Nigeria is A Future World Power, But it Must Disconnect from the World to Discover Itself – Bishop LE Johnson II

 

Bishop LE Ebubechukwu Johnson II is a Nigerian-American based in Battle Creek, Michigan, United States of America.

He is the Jurisdictional Prelate of the Church of God in Christ (COGIC), Bolivia Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction.

He was in Nigeria recently for missionary work, and Gracious Akintayo engaged him on sundry issues. Excerpt:

How do you feel celebrating your birthday in Nigeria?

For me, celebrating my birthday in Nigeria is like a dream come true. The first time I celebrated my birthday in Nigeria was three years ago, and I have been here every year since then. Every year it gets better, every year it gets richer, and the experience is truly transformative.

What is your mission in Nigeria?

My mission in Nigeria is threefold. First, I am here to support the ministry of the Church of God in Christ across 20 jurisdictions. Second, I am here to support academic endeavors and the advancement of academic excellence in Nigeria. And finally, I am here to help Nigerians remember and realize who they are.

Nigerians are more powerful than they realize, and they do not understand the force that they are on the earth. So, I am here to remind the people of Nigeria who God has created them to be and to remind them of their assignment in this season.

Too many Nigerians are looking to the North; they are looking to Europe, they are looking to the West, to the United States, and they do not realize the power and the anointing God has placed in their lives.

How would you assess Christianity in Nigeria?

Christianity in Nigeria is strong, and Nigerians need to prepare to take it to the world. The Bible says money answers all things, but Jesus is the answer the world needs today. In Him we live, move, and have our being. While Nigeria is looking to Europe, China, and the Americas for money, it has forgotten that God has ordained it to be the solution to its own problems.

Christianity will remain strong in Nigeria as long as Nigerians look inward and refuse to adopt European and American ideologies of Christianity. If Nigerians remain true to who God has ordained them to be and to what God has given them, Nigeria will be a city set on a hill that cannot be hidden. But Nigerians are complaining.

How do you compare Nigeria with America?

It sickens my soul that too many Nigerians are worshipping whiteness. They are worshipping Americanness. They want to be American so badly. They want to be European so badly.

Nigerians do not know who they are. And if Nigerians are not careful, they will colonize themselves. Nigerians have been free for several decades, and after reclaiming their history, they are now self-colonizing with Europeanism and Westernism without the help of the Europeans or the Americans.

Nigerians are colonizing themselves – changing their hair, changing their clothes, changing their preaching styles, changing their worship styles. It is sickening to my heart because Nigerians are the most spiritual people in the world. They are among the most educated people in the world. They have finances. They have multi-billionaires and everything they need, including mentality, philosophy, and theology, yet they are still looking to America.

I looked at the airport; you have the Chinese building the airport. It is sickening.

Of course, in economics, you may have to do business deals. But Nigeria needs to stop looking outside because everything it needs is inside this country, and that has to do with identity. What is Nigeria? Nigeria is a name a white woman gave this place, and it has been dividing this group of people for a century or more.

This is not Nigeria; if anything, these are the United Tribes of West Africa. You have the Hausa, Igbo, and Yoruba referred to as ethnic groups. You have all these individual tribes and they are rich in culture, knowledge, tradition, and philosophy. All you have to do is peel back the layers.

Look at all the richness we have here in Nigeria and turn off Instagram, YouTube, and CNN. Take a break from the world so you can realize who you are.

The best-dressed people, the best songs, preachers, professionals, and philosophers – you have them here. But we have this foreign media coming in and brainwashing us to believe that our skin is too dark, our hips are too wide, our lips are too big, and that we are not good enough.

Nigeria needs to shut itself off from the world and realize what God has placed in this part of the world. Know who you are. Nigeria is powerful because you have over 400 tribes that are proud of who they are. How dare you not teach your child Igbo, Yoruba, or Hausa, and not pass down those traditions?

Some Nigerians want to eat like Americans, and their foods are causing cancers, while you have such a healthy diet with different soups, stews, and pounded yam. You bring in American restaurants with no real taste, but with preservatives, additives, and substances that are killing Nigerians here.

Honestly, Nigeria could be one of the next world powers, but it needs to realize it has something to give to the world through its abundant natural mineral resources, blended with raw gifts and talents.

What advice do you have for Nigerian Christian and political leaders?

Shut yourselves off from the world, go before God, and let Him remind you of who you are. Colossians 2:10 says you are complete in Him, not in the rest of the world. You already have all you need.

What is your opinion on the conference being held in Nigeria in December?

I encourage Nigerian pastors and clergy, irrespective of their denomination, beliefs, and practices, to prepare and participate in the December Church of God in Christ All-Africa Conference in Lagos.

We are going to focus on empowering and strengthening the Kingdom of God and the move of God in this part of the world.