24/02/2025
Someone saw pictures of my Pentecostal ministry days and commented “Dr. Charles, imagine what would be you (sic) height now if you are still in ministry”.
Me:
Can you imagine what Nigeria would have become if all the young vibrant pastors were using the same energy and passion they expend in religious activities to build technologies which solve real world problems? Pause and think for a moment.
Imagine if we harness the same energy, bring all of us together and brainstorm on making Nigeria the capital of Innovation in Africa. We wouldn’t need to pray for jobs again because millions of jobs will be created by the innovations created by this vibrant generation. But until then, we shall continue to buy former factories and convert them to prayer houses where we will assemble to pray for jobs and a better economy.
The mindset of an average Nigerian is a m£ss. This is why most highly exposed people avoid engaging with the average Nigerian.
Just yesterday I wrote that if I ever organise a bootcamp with only 50 people, average Nigerians will conclude that I am a failure who can no longer pull crowds. This people worship crowd. They worship sophistication. They adore people who show off. They worship empty things. Yet they wonder why their government is full of empty heads. They weep why the country is so empty. They forget that what you glorify, you amplify.
There is no Nigerian Religious Leader today who has more access to the level of Technology that I have. None. Sophistication is no longer about convoys but artificial intelligence, blockchain and big data. The Elons and Zuckerbergs of this world do not dress in Agbada or claim any special anointing but if they sign a check of 10 million dollars to your ministry, your pastor will end up giving them the title of an Apostle of Christ in marketplace.
Let’s be clear…There is no Nigerian religious leader today whose technology has changed more lives, equipped more Africans and educated more people like what we have done with Gemsbok Group with the help of our partners including AWS and Comptia. Go to the villages of Ritchie in South Africa, ask the local Councilors the impact of our technologies. The pictures are all here. Just search.
Some of us are not interested in building 100,000 capacity religious auditorium in a poor country - I would use that money to create a Venture Capital Company that invests in young people’s ideas and makes money for the investors. That’s how other nations were built - via VCCs, not “big ministries”.
Even today, if some of us organise a Free conference in Lagos, there will be no empty seats. In my pastor days, we filled up every auditorium without social media. Yet we were not satisfied. We knew that gathering crowds doesn’t transform lives permanently. When people gather in crowds, they feel that electrifying energy from the crowds temporarily but what truly transforms people is an intimate relationship between a mentor and the mentee where you are privileged to see the real strategies and networks of the mentor at work.
Here is the problem with average people - they think success is only found in RELIGION.
As a religious leader, I was progressive. My congregations were multiracial. I raised many people who are among your A-list ministers of today. Just like some of them deny Dr. Abel Damina, many of them also denied me however they are beginning to come closer again. I served purposefully and that’s what matters - service, not height.
The comparisons are f00lish, myopic and uninformed.
It is myopic to compare Elon Musk to Kenneth Copeland - they live in the same America but are not on the same level. You can’t compare Charles Awuzie to Nigerian young religious leaders, we are not pursuing the same thing. If you want to humble me, you should compare me to Mr. Tony Elumelu - I respect that man. I admire his influence - not just affluence. Compare me to Mr. Strive and a few others who are pushing the boundaries of innovation. But please, DO NOT COMPARE ME TO ANY PASTOR or IMAM. The richest pastor in Nigeria has a networth of $150 Million. The poorest person in Silicon value is valued at $2 Billion. With a $150 Million networth in a poor country, you can build an empire and become the definition of success but there’s a house in California that such money can’t afford. So beware how you define success. You can LIMIT yourself by your own definition of success. In a poor economy, every millionaire is called a Billionaire. I’ve refused to measure myself by the success I saw as a preacher. I dined with the best of the best and I wanted more from life than what I saw.
Remember, at the end of the day, we are ALL MINISTERS unto humanity and we shouldn’t be focused on Height but our Heart for Humanity. It’s not about money, height, auditoriums , crowds - we left those things behind to contribute to the human evolution.
I wish you quick mental evolution.
