any Nigerian delegate can use the space at any time. Several other countries also had similar spaces today that were quiet or lightly used. It is neither unusual nor a sign of disengagement.
Now, to the real issue: Nigeria is not in Japan for optics. Visibility is not the only metric. Value is.
While some chase appearances, Nigerian officials are working deliberately and with focus:
HM Pate is finalising a landmark health sector agreement with Japanese partners.
HM Power is advancing a major energy partnership.
BOI and BOA are deep in investment negotiations.
HM Foreign Affairs is leading ministerial-level engagements and aligning national plans.
Mr. President is meeting Japanese investors, Nigerian diaspora business leaders, development partners, and fellow heads of government.
The work is being done—quietly, strategically, and with impact.
So what purpose is served by amplifying an incomplete visual to imply national failure? Even if unintended, this kind of knee-jerk commentary can undermine progress and reinforce misrepresentation. Visibility should not be confused with value; applause is not the same as achievement.
Koko of the Matter: Nigeria’s space was not “unmanned” in the sense implied. We are under no obligation to adopt the performative routines of others. In diplomacy, presence is not always performance—and substance will always outweigh spectacle.
In line with TICAD’s structure, Nigeria’s space will see more active use on Day 2 and Day 3, which focus on Economy and Society, functioning as an open national stand accessible to all delegates.
Let us focus on outcomes, not optics—in the best interest of our country.
~ Otega #TheTiger Ogra
@NigeriaGov @NGRPresident @NigeriaMFA
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