By Adetola Olowu, Niger

Some months ago, the United States of America designated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) due to the alleged incessant killings of Christians in several parts of the country.

The U.S. government frowned at the killings, claiming that the country is being ruled by Muslims, and vowed that there would be boots on the ground to protect Christians who are allegedly being killed daily by Islamic extremists.

While this highlights a serious issue, it also points to the fact that the country suffers from a gross lack of religious tolerance. When the U.S. made these allegations against Muslims, clerics from the other religion corroborated the statements, alleging that there are plans to Islamize Nigeria.

In many parts of the country, Muslims and Christians are seen as opposing sides, whereas in reality, they worship the same God but in different ways and traditions. Nigeria now appears to be a country where both religions cannot tolerate each other; they openly criticize one another and often incite their members against each other.

Amid this situation, a popular Nigerian prophet, Primate Elijah Ayodele of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, has gracefully offered himself as a bridge-builder between Christians and Muslims. He has taken it upon himself to ensure that religious tolerance is embraced in the country and to give Nigeria a better global outlook.

Primate Ayodele has long associated with Muslims. Many often wonder about the God they call upon in his church because it is common to see Muslims wearing hijabs attending his church services without any form of discrimination. He has attended Ramadan lectures where he preached, and he has openly identified with Islamic clerics on several occasions. During the Ramadan period, he is known for always sharing food with the Muslim community, and when the fasting ends, he goes further by giving out chickens, bags of rice, cash gifts, and other items to dedicated Muslims. This has been happening for decades.

When the U.S. government accused Nigeria of allowing Christian genocide, Primate Ayodele, despite being a prominent Christian cleric, dismissed the allegation. He clarified that Christians are not the only ones affected by the attacks, as Muslims are also victims. He told President Donald Trump that instead of being described as Christian genocide, it should be framed as religious genocide since both religions are targets of the attacks.

As expected, Primate Ayodele faced backlash for his clarification, with many calling him different names. However, he did not back down; rather, he continued preaching against the narrative of Christian genocide.

As if that was not enough, Primate Ayodele went further to build a mosque—a development that is extremely rare. As a pastor, even going near a mosque is often viewed by some as controversial, yet Primate Ayodele was willing to be called different names just to fill the gap of religious tolerance in Nigeria.

When he announced plans to build the mosque, many predicted that members of his church would leave him. Some said he was not called by God, while others claimed he was merely seeking attention. Some even alleged that the devil was using him. However, he completed the mosque within a few months, and as we speak, it has been commissioned and has begun operations.

While doing all these, parts of the Christian community expressed strong grievances toward the prophet because of what many people had grown up believing about both religions. Several prominent figures in both Christian and Islamic communities have passed down misconceptions about religion to younger generations. Seeing someone do what had never been done before understandably raised eyebrows. However, Primate Ayodele was never deterred; instead, he continued preaching the need for religious tolerance in Nigeria.

Interestingly, it appears that the efforts of Primate Ayodele in promoting religious tolerance have begun to influence others. Just weeks after he built a mosque, a notable Celestial prophet was seen in Mecca observing pilgrimage. Also, over the weekend, a Nigerian politician who is a devout Muslim hosted a Ramadan lecture and invited a prophet to speak to the audience.

In recognition of his efforts in promoting religious tolerance in the country, the Arewa Gamji Emirate Royal Council from Kaduna awarded Primate Ayodele the Wambai Gamji title yesterday at his Lagos church—another indication that the message of religious tolerance is gradually gaining acceptance.

More recognitions are expected to follow, but Primate Ayodele did not do all these for recognition. He acted after receiving what he described as divine instructions from God, with the sole aim of uniting Christians and Muslims in Nigeria and beyond. With this, many others are expected to follow suit, all thanks to Primate Ayodele, who has become a pacesetter for religious tolerance in Nigeria.

A cameraman with Channels Television, Kani Ben, has died from spinal cord injuries he sustained in a ghastly road accident in Bauchi State.

Ben passed away at about 4:00 a.m. on Sunday at Modular Theatre Complex of the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital (ATBU-TH), Bauchi, where he had been receiving treatment.

He was among 13 journalists from various media organisations involved in the crash while covering the commissioning of projects by the North East Development Commission (NEDC) in the state.

During the presentation of his 2026 prophecies in December 2025, Primate Ayodele had warned some media organizations against death of their staff members. He specially spoke about Channels TV and asked the media organization to pray against anyone among their crew getting involved in any form of accident.

These were his words

“CHANNELS TV: The spirit of God says the ChannelsTV should be watchful so that none of their crew will be attacked or be involved in an accident or shall be charged to court.” (PG 126).

Likewise, in an earlier prophecy in July, Primate Ayodele asked some television stations to pray for their reporters and cameraman regarding protection.

“AIT, Channels and Arise TV should be prayerful for protection for their staffs especially the reporters and cameramen.”

These two prophecies have been fulfilled with the unfortunate incident that involved the Channels TV Cameraman.

This isn’t to celebrate the death of the promising young man but to call on relevant authorities to always listen to divine instructions and warnings. There are a lot of things that can be avoided if people listen, but sadly, many of these things happen despite warning against them ahead of time, all because people choose to ignore the words of a prophet.

