I regret not being close to God while I was young – Oladele Bank-Olemoh

Pastor Oladele Bank-Olemoh is the Chairman, Media Committee, Mountain of Fire Ministries Worldwide. In this interview with Punch, he revealed that the gŕeatest mistake of his life was not knowing God when he was young. ...excerpts. ...


 At 76, you still look very young, what is the secret of your looks? It is the grace of God. I am happy that I know God even though I knew him very late in my life. I am happy that I have a good relationship with Him today and because of that, I don’t worry about anything. I have left everything to God because I have done my very best and helped many people in my life. That satisfaction is joy to me. I thank God for the opportunity given to me to be a source of help to so many people in life.
In what ways did you help the people you talked about? I actually helped most entertainers back then by giving them their first publicity on TV when I was with the Nigerian Television Authority. For instance, I met Ebenezer Obey at the time. Then, NTA was the only television station in Nigeria. Many people wanted exposure and they all came to me for help. When I met Ebenezer Obey, he was living in a one-bedroom apartment in Mushin, Lagos and I helped him. He was featured on TV. It was the same thing with Sunny Ade. Most of the entertainers at that time were featured on the television at one time or the other and today, their children have picked up from what they left behind and they are also doing well. Then, I also met Adebayo Salami’s boss, late Ojo Ladipo. I was the one who put them on the television for the first time, they did not believe it. I went to where they were training, they performed well and I felt we should encourage them. That was how I got them on television.
How would you describe your days as a young man before you became born again? I come from a very strict Christian background. When I was growing up, there were temptations for me but I thank God because I did not succumb to any of them. My grandfather, Deacon Isaiah Olajuwon Gilbert, designed the first Baptist church in Lagos. He was a Baptist minister. My grandmother was also a deaconess; so that fear of my background was always there. I was very careful because I had very rebellious friends. I grew up in Lafiaji. In those days, we had very wicked young people living there. I thank God because I was always thoughtful of my background and I was very careful with my relationship with people. I had a lot of friends but there was a difference in me and I maintained a level of relationship with every one of them.