Prophetess Nonnie Roberson is the current President, Nigerian women in
Clergy and the Vice President, women in Clergy, Worldwide. Nonnie is a skilled
and highly accomplished entrepreneur and business negotiator, who founded a
chain of successful businesses in sectors such as Information Technology
development and management, Product development and Marketing, Business
Consultancy and Healthcare, a mentor and prophetic covering to many. She is
also involved in the government as a board member in fulfilment of the social
responsibility of the body of Christ, leaning on the scripture that says, “the
government shall be upon his shoulder”.
Clergy and the Vice President, women in Clergy, Worldwide. Nonnie is a skilled
and highly accomplished entrepreneur and business negotiator, who founded a
chain of successful businesses in sectors such as Information Technology
development and management, Product development and Marketing, Business
Consultancy and Healthcare, a mentor and prophetic covering to many. She is
also involved in the government as a board member in fulfilment of the social
responsibility of the body of Christ, leaning on the scripture that says, “the
government shall be upon his shoulder”.
She has always believed that prayers
and fasting alone cannot solve Nigeria’s problems, hence Christians have to get
involved. The Chairperson, African Humanitarian Foundation and the Founder,
Wine Ministry Incorporation, in this interview with DailyPost bares her mind on
issues surrounding the affairs of Nigerian youth in the church, politics and
the entertainment industry. The Prophetess believes that until Nigerian leaders
realize that youth unemployment is a monster waiting to consume them, national transformation
will remain a mirage. She also discloses why she broke out of Revival Assembly
under Pastor Anselm Madubuko, her controversial Saturday Church Service and
other sundry issues.
and fasting alone cannot solve Nigeria’s problems, hence Christians have to get
involved. The Chairperson, African Humanitarian Foundation and the Founder,
Wine Ministry Incorporation, in this interview with DailyPost bares her mind on
issues surrounding the affairs of Nigerian youth in the church, politics and
the entertainment industry. The Prophetess believes that until Nigerian leaders
realize that youth unemployment is a monster waiting to consume them, national transformation
will remain a mirage. She also discloses why she broke out of Revival Assembly
under Pastor Anselm Madubuko, her controversial Saturday Church Service and
other sundry issues.
Q; Can we get to meet you please?
My name is prophetess Nonie
Roberson. I am married to an American patron.
I presently have four kids. Two of my kids are in the United States
while two are over here with me. I was formerly a Pastor with the Revival
Assembly under Apostle Anselm Madubuko. Now, I have a new Ministry, called the
New Wine. We are into a lot of crusades. It is more of a prophetic Ministry. It
was a spiritual mandate that I have decided to carry out. In November last
year, I was appointed as one of the Board members of the Lake Chad Research
Institute. I was the pioneering member of Women for Change . I was one of those
who conceptualized the idea. I was the
FCT coordinator and Director of Project for Change Initiative. As I speak to you, I’m the President of
Nigerian Women in Clergy. I’m also the
Vice President of Women in Clergy, worldwide.
Roberson. I am married to an American patron.
I presently have four kids. Two of my kids are in the United States
while two are over here with me. I was formerly a Pastor with the Revival
Assembly under Apostle Anselm Madubuko. Now, I have a new Ministry, called the
New Wine. We are into a lot of crusades. It is more of a prophetic Ministry. It
was a spiritual mandate that I have decided to carry out. In November last
year, I was appointed as one of the Board members of the Lake Chad Research
Institute. I was the pioneering member of Women for Change . I was one of those
who conceptualized the idea. I was the
FCT coordinator and Director of Project for Change Initiative. As I speak to you, I’m the President of
Nigerian Women in Clergy. I’m also the
Vice President of Women in Clergy, worldwide.
Q: What do you think about the present crop of Nigerian youth?
I feel very sorry for the youth.
When I was in school, my parents knew I was in school. They equally knew when I
had to be home. They were engaged in the payment of my school fees and other
things that I needed to cope in school, but these days, parents don’t care.
Parents don’t even know where their children are. A child could wake up one morning
and tell the parents ‘’ I’m going to Abuja’’ and they won’t ask questions. Most
times they don’t even care to know whether they are in school or somewhere
else. These kids are all out on their own. The only role models they have are
Dbanj, 2Face and a host of others. Satellite TV has become their text books.
