By SAM EYOBOKA

MANY well meaning Nigerians are of the opinion that the current security challenges threatening the nation’s corporate existence would not have arisen if the country’s leaders have not neglected the needful by engaging the army of youths and make them change catalysts to transform the nation.

In an attempt to feel that void, the Apapa Family of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG, has perfected plans to hold a one-day crusade-like spiritual event designed to gainfully employ the youths and prepare them to become needed change catalysts. The day long programme featuring a variety of youth-related presentations including music ministration by youthful musicians like Tim Godfrey, Eben and JO Blue, geared towards the role and impact of youths as the core agent of change and the change catalyst in the society is scheduled for Sunday, June 3 at the Tafawa Balewa Square in Lagos.

The main speaker at the event will the General Overseer of RCCG, Pastor Enoch Adeboye and the theme is “Change Catalyst”. The Family has also concluded plans to feed at, 100,000 persons at the occasion as part its dream to eradicate hunger through an initiative called, A Can Can Make A Difference.

Fielding questions from selected Religious Correspondents in Lagos, recently, the head of the Apapa Family—a collection of about 17 provinces of the church across the nation with strong showing in Europe, USA, Oceania and Asia and Pastr-in-charge of Lagos Province 4—Pastor Idowu Iluyomade revealed plans to host the high and mighty in the Nigerian society at the fifth annual EXCEL programme. To demonstrate that the Christian walk is propelled by love and unity, the Apapa Family helmsman and pastor in charge of the popular City of David parish in Victoria Island, Lagos explained that Excel was a divine vision given to the family in 2007. Excerpts :

Why is the focus on the youths?
We believe that the youths are not the leaders of the future; they are the leaders of now. And the future is right now. They are the church of now as against the popular belief that future belongs to the youths. Statistics show that most people give their lives to Christ before the age of 18 and therefore that age bracket is very critical for evangelism and nationally the youths form the majority of the voting age who actually determine the faith of any nation.

From the Bible we are told of a king called Josiah who ruled over Israel at the age of eight and of course our Lord Jesus Christ was a youth who started his ministry at the age of 30. If we invest in the youth now, the future of the nation is very bright. For example if you look at evangelism, the older generation may not be able to win souls a much as the youths who as versed in the use of the social media to reach millions of people. So, we are taking the vision of impacting our world to the next level.

Is the security challenges part of the reason for targeting the youths; since they are the perpetrators of the evil devices?
It’s part of it. A catalyst is an agent that causes a change to a chemical reaction but remains stable and we believe that the youths can become the catalyst to change the society for good without being consumed by the negative spirits pervading the nation’s socio-political horizon. If you change the attitude of a person, naturally his propensity to commit evil will be changed.

Pastor Idowu Iluyomade

That is why we believe that the youths that are currently perpetrating terrorist acts in the country if we can bring them together and change their orientation they will become change catalysts who will transform the nation. Invest in them and change their orientation because the Bible says as a man thinketh so he is. So, if we can change the orientation of those youths who are bombing churches and other public institutions there will be peace in the nation, because change can only come from within. The church is a big umbrella that can accommodate everybody.

What’s your assessment of the annual programme since 2008 when it started?
I believe that we’ve been focused and have been running with the theme God gave us each year. It’s been so successful. For example the regrouping of the Family to the impacting the world in 2009 to leading change in 2010 right up to leading change: impact through service last year, its been a wonderful experience. One of the highlights of last year’s event was the establishment of a Cancer Screening and Diagnostic Centre and so far the centre had screened over 2,500 Nigerians at very subsidized rates, an attempt to complement the efforts of the Lagos State government.

Similarly, as part of our Christian Social Res-ponsibility, CSR, we fed 50,000 people at the venue of the programme last year. As a church, we feed about 50,000 people every Sunday at different locations in-cluding prisons, hospitals and at our parishes. This year, we are feeding 100,000 persons. On the whole we have fed about seven million persons since the project started.

There are various other areas where we are touching lives, re-habilitating drug addicts, prostitutes, offering scholarships for prison inmates, old people’s homes and orphanages. And at every EXCEL Foundation our General Overseer endows a N50 million professorial chair in Ma-thematics for one uni-versity. So far, he has done three and this year it is the turn of the Oba-femi Awo-lowo Uni-versity. So, slowly but steadily we are moving with the vis-ion of the Family. Lest, I forg-et we are also involv-ed in corp-orate social responsibility including sports; we have foot-ball clubs including COD United FC, New Courtyard FC, Kings United FC, table tennis and athletics clubs.

I must tell you that we are the proprietors of the first Nigerian club to partner with an English Premier League club, Bolton Wanderers as a result of which four Nigerian children were invited by Bolton last year. We are also the initiators of Heaven Gate, a TV serials projecting strong family values and laying holiness. It recently won the first Gospel Media Award. We also have youth churches in the Family which are involved even in political activities. A group known as What About Us? They participated in the presidential debates last year.

Apart from the food and the N50 million professorial chair what else should the people expect on June 3?
We have concluded plans to establish a Youth Academy, EXCEL Youth Academy fully equipped to guide, mentor and prepare them for leadership. We have invited resource persons from differ-ent disciplines to prepare the nation’s youths. Every parish of the RCCG is mandated to teach information technology and we are doing our very best in the area of education as we have several schools within the Family.

We have a blue-print for social reformation structures where we give out clothes and other items for the poor among us. We have clin-ics all over Lagos so that whe-rever you go you will see a health facility to attend to you and it is the same programme that is running in all the churches.  We already have a program-me where train and empower the youths to take responsi-bilities. We have the only smoke-free event centres, charity shops, various vent-ures including book shops and laundries.

The growth of RCCG has also brought with certain challenges. Where do you see the church in the five years?
The church has come to stay. If you look at the church, not in terms of buildings, but in terms of people who worship in them, you will agree with me. The Bible says healing can only come to a nation when the people that are called by my name repent, humble themselves, and go back to God.

So the change and the healing that we are looking for, lye in our hands. So, the church will be there. I believe that God is using us to play our part in the healing of this country despite the challeng-es. Challenges have always been there. There is nothing new under the sun. The Bible says we are the light of the world and light can only shine when there is darkness.

Will you alien yourself with calls in certain quarters to fight back when they come under attack?
I believe that our leader, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor has spoken and we are all under obligation to follow his directive.