Pastor Kunle Ajayi, 56, is Pastor Enoch Adeboye’s music minstrel in the Redeemed Christian Church of God. In this Interview with Adesile Tosin, he talks about his life, Church of God and the Nation.(exercpt)
“People think I am the head of music directorate in the Redeemed Christian Church of God but the directorate is directly under Pastor E.A Adeboye”
Sparklight News: Year 2020 has been a year of many revelations looking at COVID-19 and #EndSARS protest in Nigeria. How has it been with you sir?
Pastor Kunle Ajayi: We thank and praise the almighty God. God has been faithful, and then, we know this year has been very interesting but notwithstanding, God has been so faithful to me and my family, and I think to the church too.
Sparklight News: You were born in Mushin area of Lagos State, an area known for rascality; doesn’t that area have any negative impact on you while growing up sir?
Pastor Kunle Ajayi: It does and by the grace of God, God brought me out and he saved my life which I’m forever grateful for till date.
Sparklight News: Mushin being your place of birth and now that God has brought you out of the place, do ever you think of having a rehabilitation program that can also bring people out of the same area God brought you out from many years back?
Pastor Kunle Ajayi: Even this COVID-19, I went there. Actually l was born in ldi-oro and I went to Akala to distribute some palliatives and you know the church has a place around that Akala and I think we have about two or three churches around idi-oro and they are really doing a good job.
Sparklight News: In one of your comments, you said that the Late Fela Anikulapo kuti inspired you to become a Saxophonist. Fela was an activist, and you are
a pastor. How did he inspire you?
Pastor Kunle Ajayi: He inspired me the way he played good music. Fela played good music and no matter what he says, something’s that he says always makes sense.
In the physical, they make sense, and then in spiritual, it makes sense when he was talking about “Water no get enemy” and “Teacher Don’t Teach Me Nonsense, you will find out that it is true.
You know he talked about the political aspect. And then in the world, If you look at the history of the world and the missionary, most of the word came from the church. So we may not be taking active part in political activism but in the Spiritual realm we are. We pray for the nation, we pray for our country and the Lord Commanded us to pray for our leaders, and you know as we pray for them and the nation, something changes in the spiritual realm and it may manifest in the physical much more later.
Sparklight News: As big as RCCG is, God has placed you at the helms of affairs of managing the music directorate, how do you go about discharging your responsibilities knowing fully well that the Redeemed Christian Church of God is in all the country of the nations?
Pastor Kunle Ajayi: Well, you called me music directorate? No, I am actually assisting someone and that is “Daddy G.O”. Pastor Enoch Adeboye fondly called daddy GO is the General Overseer and at the same time, the music directorate is directly under him. And then, you know daddy is highly organized, so we have music coordinators for each province and each country. Each Coordinators report to their provincial headquarters and the report come directly to the National headquarters. So, they have a standard and well organized administration in the church which is still under daddy G.O.
Sparklight news: At 56, you still play saxophone very well, do you intend retiring at any particular age?
Pastor Kunle Ajayi: Why retiring? If i die, I die playing it. And this is what we do when we get to heaven. The Bible tells us that, and everybody sing it .I am sure we will also play musical instrument because we are talking about House of Gold. There will be a saxophone up there.
Sparklight News: Many years back, God directed you to Daddy Adeboye, and since then, God has changed the name people used to call you when you were small, how do you feel? Do you have any regret?
Pastor Kunle Ajayi: Ahh! You have said it all. You know, there is no regret about that and I have no regret all. My life has changed and it has changed for life, and forever changed for good.
Sparklight News: Do you have any gratitude you want to send to Pastor E A Adeboye?
Pastor Kunle Ajayi: Yes,I am eternally grateful to daddy and mummy G.O for adopting me as their child and I will forever be grateful.
Sparklight News: Do you have any fondly memories while growing up?
Pastor Kunle Ajayi: So many but I will just tell you one or two. There was a day, I looked at something and I thought it was garri, it looked so whitish, attractive and very soft, so I thought it was Garri and brought out a bowl to drink. I saw another one that is Garri and i thought that one is not a real Garri. So I pour this one that looked so attractive, whitish, and very very soft inside the bowl & I pour water and I started drinking it only to find out it was Semo and not garri.
(Laughs)
And there was another time too l was in a hurry, so I brought out a body wash, I didn’t know it was body lotion and i use all the lotions as bath soap as I never knew it was
Body lotion not body wash. So in the bathroom, I just put the lotion on my Sponge and l found out that it was lotion, it was so funny.
Sparklight News: As a saxophonist, how do you unwind despite your schedule and because anywhere we see daddy GO, we usually see you, and then that means you are a very very busy man. So how do you unwind?
Pastor Kunle Ajayi: I play table tennis and I have it in my house. When I relax, i watch Sports and also read books. I also listen to good music to unwind myself.
Sparklight News: Do you have any album you are working on?
Pastor Kunle Ajayi: There is an album we are working on that is also featuring Nathaniel Bassey and artists from one Hallelujah Records like Tosin bee, MOZ, Bidemi Olaoba and Femi Okunuga which is coming out very soon.
Sparklight News: We know you are now a grandfather, how do you feel to be one?
Pastor Kunle Ajayi: I feel good and l feels happy and l am grateful to God for making me a grandfather.
Sparklight News: Are you still in touch with Gospel Musicians Association
of Nigeria. Because, we were made to believe that every gospel artistes is a member?
Pastor Kunle Ajayi: I am in touch with them, even though I am not an active member, due to the nature of my job and because of what I’m doing right now. And I believe one day if God permit I will be an active member, but for now, I am in touch with some of them and with the present governor of GOMAN in Lagos.
Sparklight News: Any advice for the government at this point in time while the nation is still experiencing so many challenges, what do you have to tell the government?
Pastor Kunle Ajayi: The government should listen to God, and when people governing us know God, they will do exactly what God ask them to do to the people and they should listen to advice. It is not wrong for the people to advise them.
They should listen to the advice, weigh it and look at the area in which they will improve the life of the people. God hears the prayer of the poor and the bible says when the poor cries, God hears so if God can hear the prayers of the people, I think the government should also listen to the people they are governing.
And then if there are no people, there is no government. So I think the government should listen and seek God, seeking God is the best thing; while you have the fear of God you would great things. Doing the fear of God will help the nation a lot. If we have the fear of God, you would be to do the right things for the people and not for personal use.
Many of the people in government don’t have the fear of the Lord; some of them that do have the fear of God don’t do what God says. In all, they should seek and fear God.
The Bible says, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Wisdom is needed to rule the nation and to have the fear of God is to seek God.
Sparklight News: So many young people want to be Like you, they have been watching you playing Saxophone whenever Baba wants to preach and they just love your style. So what do you have to tell upcoming saxophonist or those still young in playing it?
Pastor Kunle Ajayi: My advice is that they should be sure of what they want to do, they should be patient, hardworking, diligent and also be diligent in the word of God, things of God, and by the grace of God, sky will be their limit. Lastly, they should be very disciplined in every area of their lives.