Because of the so much influence they get from the TV, they are continually
trapped. They are neither Americana nor Africans; hence they are lost in the
middle of nowhere. Something has to be done.
When I was in school, my parents knew I was in school. They equally knew when I
had to be home. They were engaged in the payment of my school fees and other
things that I needed to cope in school, but these days, parents don’t care.
Parents don’t even know where their children are. A child could wake up one morning
and tell the parents ‘’ I’m going to Abuja’’ and they won’t ask questions. Most
times they don’t even care to know whether they are in school or somewhere
else. These kids are all out on their own. The only role models they have are
Dbanj, 2Face and a host of others. Satellite TV has become their text books.
Because of the so much influence they get from the TV, they are continually
trapped. They are neither Americana nor Africans; hence they are lost in the
middle of nowhere. Something has to be done.
Q: What is your assessment of the
music industry generally?
music industry generally?
I love music, but unfortunately, with this generation, we have
vibrant tunes and sound than local contents. The content is practically zero.
It tells you the content in the head of the singer. Most of the songs have no message, but
whenever you hear the message, your body must move. There is nothing that influences as much as
music, but we have left it porous, as the more garbage, the higher they
sell. And talking about nudity, our
youth are neither here nor there. They are stuck in the middle of the road. They don’t even know who they are. Back in
the days, if you know that certain things will bring shame to your parents, you
won’t even dear it. Your parents will
need to face the entire family to defend every of your action. When you act
weird, your chances of getting married become so slim. But these days, all those cultures have gone
with the wind. Parents are no longer instilling those values in their children.
Religious organizations are no longer instilling values. I think these young
girls have discarded completely those values, and I wonder whether their
self-worth has gone to. Imagine a parent watching his or her daughter showing
off all she has got on TV. And even the TV stations that air these nudities are
lost in the middle of nowhere. Something is definitely wrong somewhere. In any case, credit must be given to our
producers and musicians. They are trying to meet up with the standard globally,
but I think they are all in a hurry to become famous and they are not taking
their time to build local content. I
must attest to the fact that the beats are of global standard, which most
record labels outside the country have actually commended. I think what they
need is to become more creative, especially in the area of the actual messages.
vibrant tunes and sound than local contents. The content is practically zero.
It tells you the content in the head of the singer. Most of the songs have no message, but
whenever you hear the message, your body must move. There is nothing that influences as much as
music, but we have left it porous, as the more garbage, the higher they
sell. And talking about nudity, our
youth are neither here nor there. They are stuck in the middle of the road. They don’t even know who they are. Back in
the days, if you know that certain things will bring shame to your parents, you
won’t even dear it. Your parents will
need to face the entire family to defend every of your action. When you act
weird, your chances of getting married become so slim. But these days, all those cultures have gone
with the wind. Parents are no longer instilling those values in their children.
Religious organizations are no longer instilling values. I think these young
girls have discarded completely those values, and I wonder whether their
self-worth has gone to. Imagine a parent watching his or her daughter showing
off all she has got on TV. And even the TV stations that air these nudities are
lost in the middle of nowhere. Something is definitely wrong somewhere. In any case, credit must be given to our
producers and musicians. They are trying to meet up with the standard globally,
but I think they are all in a hurry to become famous and they are not taking
their time to build local content. I
must attest to the fact that the beats are of global standard, which most
record labels outside the country have actually commended. I think what they
need is to become more creative, especially in the area of the actual messages.
Talking about Nollywood, I’m not
a very big fan. Reasons being that, the outcome of every movie is always known
after you are being introduced to the movie. The prologue communicates
virtually everything. Films in the industry are highly predictable, and they could
be produced in 24 hours. All movies
except for few have virtually the same pattern. I’m saying this because I have
been in Theatre and I know what it takes to produce a movie. Another problem with their production is the
question of setting. Nollywood movies have a problem defining their settings.
Sometimes varied times are portrayed in the same light and contemporary and
extant settings are inexplicably mixed up. However, I must give them the credit
for their effort, especially, the earliest Nollywood actors like those that
initiated the New Masquerade and a host of other popular Soap Opera that
transformed into what we have as Nollywood today. I just pray and hope that the
industry would be sanitized in no long time.
a very big fan. Reasons being that, the outcome of every movie is always known
after you are being introduced to the movie. The prologue communicates
virtually everything. Films in the industry are highly predictable, and they could
be produced in 24 hours. All movies
except for few have virtually the same pattern. I’m saying this because I have
been in Theatre and I know what it takes to produce a movie. Another problem with their production is the
question of setting. Nollywood movies have a problem defining their settings.
