After thirty years of pastoring in Lagos, Nigeria, with his messages of deliverance and salvation echoing across the world, Primate Elijah Babatunde Ayodele has been called by God to return to his birthplace, Ikere-Ekiti. It was in this very town that Primate Ayodele first found the inspiration that shaped his early journey in life and led him to start a salvation ministry.
It would be wrong to assume that Ikere-Ekiti lacked Christian ministry opportunities during the years that Primate Ayodele was away. However, his return has brought transformative impact, with stories of positive testimonies spreading among the community’s residents. These are people who had previously faced various challenges, including sickness, deprivation, and, most importantly, a hunger of the body and soul.
Primate Ayodele has now established the Ikere-Ekiti branch of his renowned INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church. One of the key transformations Primate Ayodele brings is a new vision of how a ministry should operate. His focus is not solely on expanding the INRI Church but on developing his kinsmen and women through prayer, baptism in the Holy Spirit, and helping them become spiritually healthy enough to truly know God.
The significance of Primate Ayodele’s return to Ekiti State was unmistakable on Friday, April 26th, 2024, when a large crowd of enthusiastic sons and daughters of the community gathered at Area One Estate, the location of his newly-launched INRI Ikere-Ekiti headquarters. They came in solidarity to partake in the blessings of Primate Ayodele’s popular palliative market, a hunger-relief initiative that he pioneered in his Lagos ministry and has now brought to his hometown.
The two editions of the palliative market held in Ikere-Ekiti were remarkable, drawing the presence of prominent figures from Ekiti State’s social, political, and traditional circles, including the paramount ruler of Ikere-Ekiti, HRM the Ogoga, Oba Adejimi Alagbado.
At various points in Primate Ayodele’s life, he faced challenges that threatened to derail his mission. However, he allowed God to rebuild and redirect him for the purposes of His kingdom. This divine wisdom led to the creation of the INRI ministry, now recognized as a global embassy for charity.
In Nigeria’s Christian ministry, Primate Ayodele has elevated his passion for charity and empowerment to an enviable level. Beyond evangelism and prophecy, for which Primate Ayodele is widely known, he has an unwavering commitment to charity work, dedicating a significant portion of his personal earnings to helping the less privileged. Despite his towering image, Primate Ayodele remains a humble man who feels uncomfortable when praised for his good deeds. “I do not feel proud when people commend me for doing what I should do. It is my duty to share and make my neighbors happy because God gives me the blessing free of charge,” he declares.
While continuing his charitable activities, Primate Ayodele consistently reminds the government of its social responsibility to improve the lives of the country’s most vulnerable and marginalized citizens. With Nigeria currently facing a three-pronged challenge of hunger, rising food costs, and eroding purchasing power, Primate Ayodele urges his church members and the broader Christian community to not only invest in building more churches but also to allocate resources to help their needy neighbors meet their basic needs. By doing so, Primate Ayodele teaches, love is spread, and the world remains at peace.
The unprecedented reception Primate Ayodele received on the two occasions he visited Ikere-Ekiti with his Lagos team is a testament to the solid foundation upon which his new parish in Ikere-Ekiti is built—firmly on a rock, not on quicksand.
-Folorunsho Hamsat is a Lagos-based journalist and editor of Global Excellence magazine.
Seunmanuel Faleye is a brand and communications strategist. He is a covert writer and an overt creative head. He publishes Apple’s Bite International Magazine.