How Poor Weather Turned 17 Minutes Flight To 45 Minutes --- Evangelist Mbah
Evangelist Udoka S. Mbah, is the resident pastor of Christ Kingdom Ministry, Owerri road, Onitsha, Anambra State.
In this exclusive interview with The Nigerian Voice Correspondent, Kenneth Orusi, when he was a guest speaker at Bethel Anglican Church harvest Asaba, Delta State, he shared his testimony of how God used his charity to an unknown man in Kubwa, Abuja, to spare his and other passengers lives while on board.
Excerpt:
You shared a testimony of how your 17 minutes flight from Abuja to Asaba lasted for almost an hour. Can you narrate your experience?
I think it happened in the second week of November. I went for a program at Abuja. On coming back, I boarded a flight that took off around 12:30pm and we spent about 16 to 17 minutes from Abuja to Asaba. On landing, announcement had been made that we should get prepared to land. We came to discover that about 2 minutes after the announcement, we were still on the air. Then when we wanted to land, the plane took off again.
Some of the people around me were also surprised like I was, then after 5 minutes we were told to keep enjoying the flight as there was a little turbulence on the air and in few minutes we would land.
Unaware of what was happening, after some minutes another announcement came that we should pick up our life jackets that the situation now is beyond control as they do not know what would be the next outcome. All of us picked up our life jackets and wore them based on how we were taught.
We spent over 45 minutes on the air while it took us just 16 minutes to get to Asaba from Abuja. We were on the air for almost an hour, going from one place to another. We came to Onitsha, then left and we went close to Benin, then the pilot took a route to Onitsha. As soon as we got to the main market in Onitsha, while we were told we took the route so that we can jump into the river in case anything happens.
On getting to the river the weather was clear, it was then we were able to land. Even after we landed, most of us were still with our life jackets.
Something happened when we were in the plane, I did something during my visit to Abuja, while I was coming back I met a barrow pusher at Kubwa expressway after a cyclist had hit him. While he was crying I gave him a promise that while going back to Onitsha, I would stop by to give him something.
The next day I saw him and gave him a sum of N50, 000 and he said a word of prayer to me that stood as a prophetic declaration. He said to me that I would never die young, that I would live to reap the fruit of my labour which I said Amen to. So when I remembered this while we were in the plane, I believed that we were going to land safely. When we landed, I knew I needed to appreciate God.
The Peace Act for the 2019 Elections was signed by Presidential Candidates and Religious Leaders. What role do religious leaders have to play to ensure members keep to such standards during the elections?
Let me make it clear that people are hurt because of the present administration. A man who is oppressed can go to any length to do whatever his wants to do. Religious leaders should tell their followers that only when Nigeria is in peace would they also enjoy the country.
You are a charity giver; do you not feel scared that your charity would be used for evil in this ember month?
That has been my lifestyle because the man whom mentored me is also a crazy giver. To me, I do not know about giving something to someone then they would take it to the shrine. Even though they exist, I believe that when I give to somebody, I am giving directly to God. As a result, I do not see God giving what I have given to him to the Satan. Each time I am giving someone something, I see it like God is receiving it from my hand.
2019 is around the corner, there was uproar in the East when Alhaji Atiku Abubakar picked the former Governor of Anambra, Mr Peter Obi as running mate. What is your opinion?
Well, the issue of Peter Obi and Atiku drew my attention to look at the frontline political statements. As a Priest, Igbo should be happy because their own brother has been selected. Initially, it has been hard for somebody from the East to clinch to the office. Having this in mind the Easterners should be glad about this development.
Evangelist Udoka S. Mbah
Do you support the idea of Christians going into politics?
I am 100 per cent behind it, I advise my members. If you have a mind of going into politics I would support you as much as I can. The Bible says it, when the wicked is in authority, the people suffer. The reason why Nigeria is where it is today is because people who do not have the mind of God are in power and the entire people are suffering. If someone who knows Christ should step into such office, people would rejoice. Therefore, I advise Christians to go into politics.
As a result of the influence and adversary they could face. Do you think Christians can succeed in political office?
Christians can succeed because if the people who do not know Christ are the people occupying the seat, with time Christians would get there. With continuous prayers, they will succeed, Satan is not bigger than God.
What is your message to Christians as we are approaching the festive period?
My message is simple, they should watch out, as God would always say “Watch and pray”. The year is coming to an end but life continues, we are in a period where people are in a hurry to do things in order to be celebrated in this festive period. I believe in miracle, but what God has not been able to give to you from January till the first week of December and you have struggled and not being able to get it, you should not kill yourself in a matter of two weeks. As much as I believe God can still do miracles, I also believe that people should take it easy.
Also, people should mind where they go, who they go with, the car they enter into and in the environment they find themselves.
Christians are meant to be the light to the world, but this is not the case. Is the world influencing Christian negatively?
What is happening has been declared in the Bible, the growth of evil is as a result of the birth of Jesus. In the book of Mathew, the Apostles asked him, what would be the sign of his coming. Even though he said, my Church would move on and the gate of hell shall not prevail. No matter the increase in Churches, evil will still increase in order to show us that the coming of God is at hand. I told someone that the day Christ was born, people were killed. Therefore when he is celebrated again, people would still be killed, it would continue. The Church is making progress because the way it was is no longer the way it is now.