*As Bishop Ighalo says Nigerian leaders should fear God
A Touch from Heaven Ministry renowned for its propagation of the gospel and philanthropy has completed arrangements for this year’s outreach where it aims to distribute materials and food items to the poor in the society, writes CYRACUS NNAJI.
Bishop (Dr) Joseph Ighalo, Senior Pastor of the ministry, and Senior Personnel of A Touch of Love Humanitarian Foundation made the disclosure at a Press Conference in his office at Ifako Ijaye, Lagos State, on Friday, November 17. 2023.
The man of God revealed that the event which will take place at Ifako Stadium, on Saturday, December 2, 2023, will be preceded with a two-day carnival, Thursday and Friday, aimed at creating awareness in the area.
Bishop Ighalo while stressing the significance of the programme maintained that it will be power-packed where the oppressed and the sick are expected to be delivered, healed, and harvest their miracles. According to Ighalo, there will be distribution of food, clothing materials, among others. In his word there will be availability of food for the soul and food for the stomach.
Men of God expected at the event include Prophet T. Martins, Dr Joy Osawaru Akinyemi, Prophetess Bola Ige, Pastor Ade Glory, Minstrel Lady Phil, Udeme Aniefiok Michael Udoh.
Others include Pastor Ngozika Chukwujekwu, Minister Nkozi Orji, Trinity Voice, Chisom Chukwujekwu, hallelujah Voice, among others.
Speaking on the upcoming event, Ighalo said “It is going to be a glorious one. We had the first one, it was called a touch from heaven. This year, we had another one, that was power as of old, and this one is titled ‘The Great Landfall of the Holy Spirit.’ Basically what we do is to gather people together, in a very short hour. There are people, for instance, who have medical issues and conditions, they don’t even have the money to cure it, and in that wise, where do they go to? So we give them opportunity also, they long for it, spiritual opportunity which is also valid. There are people carrying different sheds of oppression, in short, for those that have attended it before a lot of things happen. Though some of us don’t blow our trumpet about that, but a lot of things happen that assuage our pain and give us relieve through God.”
He said that his help ministry which operates under a duly registered foundation, A Touch of Love Humanitarian Foundation, does a lot of philanthropic projects. “We are involved massively in the help ministry via the foundation, we see how we can do some measure of palliatives to other people, I don’t particularly like the terminology, under-privilege, we all have our issues, but we should be able to help one another. In line with that we have a lot that we do, we work with widows, we work with those who may not have school fees to pay, we work with prison, we work with those who want to start something small, so they don’t keep asking, we call it poverty alleviation, we do a whole lot, we have a police project, where we help the police.
“Recently we rebuilt a police station here; it was commissioned by the commissioner of police but was represented by the area commander in the area. We are also into scholarship scheme. In Ikorodu we have a settlement for blind people, and we have been doing that for 15 years now, pay their bills, medicals,” Bishop Ighalo disclosed.
Ighalo who has been into the help ministry for over 10 years said what he is doing is a calling from God, “Calling to the ministry, yes, without the calling you will not be able, you will be choked at the middle; call to help ministry, yes, because you may be called into the ministry, but you also may not have the calling to help. A lot of people are called, they are doing well, but if you check them out, they don’t have help ministries put side by side, they don’t.”
He said that what he is doing is self-sponsored. “I work hard, I trust God, when God gives me an assignment, I ask him to give me the corresponding finances to run it. In the area of the help ministry, you can’t take that away from me. I live my life like that, that is what gives me joy, so any money that comes to my hand, we share it, I share it into these areas and I share it to my family. And I am working; I have small businesses that I am doing; that is all.”
Ighalo who stated he has room for expansion, partnership, sponsorships, and sustainability of the help ministry also spoke on the state of the Nigerian nation. “What I will say is that if you tell Nigerians to be patient, they will tell you that they have been patient all these while, and nothing is happening. If you tell them to pray, they will tell you they have been praying since. You ask them, what do you now want? We don’t know, let’s leave it to God. You can see the mindset of the people. But truthfully speaking, how do you run yourself in a country like this, a country where we have been grounded. The point we are now is a fallout of man’s inhumanity to man. Justice, you can’t find. Where we are going to, except we watch out, except there is a regeneration in the minds of our leaders, Nigeria will be like a state, you know Thomas Hobbes, in his theory, man in the state of nature, people will begin to hunt people and eat people, and fight people, animal kingdom, the people have been so battered with hunger. If you ask me to pray, If I am having a programme, I will say let’s pray for Nigeria, yes, it does not negate the fact that the people are suffering, and the truth of the matter is that the leadership is in crisis. It does not negate the fact that there is hunger in the land.
“Okay how many seeds of tomato do you buy now for N500? You won’t even get. How much is Indomie, the local bromated bread, a loaf of bread that is bromated, filled with bromate, Agege, that is what we are buying now and for how much? N1100. One bag of rice, but how much is minimum wage, but somebody just bought an SUV for legislators, and the person already has six cars in his house already or seven.
“You see, at the end of the day, you don’t need prayers, one day the people will just, that is the truth, forgive me, but when you speak they will tell you, you are not speaking well, look at the rate of unemployment, it is much, it is a time bomb. The only thing I know, the prayer of the saints concerning Nigeria is working, because what we have seen in this country, if it is some other countries, it would be turmoil. But like I have always said, we should still keep praying for Nigeria, I can see the prayers working, though the pains are there, there is penury in the land, though there is man’s inhumanity to man, but one day, one day, we will reach the shore, how we get there and how God does it, I don’t know, but one day, we will get there,” Bishop Ighalo stated.
He also advised Nigerians saying, “Be encouraged, don’t give up on yourselves, don’t give up on your God, and don’t give up on the country, because if you give up on the country, you say I have given up on Nigeria, where do you go? Those who say Nigeria will be better they know what they are saying. It is not to say that Nigeria is not going through crisis, but where do I go to now? And with our prayers, we will get there. Just keep seeking God’s face. Don’t get discouraged concerning the entity, Nigeria.”
He also advised the leaders thus, “A man without God is dead. These leaders, they should rethink and have the fear of God in their hearts, let them work on the streets, they can’t even walk on the streets, I wish they can walk on the streets, because they are in their jets, SUVs, and they are guarded by military people, but let them just show a little love, just a little love, at our last programme, you see people longing for just a loaf of bread, one small bread. I wish we had all the money.
“You are talking about sponsors, let them bring money, we can spend it well for them, go to some Hospitals here, there are people there, just five thousand, two thousand, somebody died for two thousand. Leaders, where are they? They have lost touch with the people. What I pray is let them have the fear of God, but they don’t want to listen, but let them just try one day and listen to God. It is not difficult to run Nigeria, give the people what they want, now they want to increase electricity tariff, DSTV has done their own, university has increased, primary and secondary have increased, NEPA, the leaders are doing that without the fear of God, let the poor breathe, now the poor is being choked,” Bishop Ighalo stated.
