[Article]: When The Power Changed Hands – Mike Bamiloye

Renowned gospel film minister Evangelist Mike Bamiloye pens an insight on the conception of the 1993 evergreen Mount Zion movie, 'Agbara Nla (Ultimate Power)'.

Going down memory lane, Mike Bamiloye revealed how he conceived the movie 'Agbara Nla', which brought to limelight gospel movie in Nigeria.

Mike Bamiloye revealed how he burned zealously for Christian movies to be made and watched in Nigeria, as many could not comprehend or understand the foreign Christian movies.

Indeed, Mike Bamiloye's passion for 'Christian Movies' birthed a new era for gospel movies in Nigeria.

Read the Full Article below. 

WHEN THE POWER CHANGED HANDS.

1985, I was 25 years Old then, burning with Vision and passion to serve God. The Ministry, Mount Zion had just been birthed, very young, and had just begun to hold prayer meetings. I had a small black and white television placed on the cupboard of my single room. And one night, I happened to watch an Indian film on television, a secular Indian movie that captivated me completely from beginning to end. I was engulfed with the story and towards the end of the Movie, I burst into tears, ran out of the room to the passage, and began to cry aloud: “Jesus! Use me! Jesus! I want to make movies for you! Lay Your hand on me and use me! Help me to make Movies for You!”

I couldn’t understand how I would watch a secular Indian Movie and it would spark a revival in my Spirit.

So my envy and jealousy to make Movies for Jesus increased and got hotter.

I was so envious and jealous for Jesus Christ to make Nigerian Christian movies available for us to watch. I became angry at the secular movies that were existing then.

They were very few. Nollywood had not started then. But there were films of Hubert Ogunde like: Aiye, Jayesinmi, Aropin-Nteniyan, Ayanmo. And there were films of Moses Olaiya (Baba Sala) like: Mosebolatan, Orun Mooru, Diamond, and the earlier movies from Ade Afolayan (ADE Love) like Taxi Driver, Iyaniwura, etc. The current Nollywood had not begun then as we know it now.

On one of those days, I was burning with zeal in me to do films for Jesus Christ. I was angry at those secular movies and I was angry at the foreign Christian movies they show in churches and crusades that we would not hear what the Oyinbos were saying and the interpreters would be saying something else. Those were my anger, jealousy and envy in those days. I wanted Nigerian Christian movies for Jesus.

So, I went to watch Hubert Ogunde's "AIYE" at Oduduwa Hall, University of Ife, then. The movie finished around 11pm. I got out of the hall, and my heart was full of the thought of doing something for Jesus.

I was sad. I was sad that there was no single Nigerian Christian film that could preach on the power of Jesus Christ, the way the movie AIYE had preached on the Powers of the Witches and Wizards. I was sad.

So, I got out of the hall at 11pm and began to think about how I could do movies for Jesus that would counter what I had just seen in the theatre. I was thinking and walking back home. And I trekked from Obafemi Awolowo University (then, University of Ife) to Urban Day in ILE Ife in the city, that would be several kilometers.

I was engulfed in the thoughts of doing a Counter movie. And I trekked that long-distance in the midnight back to my house alone.

A few months later, in 1986, in Ilesa, the same thing repeated itself. I had gone to watch Hubert Ogunde's "JAYESINMI", a sequel to AIYE. The movie show held in Ilesa Town Hall at the center of the city called Roundabout. I was teaching then and the ministry had just begun.

The magnification of the Powers and Witches and Wizards continued in an advanced stage. I shivered throughout the film show. I was more sad and angry. I came out of the Hall around 10.15pm. And, like a mad man began to walk home on feet from Roundabout Ilesa, to Oke-Omi Iru. It is a lot of kilometers too.

Along the way, I saw an open-air crusade, where the church was showing a foreign Christian movie to the people and the interpreter was talking along with the characters. I shook my head in more sadness. I wanted our own.

I wanted Christian movies by us either in English or local the language the people would hear without an interpreter.

I got back home and crumbled beside my bed in prayers to God to launch us out to do something for him.

That was 1986. Seven years later, in 1993, the Lord came out with

AGBARA-NLA (Ultimate Power) that shook multitudes of people to their very foundation, as the Telemovie serial projected the Power and the Glory of Jesus Christ to high Heaven.

DON'T LET YOUR VISIONS DIE!

And DONT DIE WITH YOUR VISIONS!

Birth Them and Nurture Them.