Matthew Ashimolowo has an estimated net worth of $6
million. He is the Senior Pastor of Kingsway
International Christian Centre (KICC) in London.
Ashimolowo earned his net worth from his annual
salary as senior pastor of Kingsway International
Christian Centre as well as from his media company,
Matthew Ashimolowo Media. He enrolled in a Bible
school after the death of his father and at age 22
converted to Christianity from Islam. His Kingsway
International Christian Center is reportedly the largest
Pentecostal church in the United Kingdom where he
earns an annual salary of $200,000. Ashimolowo also
has a program called Winning Ways aired on Premier
Radio and on TV in Nigeria, Ghana, Zimbabwe, TV
Africa, the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) and
Europe on The God Channel and Inspirational Network.
His media company, Matthew Ashimolowo Media
which according to reports is the major source of his
wealth subscribes to and teaches success in the area
of prosperity theology. He is an inspiring preacher who
has lifted countless souls with his passionate
preaching of the gospel. On January 3rd, the man of
God and his wife Yemisi hosted the 9th annual
widow’s event in his home town, Odeomu, Osun
State, Nigeria. It was indeed a mammoth gathering of
widows from all the nooks and crannies of the state.
At the venue, he talked to Sunday Sun about the state
of the nation, his life as regards touching the lives of
the less privileged, his vision for widows and lots
more.
Excerpts:
Can you tell us about yourself, sir?
My name is Matthew Abiodun Ashimolowo. I’m from
here in Odeomu, Gbongan. It’s my father’s hometown,
but I wasn’t born here. I was born in Zaria. I was born
in the north. I grew up in the north, in the army
barracks and then became a pastor 41 years ago. I
was sent to England 31 years ago by the Foursquare
Church, and then I started KICC almost 23 years ago.
That’s me in a nutshell. I’m married. This year, my
marriage will be 34 years. I have two sons and one will
be 32 this month and the other will be 30 in May.
Both of them got married in July and October 2014
respectively.
We are in the New Year. Nigerians would like to know
what God is saying to us as a country.
Do you have a message for Nigerians?
Very interesting. I believe that globally, there is going
to be a shaking of the world. There will be
earthquakes in some places. There might be famine in
places they never knew famine, and flooding in places
they didn’t expect. For Nigeria, the Lord showed me,
who will win the election. I will not mention his name,
because I have to be politically neutral. But when the
president’s name is announced, 20 percent of a
certain part of the nation will not agree. Eventually,
after negotiation they will. We will agree that we’re
one. Wales is only 400,000 people or about a million
people. They call them a nation, and they call Yorubas
who are 27 million a tribe, the Igbo who are 18 million
you call them a tribe. For us to have many nations that
make up Nigeria, it was God that made it happen. And
that prophetic mandate still remains on Nigeria.
Anyone who incites people to divide this nation will
lose his chance. Nigeria will remain one. After all the
noise, you will be amazed that also some politicians
will be shocked, nobody will be ready to die for them.
There will be peace in Nigeria after the election. I see
a man who will one day rise, but I don’t know when, I
don’t think it’s up to 10 years though . He will turn the
fortunes of Nigeria round. Nigeria will look like one of
these advancing nations like United Arab Emirates ,
India, and China. That is how Nigeria will be.
You said there will be peace, what about Boko Haram insurgency?
Boko Haram is a snake with many heads. We are
cutting one head, which is why the other head shows
up. If you know the hydras in the story of Hercules,
every time the head of that snake was cut, two heads
grew there. We need a robust approach. Boko Haram
will
still be around but we need a robust approach. We
need to deal with fifth columnists in the system who
are empowering them. I am 62 years old. I was born
in the barracks and I know when Nigeria fought the
civil war. My father fought the war too. In fact, he died
in Biafra. He died by the Asaba bridge. But I can tell
you, in Nigeria, there were only five battalions when
Nigeria fought the three-year civil war and yet the war
came to an end. It was massive. How can you fight a
bunch of riff-raffs with the army and they hold you to
ransom? Fifth columnists are selling Nigeria to them,
giving them petrol, money and ammunition. As my
mother used to say, when a child keeps throwing
stones and he’s not exhausted, there is a supplier in
the corner. But our prayer should be that our
government will be bold enough to indict the fifth
columnists, either inside the system or outside the
system.
Do you think foreigners are backing Boko Haram?
The only foreign aide in my opinion to Boko Haram are
weapons from Libya during the revolution. They came
down south. Other than that, it will be people who
believe in the advancement of the religion of Islam but
do not realize that in the process they are funding the
wrong people.
Source: Sun news
