Apostle Johnson Suleman, the Senior Pastor of Omega Fire Ministries, OFM, has expressed sadness over the incessant killings carried out in several parts of Nigeria, West Africa, by suspected herdsmen.

In an exclusive interview with Nigeria’s online integrated media platform, ALEDEH, the Apostle stressed that the “body language” of the Nigerian government is empowering the suspected killer herdsmen.

Apostle Suleman also lent out his voice to address the proposed “Hate Speech Bill” which proposes that any person found guilty of any form of hate speech that results in the death of another person shall die by hanging upon conviction.

Among other national issues, the OFM Senior Pastor also spoke on religious intolerance, insecurity in Nigeria, “seeds sowing” and finally reacted to Stephanie Otobo’s confession on the alleged sex scandal which became a topic of national discuss late last year.

Read the excerpt from the interview below:.

YOU ARE A BUSY MAN BECAUSE WE REALIZE THAT YOUR SCHEDULE IS SO TIGHT. IT’S BEEN DIFFICULT FOR US TO HAVE THIS CONVERSATION. HOW BUSY HAVE YOU BEEN LATELY?

I have always been busy. We have a ministry that has a presence in 56 nations in the world and we have a strong presence in Africa and some parts of Asia; actually five continents so that informs my travelling to see what is happening there and aside that I do also have some private investments around the world that I am also overseeing.

QUITE FRANKLY, OMEGA FIRE MINISTRIES HAS GROWN TREMENDOUSLY, TELL US ABOUT THIS GROWTH

I think I am going to speak personally because whatever I say in my philosophy, might not be an appendage for general growth. I am going to say what I see as my strength. First thing I know is that God has helped us. When God backs a man, results are natural and above all; structure. We have a ministry that is well structured. When people come to an organization that is well structured they naturally fit into place. So we have a good structure and above all God has given us the gift of men; the right people who know the right thing to do. So it has been a teamwork. The strength of Omega Fire Ministries is God giving us a crop of pastors who have the passion to run the segment so I cannot say or ascribe the growth or the results that we see to me, my calling or my anointing. It’s a teamwork and God has been faithful.

HOW DO YOU FEEL WHEN YOU READ IN THE MEDIA THAT APOSTLE SULEMAN IS STUBBORN, CONTROVERSIAL AND MAYBE CRITICAL ABOUT ISSUES?

I think it’s a combination of a lot of issues. I don’t think I am controversial, I think I am non-conventional. People are used to you trying to twist the truth. They see that as diplomacy and if you have something to present you have to be diplomatic about it, but if you understand, we all have our peculiarities. There are so many things that engineer the way I speak. Number one I have an activist background and I was very involved in student unionism. No matter what you delve into, there are certain particles of your involvement in the past that will show up. I am a prophet. Prophets do not twist words and when they speak, they don’t speak because they want to stem out controversies or issues, they bring it the way it is. Sometimes a prophet feels very guilty when he tries to be nice because he will report to God. When God gives you a word you say it as it is. But the country or Africa has not grown to that state mentally to accept the truth. When you say something and they just accept it and say ok this man is actually saying the truth. But in the midst of all these statements, I hear people say he is stubborn, controversial but there are still people who appreciate it because sometimes if we must get things done we have to address it. When we keep going around it we will never get results. So we have to see things the way they are and some of the things I have said that blew out publicly many people were not even aware that these things have the capacity to crumble a system but sometimes when you hit certain things on the head you get the attention of the people. When you get the attention of the people you can start talking about these things so it’s not a deliberate thing. I cannot determine how you perceive me but I can explain who I am. I run from issues that will create problems. When an issue is going to create problems I tell my pastors let’s kill this thing but I can also say there are people who listen to me but I am not controversial I am only non-conventional.

NIGERIANS WOKE UP AND SUDDENLY SOMEONE WHO WAS TRENDING STOPPED TRENDING. I AM TALKING ABOUT STEPHANIE OTOBO. SHE STOPPED TRENDING AFTER THE CONFESSION SHE MADE IN YOUR CHURCH. YOUR TEAM OF PASTORS AND SOME OF THE ELDERS ARE YET TO SPEAK ON THE MATTER. EVERYTHING DIED DOWN AFTER THAT CONFESSION AND SOME ARE WONDERING IF SOMETHING WENT UNDER?

I am going to answer this because I gave you my words that I am going to answer every question though normally I won’t talk about it because there was no story in the first place. All these shenanigans that snowballed into what they called scandal. I don’t have a scandal. I can’t have a scandal. Anybody could come up with any allegation that is the backlash you get when you speak truth to power. As far as I am concerned that’s a monumental lie because nothing like that ever happened. If we are going to talk about it we will be here for the whole day. I woke up like every other person woke up to see the news. Some Nigerians never asked the question, how come they didn’t go to court because I went to court. They didn’t go to court because they had nothing to show. It was just a media trial to dent my reputation and when they discovered that wasn’t working they began to bring up so many to make the people feel if he is not innocent here, he is innocent here, so it was all drama. I really don’t bother myself about what people say because public opinion is not credit alert. There is no one that gets paid by what people say. Let me shock you, 90 percent of things that they say about me I have never read them. I don’t pick up my phone looking for what is not looking for me. The church didn’t even speak. It took a long while to allow the confession. I told them It’s already dead since they haď no case but they said if someone wants peace why don’t you allow her to make peace? I told my wife this is what they are saying what do you think and she said we should allow it. There was no story, nothing like that ever happened, it was just a calculated attempt to malign me, to put me in the spot where if I speak people will say this is an unserious person. He is not who he says he is but I have not started talking so they are going to do much more drama.

EVEN THOUGH THIS IS NOT ABOUT FAMILY I HAVE BEEN WONDERING IF THIS TRULY WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS COOKED UP PERHAPS IT MUST HAVE CAUSED A LOT WITHIN YOUR FAMILY ESPECIALLY YOUR WIFE. HOW DID SHE COPE DURING THAT BROUHAHA TILL THAT CONFESSION HAPPENED RIGHT IN FRONT OF HER?

Read more: https://aledeh.com/exclusive-apostle-suleman-speaks-to-aledeh-on-state-of-the-nation-herdsmen-attacks-hate-speech-stephanie-otobos-confession-and-more/