The story of Opeyemi Ajoke (Sobogun) Adeniyi is captivating and compelling. She have been through it all and have seen it all.
Born over three decades ago to the parents who are deaf and dumb, she graduated from University of Lagos and studied Zoology before she relocated to UK few years ago in search of greener pasture.
Adeniji, is the spiritual leader of one of the fast growing CCC churches in the United Kingdom.
In this interview with Akin Alade, she tells her survival story and how her ministry has been growing fast. Excerpts:
Q: Can we please meet you?
A: My name is Opeyemi Ajoke (Sobogun) Adeniyi. I am 34 years old and I am from a family of five and I am the last born.
I’m married to Mr Adetayo Adeniyi and God gave us three beautiful kids.
Q: How was your growing up like?
A: Growing up was not smooth for me because I was not born with silver spoon so I had to struggle for everything to survive and to also see myself through university.
Growing up with my parents was kind of difficult because they are both deaf and dumb so they had less opportunity in the society unlike every other human being out there that can talk and hear. Also, my parents had to live with my grandmother in her father’s (family) house because of their predicaments which really affected my growing up.
I lacked LOVE from everyone that surrounded me then and I was opened to so many bad things like bullying, hatred, depression, emotional abuse, physical abuse, discriminatory abuse, financial/material abuse, low self esteem, maltreatment, among others. From the families because of my parents’ predicaments which always made me to question God why I was born into the family then until I found favour elsewhere through my father’s name, then I started feeling comfortable in the family.
Q: Did you ever regret being born by your parents?
A: No. But there were times, I wished I could run away to a better place or some rich parents should just walk in to claim me as their real and biological daughter (laughing). It is funny to me now because I’m a better person. I bless God Almighty for that but if anybody is rude to my parents, I always wish I could strangle them to death because the height of people’s rudeness towards my parents then was so horrible that my parents most times feel like a nobody or beggars.
Q: Were your parents born Christians?
A: Yes. My both parents were born Christians. They attend deaf and dumb church at Yaba but the church later moved to their property at shomolu. I was very little then.
Q: How did you start your ministry?
A: I started my ministry in February 2018. But I’m sorry I won’t be able to tell the world how I received my calling from God because it’s a secret between myself, God and few of my spiritual mentors and it is not good to disclose that to the world in spiritual realm.
Q: If you have the privilege to come back to this world again, would you choose to come through your parents?
A: Yes, I will go back to my parents in my next life because I would be able to look after both of them myself because I already know them and I love them truly as my parents.
Q: Did you ever thought you would become a cleric?
A: Yes, a CCC man here in UK told me one day and was bowing for me! I didn’t believe all he said but I listened to him because of the message that came to me to go back to white garments church when I was pregnant with my first child then that God want me to go back there to do some things. but am sure my late grandma knew alot about my being but kept it to herself because I later remembered so many things that made me believe so.
Q: Where do you see your ministry in the next five years?
A: My dream is to see the ministry growing into branches in Jesus name and winning souls for God Almighty.
I want to single out a day in a week for charity in order to help poor people especially widows.
Q: What advice do you have for fellow clerics?
A: I’m not in the position to advise the people of God because I’m the youngest among them but I will like to plead with them to be truthful and honest in what they doing, more so preach the true gospel of God, they should win souls for Christ not for their pockets, they should please practice what they preach and teach people how to love truly. Lastly they should try all their best to make heaven Ezekiel 13 vs 9.