Primate Ayodele himself has said that he doesn’t feel good when his prophecies come to pass; rather, his saddest days are when his prophetic warnings get fulfilled, and this is why he doesn’t celebratethe fulfilment of prophecies. Many of these can be avoided; all people need to do is listen.

The Leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele, has commissioned a mosque he built and named it after the mother of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Mrs. Abibatu Mogaji.

The commissioning took place during his annual thanksgiving ceremony on Saturday, February 14, 2026, at Oke-Afa, Lagos State.

The event was attended by several dignitaries from the religious, traditional, political, and entertainment sectors, among others.

Among the dignitaries were the Iyaloja-General of Nigeria, Mrs. Folashade Tinubu-Ojo, the first daughter of President Tinubu, who sent several delegates due to her unavoidable absence; the Governor of Taraba State, Dr. Agbu Kefas, represented by his Special Adviser on Islamic Matters; delegates of the Etsu Nupe, HRH Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar; the House of Representatives member representing Oshodi/Isolo Federal Constituency II, Hon. Joe Oke; the Chief Imam of Ikorodu Division, Sheikh Seifudeen Ademoritan Ayinla; the Osolo of Isolo, Oba Isa Abiodun Olakunle; the Chairman of Egbe/Idimu LCDA, Hon. Idris Balogun; the Chairman of Isolo LCDA, Hon. Adebayo Olasoju; and the Eze Ndigbo of Ejigbo, among others.

Speaking on the mosque commissioning, Primate Ayodele explained that it is simply a house of worship for God and that it was a divine instruction given to him, which he would not dare to go against. The prophet stated that the mosque would be handed over to a Muslim cleric, whom he presented to the audience during the event, making it clear that he has no interest in the operations of the mosque.

“Building this mosque isn’t because I want attention or anything from anyone; it was a divine instruction that I cannot ignore. It’s a place of worship just as we have churches, and I am not afraid of what anyone might say about this. I am only answerable to God, so whatever anyone says doesn’t matter to me as long as God is pleased with me.”

When asked about the reason for naming the mosque after Tinubu’s mother, Primate Ayodele revealed that it was God who gave him that direction and that he had initially wanted to name it after someone else, but God instructed him to change it.

“People see me as someone who hates Tinubu or as an APC critic, and I think that’s why Governor Sanwo-Olu doesn’t respond to our letter of invitation, but it doesn’t matter. I named it not because I want Tinubu to give me an appointment or anything at all. I initially wanted to name it Folawuyo Mosque, but God said no. God chose the name. If anyone likes, they can condemn me; I don’t care. We have done it already.”

While speaking on the mosque building, one of the invited Muslim clerics, who began his speech by singing Christian hymns, appreciated Primate Ayodele for promoting unity through the prayer house he built for Muslims. He quoted Proverbs 3:3 while commending the prophet for his decision.

“This is a sign that we are one, and we will always reciprocate. Our father loves Primate so much, and we thank God for what he has done. There is a difference between religion and character. With this act, Primate Ayodele has shown that we are one, as stated in Proverbs 3:3.”

Likewise, the Chief Imam of Ikorodu Division, through his representative, preached on the need to fear God. He affirmed that God has indeed sent Primate Ayodele as a true prophet, comparing him to Prophet Elias in the Holy Quran.

“There is no one who does not know God, and that is why we should all fear Him. Primate Ayodele Elijah has been sent by God, and that is why he is able to do this. His name, Elijah, has significance in the Holy Quran, and everything he is doing aligns with the character in the Quran. We also want to urge everyone not to fight because of religion; we need unity across the board.”

Continuing, the Etsu Nupe prayed for Primate Ayodele and called on other clerics to emulate the good works the prophet is doing.

“I thank God for our prophet. God will always see you through. We see the good things you do, and God will always be with you. If we have more people like you in the country, we will be much more united.”

Apart from the mosque donation, Primate Ayodele engaged in extensive empowerment programmes, including the donation of about five vehicles, multiple tricycles and minibuses, free WAEC forms, accommodation payments, sewing machines to tailors’ associations, and home appliances such as televisions, refrigerators, and washing machines, among others.

While speaking, the Osolo of Isolo Kingdom applauded Primate Ayodele for his philanthropic works and his decision to sacrifice personal comfort for the sake of humanity. He noted that the prophet is supporting the government by assisting the people.

“I appreciate you for all you have been doing. If we have more pastors like this, the world would be a better place, but most of them just want to buy private jets. I am happy that what you desire is not a private jet. What you have done is more than that. There are many churches in Nigeria, but I have never seen anyone do something like this—selling items at subsidised prices and giving to the people. Unity is very important for our nation, and you have brought everyone together with your own resources. I am so happy to witness this today.”

Furthermore, the Eze Ndigbo praised the man of God for his wisdom and declared that the Igbo community will always support him. He also promised to assist an ailing man, Emmanuel Udoh, who is battling kidney disease and is due for a transplant.

“Thank you, my good daddy, Primate Ayodele. The Lord who gave you this knowledge will take you higher, and I wish you many more years. I have known you for so long, and I declare that every support you need from the Igbo community will be granted.”