Pastor Ashimolowo announces Ibadan crusade, 711 free surgeries, more for residents

Matthew Ashimolowo, founder and Senior Pastor of Kingsway International Christian Centre, has announced that the church, through its Christ Compassion to the Rural World Foundation (CCRWF), will host a six-day crusade in Ibadan, Oyo State.

The 72-year-old made this known during a press conference on Tuesday at Liberty Stadium, attended by PREMIUM TIMES.

In November 2023, this newspaper reported that Mr Ashimolowo donated relief items to thousands and, funded surgical operations, provided food, clothing, books, and other essentials to residents of the Igbogbo area in Ikorodu, Lagos State, during the first edition of the crusade.

Mr Ashimolowo said the crusade, themed ‘Ibadan: This is Love 2024,’ will run from 25 to 30 November at Liberty Stadium and feature five unique programmes.

He disclosed that the church has partnered with four hospitals to conduct surgeries for 711 individuals in Ibadan during the crusade.

The author of over 110 books further disclosed that thirty-three surgeons will be present to perform both minor and major surgeries.

The pockets to be distributed to residents of Ibadan during the crusade

He said, “It is a compassion crusade, and it is a crusade to meet the needs of people. I saw that with those people in Ghana. I was shocked that these Pentecostal guys, who believe in healing the sick and seeing the miraculous, also rented a hospital and carried out surgery. And that has always been the Kingsway International Christian Centre (KICC) standard. I was trained by a church called Foursquare, and I love their balance. If a man needs medicine, give him medicine; that has guided me for 50 years, leading us to say we will do surgery.

“Thirty-three surgeons were here in Ibadan two weeks ago and screened people for three to four days. Out of the thousands that came, we had instructed them that we could only afford to pay for 400 surgeries, which is not small money, but instead of 400, they ended with 711. Seven hundred and eleven people will benefit from surgery from CCRWF.”

He noted that the 711 individuals must collect prescriptions for their conditions based on their histology results, enabling surgeons to identify precisely what’s wrong with their bodies.

Relief materials

Additionally, Mr Ashimolowo disclosed that his church has prepared substantial relief supplies for distribution to residents during the mega crusade.

After the press conference, the clergyman took this newspaper reporter and other journalists on a tour of the warehouse where the relief supplies and food items intended for distribution at the crusade were stored.

Furthermore, the clergyman explained that tickets for collecting relief supplies and food would be distributed each night during the crusade, with the actual distribution taking place the following morning.

He emphasised that only those who received a ticket at the crusade would be eligible for relief supplies and food, stressing that the programme was open to everyone regardless of religion or ethnicity.

“We already have beans, rice, noodles, and cassava flakes. When we finish, you will see it there. We have 10,000 buckets we want to give the ladies, particularly nursing mothers and older women. We have 10,000 packs of sugar and 10,000 packs of salt yet to be delivered before the end of this week. We have 10,000 bottles of oil. We have several other gifts that we are going to give, so that is the distribution day timeline.

Pack of beans and others at the warehouse

“You might wonder how we are going to do it. We have divided the stadium into four equal sections so some young men will not harass women and their children. The young men are placed in one storey and can interact with each other. The younger ladies are in a different section. And this is Yoruba land, where we honour the elders and the older mothers, who are placed in the same. We are already prepared and willing to carry out our distribution,” he added.

According to him, the church held its first crusade in the Ikorodu area of Lagos in 2023 and has since learned better ways to handle distribution.

He noted that although the distribution went smoothly in Ikorodu, there were challenges, particularly in managing the large crowd.

He said, “This crusade, the things we distribute, is not that costly; even the challenge in the land means that we have to spend so much on crowd management just to bring the barriers. The barriers cost us something like N13 million for 500 barricades, but when they gave me the bill for the 1,000 barricades, I said to cut it down and let the police do the rest.

“The Nigerian police, who will be working with us, will have between 200 and 250 policemen on the ground. We’re grateful to Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, whom we have met with, and we’re in discussions with his staff, who will be helping us in different areas: crowd control, transport, traffic management, etc.”

