Prophet Jeremiah Omoto Fufeyin is the General Overseer of the Mercy Land Deliverance Ministry with headquarters in Warri, Delta State. The over 30,000 membership capacity church which boasts of worshippers from across the country and beyond, started barely five and half years ago. Every worship day witnesses thousands of worshipers congregating in the massive expanse land laced with different infrastructure, including five-star hotels and suites, for those from distant places where people waiting in turn to have audience the General Overseer relax. Apart from providing spiritual platform for the salvation of his worshippers and a close relationship with God, Fufeyin’s philanthropic disposition has been acknowledged worldwide. In this interview with John Oghojafor, our South South Bureau Chief, Prophet Fufeyin addressed the root cause of the current Covid 19 worldwide pandemic which, according to him, was God’s doing to address the increasing sins and rebellion of man on earth. He also spoke of the Church plans to distribute food items to Nigerians in this period of the pandemic when the government has asked people to stay at home to curtail the spread. Excerpts:
Prophet, today seems to be the first time in over five years that the church premises is almost empty of the usual heavy human traffic that use to characterize your weekly activities. What is responsible?
The church is almost empty because of what is happening globally, talking about the ravaging Coronavirus which you and I know. Even our grandmothers now are aware of it. The government has ordered the lockdown of assemblies and gatherings of many people. So, for the benefit of the church and, in obedience to government’s order, we decided to lockdown the ministry for some time until the situation improves.
Some churches are reluctant to lockdown their activities. Do you think that is right?
Well, I don’t know why they would refuse to do so. That is their own. But for me, it is for the benefit of protecting and saving lives. When this disease started in China, it spread to other parts of the world, Europe, United States and now, Africa, we now decided that we have to be very careful. I don’t want any member of the ministry to have or contact the virus. That was why we have to lock down the church.
What is God revealing to you about the virus?
God told me something about the virus. I’m still saying it as a prophet. This plague started from China. It spread to Iran, the UK, Italy, Spain, the United State and today it is everywhere. Today, Italy, and some other countries are crying. What God has said to me is that we children of God should not be afraid because this is a sickness from God in order to touch man to know Him more. It is not from the devil. The devil cannot take the glory meant for God. It started from the days of old. In the Book of Exodus chapter 10, if you read down, you will begin to see how God sent plague to the Egyptians. So, it is only God who can do this, the devil cannot do it. God is doing it because of what humanity is doing today. They don’t want to obey God, we disobey God. You can see that we are seeing what human beings do these days is beyond human imagination. A brother killing a brother, frying and cooking a brother and eating a brother. So, what is left for us is to cry for mercy. In the days of old, Prophet Moses cried for mercy on behalf of the Israelites and also the Egyptians. So, every prophet, pastors, apostles and reverend fathers have to cry for mercy. There is time for everything. This is the time for Coronavirus. Coronavirus must go.
So, what is your message to your millions of followers in terms of precaution against the virus?
I have told them this is the time for everybody to be at home and wait for the time. Everybody have to remain prayerful. I have a plan also for my people. You cannot keep the people at home indefinitely without food. So, what I’m going to do right now is that by the special grace of God, as from Monday and Tuesday, we have to start to purchase food items including cartons of Indomie noodles worth millions of naira for distribution to the people. We shall also purchase sanitizers, nose masks and hand gloves to give to the people to protect themselves while they continue in prayer.
It is obvious that your membership spreads across the country and beyond. How do you reach to millions of your members across the country and beyond?
To reach to those in other parts of the country and abroad, I know that all of them will be at home on Sunday. They will watch my channel, Mercy land TV and I will use that to reach to them and pray for them. They are all going to be connected.
Are you satisfied with the effort of the government so far in fighting against the spread of the disease?
Oh yes! They are trying their best. We are in Nigeria. What I’m advising now is that all my colleagues in the body of Christ should all come out to support the people who are right now at home crying for food. That is the only thing I’m concerned with now. That is why I said that by Monday, I will kick-off my plan. But I also pray that all my colleagues should do same. We cannot always look up to and depend on the government to do everything. The government is doing their part but we have to support them and I know all these shall soon come to pass.
Mercy Land has actually become the land of mercy for so many people. They come here not only for solutions to their spiritual problems, you also address their physical challenges and assist them in the development of their lives. What is actually motivating you to assist mankind?
It is a normal thing that we have been doing over these years now in order to touch a man to know God and also ensure his salvation. That is what we are after because once a brother knows God his problem is solved. If all of us know God, all this nonsense of Coronavirus will not happen.
So, what will a man do to know God?
Through the coronavirus, people will know God. I have said it before that this sickness is not from satan. It is a sickness sent by God. From the days of old, you can read it from the book of Exodus. It is clearly stated there. So, that is still going to happen. Everything has its time and season. That is what is going on right now. We cannot escape it. This is because the evil in the land is too much. So, that is why these things are happening. It is not strange to people like us.
Some people blame the leadership of the country for what is happening now and that they did not act on time. They accuse them of stealing our money and hiding them abroad. Now they cannot travel abroad. What is your take on that?
Accusing government is not my concern. Government is government. They are doing their part and I’m doing my part. That is Jeremiah for you. Anything the government is doing is not my focus. My duty is to reach out to the people to know God, salvation.
Ten years from now what do you expect to see in Mercy Land?
Expansion. This is because where there is the finger of God there must be a testimony? We are just five years and eight months here. This place has been a swamp but you can see what God has done. This is the finger of God. So, when you are talking of ten years, we are going to praise God.
When do you foresee the end of this Covid-19 pandemic in the world?
The sickness started in China. It did not spread immediately. It spread batch by batch, from China to Iran, to Italy, United States, U.K, Spain and now in Africa. So, the same way it spread so also it is going to end. We are praying about it. I have told my people that in one month, seven days this thing will go down. So, start counting from 31 of March to end of April and seven days the sickness will start going down. And not all the countries will experience the end of the sickness at once. So, from one month one week, you will see this virus that is making noise now will go down.
Can Nigeria get out of this pandemic without much casualties as is happening in other parts of the world?
I wouldn’t know. But God is so good and so kind. Whether somebody will die or somebody will not die, that is not my concern. My concern is this: this is happening because of our sins. I don’t know which brother has sinned against God, and I don’t know which sister has sinned against God. So, whether there are going to be death or not is not my concern. My concern is when is this thing going to go to leave. So, whatever death that may be recorded, it is prayer that we will continue to pray for this plague to go.
So you are very confident that the Coronavirus will come and go just like in the case of Ebola, Lassa fever, SARS and monkey pox?
Let me tell you something. In Israel, a prophet prayed and the sickness left the country. So, in the time of Ebola we the prophets on ground prayed and the sickness left. At it the same time, in the case of Lassa fever, we the prophets on ground prayed and fought it spiritually. And that was how the sickness left the country. Then it came to the time of Monkey pus, the prophets on ground also prayed and it left. So, the same prophets are still available to pray and wage war against Coronavirus. We are there.