Sometimes varied times are portrayed in the same light and contemporary and
extant settings are inexplicably mixed up. However, I must give them the credit
for their effort, especially, the earliest Nollywood actors like those that
initiated the New Masquerade and a host of other popular Soap Opera that
transformed into what we have as Nollywood today. I just pray and hope that the
industry would be sanitized in no long time.
Q: You were formally with the
Revival Assembly, how long did you pastor with the church?
Revival Assembly, how long did you pastor with the church?
I was a pastor with the Revival
Assembly for about 6 years under Pastor Anselm Madubuko.
Assembly for about 6 years under Pastor Anselm Madubuko.
Q: Tell us about your new
ministry and why did you breakaway from Revival Assembly?
ministry and why did you breakaway from Revival Assembly?
When I came back from the United
States, I had a Ministry called ‘New Wine’ I was running New Wine, not as a
church, because didn’t want to do church, but Prophet Anslem being a friend of
mine, wanted me to join him. Even when the church started 3 months earlier, I
didn’t know I was going to be made the resident Pastor. I pastored with him for six years, and HE
asked me to go back to the real mandate, and that’s one of the reasons I left.
States, I had a Ministry called ‘New Wine’ I was running New Wine, not as a
church, because didn’t want to do church, but Prophet Anslem being a friend of
mine, wanted me to join him. Even when the church started 3 months earlier, I
didn’t know I was going to be made the resident Pastor. I pastored with him for six years, and HE
asked me to go back to the real mandate, and that’s one of the reasons I left.
Yes, I have a new Ministry. Right
now, I’m doing something out of the box. At the moment, I have something called
‘’ Spirit Raining’’. Spirit Raining
holds every Saturday. I do not believe church must be on Sundays, as such
stringent rule was not stipulated in the bible.
If you go to Dubai, Christians worship on Sundays. There is no day when we come together to the
glory of God that He doesn’t come down to be with us. Because of these
unnecessary rules, the church as the body of Christ has been disintegrated. I
have decided to break some of these rules, and to bring together all
denominations under one umbrella on Saturday to worship together. ‘Spirit
Raining’ is non-denominational. In this case, I’m not put in a box to say
church must hold on Sunday. I can’t find that in the bible. Those are mere
human ideas. And for me to be able to reach my people, I need to be very
flexible. I must not be termed ‘’group soul.’’ It’s not going to be easy,
telling members of other churches to leave their churches to worship with you
on Sunday, so Saturday has been chosen to bring all denominations together. God
has asked me to do this, and I’m doing it. He said, ‘’ behold I’m doing a new
thing’’. This is part of the new things he is doing for his people. I’m always
ready to break the norm if it’s for His own glory.
now, I’m doing something out of the box. At the moment, I have something called
‘’ Spirit Raining’’. Spirit Raining
holds every Saturday. I do not believe church must be on Sundays, as such
stringent rule was not stipulated in the bible.
If you go to Dubai, Christians worship on Sundays. There is no day when we come together to the
glory of God that He doesn’t come down to be with us. Because of these
unnecessary rules, the church as the body of Christ has been disintegrated. I
have decided to break some of these rules, and to bring together all
denominations under one umbrella on Saturday to worship together. ‘Spirit
Raining’ is non-denominational. In this case, I’m not put in a box to say
church must hold on Sunday. I can’t find that in the bible. Those are mere
human ideas. And for me to be able to reach my people, I need to be very
flexible. I must not be termed ‘’group soul.’’ It’s not going to be easy,
telling members of other churches to leave their churches to worship with you
on Sunday, so Saturday has been chosen to bring all denominations together. God
has asked me to do this, and I’m doing it. He said, ‘’ behold I’m doing a new
thing’’. This is part of the new things he is doing for his people. I’m always
ready to break the norm if it’s for His own glory.
Q: Any message for the government
regarding the present youth unemployment?
regarding the present youth unemployment?