Medical Outreach

The Osun-born clergyman also announced that the church would conduct two days of medical outreach to serve between 100 and 150 people.

He added that the two-day outreach will operate from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., with a team of 200 doctors, approximately 150 pharmacists, and 100 nurses ready to assist attendees.

He noted: “We shall be having two days of medicals in Ibadan, and with these medicals, we are lining up 200 doctors, about 150 pharmacists, about 100 nurses, and other medical people. If you want, we can send you what the layout will look like, but what we are doing on Friday and Saturday of the CCRWF crusade is not just medical aid; it’s the place to become a hospital, not that they are just testing people and telling them to go and be well.

“You will have to go through all the processes you go through in a hospital. You’ll be checked, taken, and passed to a doctor. The doctor will now give you the prescription, and you’ll be passed to the pharmacy I told you earlier. We divided the area so that the women and children were on one side, the young men on one side, the young ladies on one side, and the men on one side. So, two days of medical outreach, and I cannot tell you how much it costs, but we are preparing for between 100,000 and 150,000 people; that’s the number of people we’re getting ready for.”

Pastor Matthew Ashimolowo showing PREMIUM TIMES Journalist other food items and relief materials to be distributed

He explained that he and his church were motivated by their love for God, the desire to save souls, and a belief that God still cares for people in times of hardship.

“The Church of Jesus Christ is not about ‘give me, give me, give me’; it’s also about ‘give you, give you, give you.’ I’m showing you how Christ came to that point in the CCRWF crusade. I cannot even tell you how much it costs us. I even say that I paid 80 to 90 per cent for this crusade; our church, KSCC, does not put any money into this. Still, our prayer platform provides 10 per cent of the time, so we have decided to be part of this.

“I’ve seen it, but every part of what we are doing is so major; it is exciting to do, and it is exciting to see souls being born again and giving their lives to Christ. So, the last two days are medical days. We start at 8 a.m. and close at 6 p.m. on Friday. We start at 8 a.m. but close at 6 p.m. on the second day. And if anybody thinks they will come two times a day, we have a method for knowing who came; that one we will keep close to our chest. I don’t know if I’ve covered every area, but then there.”

School of ministry for pastors

Furthermore, Mr Ashimolowo announced a School of Ministry would train five to ten thousand pastors and ministers of God.

He added that the school’s operations would coincide with distributing relief materials and food items to residents.

The clergyman added: “My vision, desire, and dream is to make an impact—not just any impact, but an impact that remains and lasts. On the Wednesday of the crusade, from about 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. or thereabout, we shall run a school of ministry for pastors and ministers of the gospel that will be held while the distribution is going on. We’re expecting between five and ten thousand pastors.

“We have Bibles and books I want to give them, but above all, at the end, we give them a certificate of attendance. Some of our speakers for the school of ministry will be flown in: one person coming from New York, two from Ghana, and others from Nigeria. We have a robust school of ministry that impacts the pastors, so any pastor who shows up will be blessed by having the advantage of listening to these people whose corporate experience spans 500 to 600 years. That is what the CCRWF crusade is.”

Pastor Matthew Ashimolowo addressing PREMIUMTIMES Journalist and others at the warehouse

Additionally, he announced that the church had purchased 30,000 deworming medications for children.

Night of miracles and healing

The clergyman further mentioned that the CCRWF would hold four nights dedicated to healing and miracles for attendees.

“On the 25th, the night of the crusade, every evening, we believe in the power of God. We believe in salvation through Jesus Christ. We believe in the outstretching of the hand of God. We believe in what says, ‘And this is love, that they might know you, that we loved Him, for what He loved us and gave His life.’

We want to present Jesus with the power of salvation and healing every night: Monday night, Tuesday night, Wednesday night, and Thursday night. I stopped on Thursday; those are the only four nights holding Healing and Miracle Crusades. But in the mornings from Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, there are three mornings again. So, four nights of Healing Crusades and three mornings of distribution,’’ he noted.