The Head of Jesus Interior Mission, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Apostle Mfon Bassey, in this interview at the Church’s Corporate Social Responsibility outreach programme in Bmiko, a suburb of Gwarimpa, says: If you don’t want to be hungry sow a seed to somebody that is hungry as God provides, for that is his grace and love that drives mankind. DELE OGBODO, who was at the event captures the life changing event.
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For Apostle Mfon Bassey, a retired Deputy Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health, the time has come for the Church and Christians to step out and run with President Ahmed Tinubu’s renewed hope and vision for a better Nigeria irrespective of religion affiliation and denomination through extending the Church’s arm of philanthropism, Corporate Social responsibility (CSR) and other outreaches to uplift the less privilege in the society.
One quick way to drive the President’s mantra home, Apostle Bassey asserts is through this Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) which he has been carrying out these past years through the Jesus Interior Mission, his Church which is located in the suburb of Gwarimpa, an upscale residential area in Abuja to reach several hundreds of the less privilege youths in the area and beyond.
As he put it the programme, which is being done quarterly and yearly bases is indeed prayer answered by God through provisions and sufficiency of food to feed over 800 youths in the FCT across different religions and denominations. According to him, first, the programme will begin with praises, songs and worship to God and the feeding and feasting on all sorts of food laced with worship songs and praises to lift up the spirit man and then the impartation of the world and Knowledge of God will follow.
Notwithstanding the large turnout of members of the Jesus Interior Mission who partook in the Sallah outreach programme, this month of July, Apostle Bassey, said the occasion offers the Church an opportunity to also key into President Ahmed Bola Tinubu’s renewed hope and vision for Nigerians, especially the less privilege.
As he succinctly captures it at the programme, which dovetailed into the Sallah celebration, he said President Tinubu cannot be everywhere so this is the time for every Nigerian and Christians to carry his vision and run with it to bring about the Nigeria of our dream.
On how the CSR programme evolved which has now become an oft-event…he started first by introducing himself: My name is Apostle Mfon Bassey, of the Jesus Interior Mission, we are out to win souls for Jesus Christ, adding: We are now used to have this corporate social responsibility initiatives for this communities especially in Bmiko, a suburb of Gwarimpa environment where we are now.
But how this come about? He said: “Of a sudden one of our members who was a printer died here, so we were told majorly due to homeless and this triggered a lot of reactions in us that it could be any other person. This was what catalysed us to come and begin this programme here.
The Bible, Apostle Bassey says, commanded us to pray for our leaders and to carry their vision and here we are in this season talking about how to empower the homeless, the deprived and the hungry.
Stretching his hands to the crowd of boys who abandoned their various work for the programme, he added, you just think of how to harness the available opportunities to these young ones, explaining further, he said…“Talking about their helpless situation, some of them are physically and emotionally challenged, believe me I dare say they are economically challenged.”
According to the man of God, it is this dehumanizing condition that has beckoned on us (the Church) to put two types of food/meals on the table this morning which is both the spiritual food first through the word of God and the physical food which is being served as you can see.
“And so, we are intervening and standing in the gap through this mission outreach. We are here with different kinds of swallow meals like Semovita, Garri/Eba, Akpu etc etc and this is to give them the strength for the word of God and knowledge that will be dropping from heaven after the feeding.”
He went further, permit me to say that once the body has some strength the soul can be properly ministered to with the word of God and the Holy Spirit will catalyse and take it over from there.
We the members of the Jesus Interior Ministry are also here to pray for the artisans because their future matter to us. The Bible, he said: Says give us this day our daily bread: If they are well and healthy, they will be able to re-activate some confidence in themselves and before you know it Nigeria will be better off. We have come therefore this way to strengthen them through provision of the physical bread and the spiritual bread which is the word of God.
Apostle Bassey, also pledged that in the few weeks’ time the Church will be visiting the place for medical mission and also during Christmas we will come with a lot of gifts for them.
During the last Easter, we were here, this is Sallah season and so we have come to impart the word of God, empower them with business knowledge and to rejoice with them because we cannot just leave them to grow into adulthood in the society without knowledge and some form of empowerment, he added.
“So, the members of Jesus Interior Ministry Foundation with our Head, Apostle Chuks Uwadoka, has already instituted that we should always remember our local communities.”
While savouring the presence of the boys despite their unkept looks, he smiled, stressing: Yes, that is true, I’m in their mixed, this is because I have been with this local community for years, I mean the Gwaris for more than 2 decades and have been undertaking selfless service for more than 2 decades.
“They are me and I’m them, in other words and irrespective of the difference in religion they are my brothers and sisters.”
He acknowledged that the Church got these boys here today through raw evangelism from the community adding…you can see that we are all sitting together eating, dinning with songs ministration and building confidence in one another as Nigerians and children of God. It doesn’t matter to me whether they are of another religion, my concern and that of the Church is that we are here to touch and change life…then the Holy Spirit will take it from there.
On his walk through the Gwari community over the years, even as deputy permanent secretary while in service and as an ordained Minister of God, he added: “I have been through five different chiefs of the Gwari community in Bmiko village. I’m now with the fifth chief and we are still praying for them.”
On resources and provision expended to feed them, he said: “We came with food prepared this morning for about 1000 people and you can see since 7 am and God will not make it exhaust and as it is finishing there will be supplies. We have had supplies from Kwali, Gwagwalada and Kurudu areas of FCT, and so it cannot finish. God will help us because today is their day.”
