ON EVANS AND HIS DENIAL BY ANGLICAN CHURCH IKOSI KETU.

Let me state succinctly that my position on this writeup is not out of hate of any religious organization and if there's any need they would want me arrested to defend my claim,I will gladly own up. This is necessary for us all to get our acts in order by believing in God strictly and not religion. My profile on Facebook is me: Akande Akin Sanyaolu,not any other person.

A friend of mine once said on Facebook that we are all hustlers and I agreed with him totally. We should thank God for where we are today but we cannot forget the past,we can only forgive it. Talk of poverty,presently, by NBS data,about 70% of Nigerians are poor and this is not a new thing as it's as equal to the age of the country. The remaining 30% rich Nigerians, definitely,must have tasted poverty one way or the other in their quest for breakthrough in life.

I do not want to hold brief for Evans but I know that as a Christian ,we shall know the truth and the truth shall set us free. In fact,no sinner would ever go unpunished. On, this premised,i am saying that, I believed in totality Evan's claim that he is a known person in that Anglican church because I have similar experience to share to the public.

Let me state in clear terms that change is the only constant thing. No Church can know all its members. Members would come and go but the allegiance as a Christian would still stand. So,its important that salvation is preached as against wealth so as not to draw every tom dik and harry into the church as members.

Let me begin with my up bringing. I was born to a cherubim and seraphim parents. We grew up at ikeja in Lagos. By 1983, at a very tender age when my mum joined deeper life church,my parents separated. My dad ,apostle Gabriel Akande was a well known person in the CnS Church. His elder brother of distant family was the most senior apostle of the church. We used to call him Baba Olaoye. After my parents separation, my dad moved back to Ibadan to settle down with his first wife. My mum,myself and my other sisters started going to deeper life church. It was tough for my mum to break us away from cns church. We were still going to most of their programs since it seems that the church was a family church.

So, as the only boy in the family,in a broken home,I was growing up without a father by my side and I was monitoring our acceptance and rejection by people in the public and around us. Poverty is a big disease! My mum faced a lot of unimaginable embarrassment raising us with a lot of resentment both in deeper life and in CNS church as a single mother. Funny,as a grown up man,I still see these things and attributes around me in the society.

To cut a long story short for another day, we the children were just living from one place to another with friends, mum's friends,uncles, neighbours and friends of friends and most of the time we would sleep in that C nS Church in Ikeja. I did a lot of crazy jobs like bakery apprentice,slicer,recycle plastics and aluminium sales that I picked on the road alongside my friends,even fire woods for mama puts. By 1997, I used to go to local airports ikeja to wash cars and in most period at night,its either I hookup in a friend's place or I watched out for opportunity in the CNS church because many people as at then saw the place as a succour. I must appreciate all the time in the past I had been allowed to sleep there even though many saw us as nonmember because my mum was a full fledge deeper life member. We do go to deeperlife with her too as the occasion demanded.

By 1999, I came late to my friend's place and their gate was locked and so,I decided to go to the CNS church because the light was on. On getting there, the gate was locked but since I knew people were inside,I continued to knock at the gate without any response from within. Finally,no where to go to and so i decided to sleep in front of the entrance of the barber shop under the church building. By 2:00am, two young men woke me up with a kick. I actually thought that they were drunk though. They asked about my identity and i told them my name and my ordeal. The next thing,they started shouting in order to raise an alarm that they had caught a thief. One of them then proposed that if anyone showed up from within the church and could identify me,they would let me go free ,if not,they would beat me to a pulp or got me killed. Not too long,three people appeared close to the window and i could see them vividly because there was light. I knew them by name till date and they knew me too because myself and their children grew together. They all identified with my parents when they were still attending the church. The boys asked them about me by calling out my name and these three elders spoke loud and clear that they didn't know me. The boys pounds on me and beating started. I summoned courage and faced them like a man one on two. When it was done on them that they couldn't handle me, they got bottles,broke them and attempted to stab me but i defended myself with my leather belt. They became very careful moving close to me and i used the opportunity to fled the spot. Still,they chased after me screaming thief! thief! On getting to the next street that had a brothel and a local eatery where pap and beans was sold,about five persons and a security guard identified me before a mob action in the dead of the night.

By 2002, i wanted a driving job at Opebi Allen and since i had a licence,i applied for the job and was called for an interview. I passed the interview and was told to bring a reference letter from my church. I told my mum and she said i should approach the district coordinator when i insisted that she shouldnt get it for me. I met the district coordinator of unity district of deeperlife church at Oritse Street Ikeja and introduced myself and my mission. He asked about who my mother was and i told him. He was silent for a while and when he broke the silence,he said to me that such a letter couldn't be written at the district church but at the headquarters at Gbagada. I asked him the procedure and he told me that i should just go there and request for the reference letter on a Wednesday. So, the following week,i went to gbagada as early as possible. I wrote my name in the request booklet. It was a large gathering of people waiting to see the general oversea. When it was my turn,i was called through the public address system and told to go to the district church to get the letter. No argument,i was confused and that employment was forfeited. Till date,my mum is still a menber of Deeperlife church. I love pastor kumuyi with all my heart but its expedient that i share this experience now. I am not perfect but i was moulded in deeperlife,especially on having a conscience.

While in the University,i met my wife and within a year,she took in. Long story short,i was confused and was totally against abortion. I loved my wife with all my heart till now and she is the mother of all my children. No one else! The pressure was so high and i was thinking very fast. I was a driver during the long holiday ui had in 2007 so,i was sure of saving money before resumption. Then,i had spent 4years in Daystar as a member. I had called people i trusted and loved and had been told in clear terms that it was my cross,i needed to carry it. Sanya! you are just a friend. I was demoralised and devastated but i was calm. I was thinking about my wife,her family reputation and her education and it occured to me that i needed a counselor. I got my church flier and dialled the counselling unit. I introduced myself and my mission, then,interrogation started. I needed an advice. I needed one to give me hope and strength and all i could get was why did you do it? There is nothing the church can do!The line was dead. Truly,there was nothing anyone could do but in my situation,many souls have gone due to societal denial eapecially religious body. Even though no one pushed one to erred but the primary need of the church is to bring succour to peoples challenges aside helping us to strengthen our relationship with God through the word of salvation.

Finally, as the chairman of Tedder Hall,University of Ibadan in 2010,we investigated a theft case of laptop and traced the stolen laptop to glory tabernacle through the fliers found in the room where the theft occured because none amongst the occupant were attending that church. We found the thief on a sunday and we were denied arresting him. Afterwards, we were wrongly alleged of distruption of church service. The university setup a panel of inquiry. We were investigated and were all vindicated and found not guilty. The police set in and a lot of items that were stolen were found in that young man home. He was later denied and left to face the law.

I am not condeming the church but only wish that the primary aasignment of the church which is salvation should not be deviated from. In fact,it is a place for sinners to be redeemed because its not a business enterprise so,when a sinner reckon with the church its a blessing except if the hands of the leaders of the church is not clean.

May God gives us the grace to be hearer and doer of his words.

God bless us all.
Akande Akin Sanyaolu.
www.aasanyaolu.blogspot.com