A US based evangelical preacher quits 30 years of pastoral work, to become king of a local community in Nigeria.
In March 2022, the senior pastor of The Redeemed Christian Church of God - Jesus House Parish, Ghandi Afolabi Olaoye, resigned his position at a church in Washington D.C., to ascend a traditional throne as Soun of Ogbomoso kingdom of Oyo state, in south west Nigeria. His decision sent shock waves in the community as the role is considered part of traditional African spirituality - something an evangelical pastor is not expected to be linked with. But Ghandi insists that the same God who called him as a young man to become a pastor has called him now to become a king. As a traditional ruler, he is expected to participate in all religious activities in his kingdom and give his royal approval for all religious rites - including elements of animism and ancestral worship of deities. Since ascending the throne, he has been drawn into a legal process by some of his cousins, who argue the throne is not for a pastor. There’s also pressure from local traditionalists, who are asking that the new king converts from Christianity to their traditional African religion. The role requires certain conventions which some say don’t correlate with traditional Christian values, but the king says at no time in the entire process of his enthronement was he asked to do anything that compromised his faith and values as a Christian. “As a shepherd, my duty is to steer the people in the right part of prosperity because that’s what a shepherd does”.
Producer/Presenter: Peter MacJob
Executive Producer: Rajeev Gupta
Editor: Chloe Walker
Production Coordinator: Mica Nepomuceno