On his advice to other men of God, he said the Bible admonished and advises that Christians should do as the Bible says, love your neighbour as you love yourself.
“If you don’t want to be hungry sow a seed to somebody that is hungry as God provides, it is about the peace and love of mankind. Let us be passionate. Let us use our God given position to bring it to bear on them the joy and harmony.
“God is opening the Heavens for blessings from heaven and so why not extend it to one person and the other person will extend it to another.
“We should try and build their capacities. Do things that will make the man character not to lose hope.
“Once there is blood in their veins and there is life, just give them some support and hope and they will spark and so if we the Christians and Moslems are all doing this, we will have a better Nigeria and society.
“If you come here in the night more than 2, 000 people are here on the field and on the trees. Those trees that you are seeing are inside a grave yard but young men and boys are living there. That is to say that they need accommodation.
“I believe that God has blessed men and people of God that can donate and build hostel rooms that these boys that are homeless can live.” He said.
If support and assistance can flow in through this kind of CSR, these people will live there and continue with their handwork even if they have to pay and before you know it after 2 years, they can move to another level…we should try to multiply and replicate this.
He underscores that the President Tinubu wishes well, but let Nigerians who are well off all step down with the vision because every government comes with a vision and so let bring it to them.
On the socio-economic impact and the challenges that Nigeria is going through and what it takes to move the country forward?
He said: “First, I think that people should fear God. The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom and when you fear God you will not treat your fellow human being anyhow.
“The local Government Councilors should be able to fill some gaps. What is wrong if a Permanent Secretary retires and becomes a local government councilor or chairman… you can imagine the humongous reforms that he will bring to bear.
“For instance, look at the reforms in Lagos State when federal government further broke down into local governments. There is nothing wrong if a permanent secretary or director retires and move on to become a councilor.
“Use that grace that government has freely used to build your capacity over the years to help the community.
“If we do all this that place will be reformed and refined and once a human being is in that place there is life in that place and so we should come down from our high horses and begin to think that things will change overnight.
“These boys that we see today as destitute are the people God has put in our hands to transform their lives into a better person and to become a greater Nigerian of the future.
On the miraculous of food through members and spirited Nigerians, he asked, Do you know that each time that we even put a sign board of this nature around these unreached individuals we pay for the license fee and taxes to council and in some cases, they will pull down our signboards we pay everything we place it there, he added: “The tax people in the community will come and carry the signboard away and so we say Lord Jesus Christ, you are our signboard. So, our helper says, when I go, I will send a comforter who will be your helper.
“And so, our number priority is how the Holy Spirit helps us. These meals that these boys are eating today came all the way from Kwali, the meat that you are seeing came all the way from another community.
“All these things that you are seeing are the sacrifices made by members of Interior Jesus Ministry, some of them brought a bag of pure water and some vegetables etc etc. For instance, a widow brought bundles of the vegetables/ugwu leaf and others brought all kinds of raw food stuffs. The truth of the matter is that if you are doing anything to his glory, he will sender helpers and also you the media is an extended arm of this fellowship.” Apostle Bassey, added.
While expressing their heart felt joy, at the momentous occasion, Rabiu Aliyu and Ilya Saheed commended the Church and the team of Pastors from Jesus Interior Mission for the programme, we thank them for feeding us today, especially at these hard times.
However, Kalangu Emmanuel, aged 18 and from Kaduna, said he however goes to Church once in a blue moon said he will henceforth be committed with Church activities, they chorused in pidgin English.
He said he will appreciate if the ministry can help him to learn painting job as the little money he usually made from carrying dirt from homes hardly meet other need except feeding.
On what he will desire the Church to do for him, Kabir Ibrahim, 21 years old, said: “I will be happy if the Church can train me on carpentry and furniture works, adding that he is a Muslim.
Evangelist Benjamin Sunday, a father of 4, who is a member of the Jesus Interior Ministry explained that what the Church is doing is to reach out to the children of God who are in need of help and support through provision of food and feeding on the word of God adding that Jesus Christ feed over 5000 people and in that in similar vein we came out this morning to feed the children of God and to put smiles on their faces.
Evangelist Sunday, said: “Look at this environment the way it is, yet people sleep and live here every day without food and you imagine some going to bed without food.
“We here to feed them with man-made food and after that we nourish and also feed them with the Word of God. “I have been part of this CSR programme since I joined the Church and we have been doing this yearly.
“Usually after this programme people on their come to the Church for service and some have remained with the Church till date.
In her response to what the programme intends to achieve, Pastor Mrs. Grace Mfon Bassey, wife of the Convener, while adding her voice at this reporter’s question, said: “On what we are doing today through this outreach, it is worth the while as you can see the massive turnout.
“Our convergence here followed the enquiry from the Church on the death of a member whom we were made to understand that his house rent got expired and had to move here to stay and he took ill, hungry and without care and he died.
“Because of that incident we noticed that many were also in similar fate battling hunger and accommodation. This was what triggered this CSR programme and it has come to stay and it is really necessary because people here need Christ and we don’t want them to continue to languish in ignorance and so we need to roll the light here, feed them and bring them to Christ.”
She averred that a lot has actually gone into organizing this outreach stressing that God has been so wonderful with supplies and provision.
She said: “By the time that we are think that we don’t have anything to give to these boys, God will always send helper.
“When we started thinking about this programme, we went into prayers and God in his infinite provision use widows to make provision and few of the members to meet our needs. It is his divine provision.”