The government should know that
they will not escape this menace if they don’t do anything meaningful with the
growing population of our youths. If
they like, let them have all their children abroad, but so long as their houses
are down here, they are in trouble. The monsters we are creating now will turn
against us. Take a look at the Boko Haram insurgents in the North. Majority of
them are youths. Our political leaders
might think they have escaped the menace, but they have not. The largest
population we have in Nigeria are youth. It’s even a shame that people had to
die for just immigration job. It’s even
hard for these youths to secure admission into the university. Even at that, is
the environment okay for learning? No! I think varied alternative to youth
employment should be explored. Technical schools should be set up to encourage
handwork, instead of searching for white collar jobs after school.
they will not escape this menace if they don’t do anything meaningful with the
growing population of our youths. If
they like, let them have all their children abroad, but so long as their houses
are down here, they are in trouble. The monsters we are creating now will turn
against us. Take a look at the Boko Haram insurgents in the North. Majority of
them are youths. Our political leaders
might think they have escaped the menace, but they have not. The largest
population we have in Nigeria are youth. It’s even a shame that people had to
die for just immigration job. It’s even
hard for these youths to secure admission into the university. Even at that, is
the environment okay for learning? No! I think varied alternative to youth
employment should be explored. Technical schools should be set up to encourage
handwork, instead of searching for white collar jobs after school.
Q: Final words?
When we talk about corruption in
government and corruption in Nigeria, I laugh, because those in government
today were once out of government, yet they have been recycled back with their
corrupt attitudes. Corruption is deeply
rooted in Nigeria and Nigerians and not just the people in government. Almost everybody in Nigeria is corrupt; right
from that your gateman down to your cook.
The entire country has to be rebranded. Everybody in Nigeria is corrupt,
and the worst is that Nigerians lie a lot. The culture starts from the family
when parents will tell a child to tell a visitor that they are not at home,
even when they are inside the house. To
cure corruption is to first of all accept the reality that we are all
corrupt. It’s a generational culture in
the country and we need a holistic cleansing to root out corruption. The second problem is the issue of poverty
that has pushed many people into corruption. Nigerians are truly suffering even
in the midst of plenty. If jobs are created and the environment made conducive,
things will change. The recent NIS aptitude test tells you that there is a
problem, and if an emergency is not declared in the area of job creation, then
Nigerians should be ready to fight the monsters they have created. There is
poverty and hardship in the land. This is not fair , looking at the wealth of
the nation. It is painful when a mother
loses a child because she doesn’t have the means. Our hospitals are not
equipped. Is it not a shame that when our political leaders fall ill, they go
outside the country? It’s pathetic that Nigerians had to die for the jobs they
were never going to get. The recent NIS aptitude test was just mere formality.
The Senators and the Ministers’ slots will not create room for the average
Nigerian. It’s a pity that the poor are continuously being exploited. These things
will continue as long as we don’t hold our leaders accountable
government and corruption in Nigeria, I laugh, because those in government
today were once out of government, yet they have been recycled back with their
corrupt attitudes. Corruption is deeply
rooted in Nigeria and Nigerians and not just the people in government. Almost everybody in Nigeria is corrupt; right
from that your gateman down to your cook.
The entire country has to be rebranded. Everybody in Nigeria is corrupt,
and the worst is that Nigerians lie a lot. The culture starts from the family
when parents will tell a child to tell a visitor that they are not at home,
even when they are inside the house. To
cure corruption is to first of all accept the reality that we are all
corrupt. It’s a generational culture in
the country and we need a holistic cleansing to root out corruption. The second problem is the issue of poverty
that has pushed many people into corruption. Nigerians are truly suffering even
in the midst of plenty. If jobs are created and the environment made conducive,
things will change. The recent NIS aptitude test tells you that there is a
problem, and if an emergency is not declared in the area of job creation, then
Nigerians should be ready to fight the monsters they have created. There is
poverty and hardship in the land. This is not fair , looking at the wealth of
the nation. It is painful when a mother
loses a child because she doesn’t have the means. Our hospitals are not
equipped. Is it not a shame that when our political leaders fall ill, they go
outside the country? It’s pathetic that Nigerians had to die for the jobs they
were never going to get. The recent NIS aptitude test was just mere formality.
The Senators and the Ministers’ slots will not create room for the average
Nigerian. It’s a pity that the poor are continuously being exploited. These things
will continue as long as we don’t hold our leaders accountable