The following are the views expressed by Olufemi Oguntokun in the July 8, 2026 episode of the On the Lord’s Side Podcast — Christian perspectives on news and current events.
ON EJIRO’S RESTORATION AND THE GOD WHO ROOTS FOR US
Good morning to you once again. It is Wednesday, the 8th of July 2026.
I want to begin with a heart-warming story — but to appreciate it, you have to cast your mind back to 2025, when we engaged with the story of this lady. I saw it on Instablog9ja: “How I made millions of naira after fasting for 21 days.” Ignore the money, the 21 days, the fasting if you will, but recall the backstory. The writer says: “Fashion designer Ejiro, who lost her business and 11 million naira to a spiritual cult, shares a comeback story.” It is the comeback portion that caught my attention and warmed my heart.
Here is the story. Ejiro, a successful Abuja-based fashion designer, joined an online prayer group led by one Prophetess Joy Solomon of Abba’s Heart Ministry. She received what she believed were prophetic instructions that led her to abandon a thriving business, sell her assets, and surrender over 11 million naira to that ministry — which was basically a spiritual cult. She gave up her home and possessions, isolated herself from friends and family, and essentially disappeared from sight. She had come to believe her friends and family were witches — as many of these spiritualists want their prey to believe. If you remember, this sparked the “Where is Ejiro?” campaign last year, as loved ones searched for her, and we engaged extensively with it, shining a light on the danger of spiritual cults and offering guidance on how to identify them. These cults masquerade as churches, as Christian ministries, but there are pointers, red flags, by which you can immediately tell that this is not just a church but a cult. At the time, her friends and family could not reach her, and discovered she had sold her thriving business, given as much as 11 million naira to that ministry, and cut herself off from them.
She left the group on July 7, 2025. She returned to church — including Streams of Joy International — received discipleship and family support, and restarted her business humbly from her sister’s boys’ quarters with a few small orders. And then, according to her, she fasted for 21 days (and, I am sure, prayed as well). Now, she says, her business has seen over 83 million naira in inflows, and she is moving into a fully equipped five-bedroom duplex near Maitama in Abuja, with new sewing machines and power backup — all of which she attributes to God’s restoration. As always, I admit I do not have insight into every relevant detail or nuance. But from what we know, this restoration is something to celebrate, which is why I called it heart-warming. Last year, when the “Where is Ejiro?” campaign was trending, we were all concerned and prayed for her restoration — and now she has been restored: she has left the cult, received discipleship at another church, and her abandoned business and lost money are being recovered. This is to the glory of God.
How do we engage with this? First, from the same angle as last year: discernment is vital, and it bears repeating. Ejiro has now come out of that cult and, I believe, learned her lesson — but for those who did not know the story last year, it is a reminder that discernment is vital. Somebody should go and talk to her now and ask, “How would you choose which pastor to listen to, which prayer group to join?” She will have stories to tell and warnings to give. Jesus warned us about false prophets who come in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. And the Bible says people perish for lack of knowledge — because all the warnings are already in the Bible; we simply do not read it, or take it as seriously as we should, or we forget it at the very time we ought to remember. Paul cautioned that even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light, so false apostles can deceive; prophetic words and instructions must always be tested against the Scriptures. 1 John 4:1: test the spirits.
We should also remember that when people fall into the hands of false prophets, those false prophets are not just chancers or dubious people — they are agents of Satan. Anybody who preys on Christians is an agent of Satan. No wonder Paul wrote to the Galatians, who so easily lent themselves to being misled by false apostles, “Who has bewitched you?” And Martin Luther, commenting on that, said: do not take “bewitchment” as a mere figure of speech — he meant what he said; it is bewitchment. All deception comes from the devil, as we know from Genesis 3. And Satan’s mission, our Lord has revealed, is to steal, to kill, and to destroy. Anybody caught in the net of these agents of the devil — these cults masquerading as churches and ministries — will find himself losing something. Thank God Ejiro did not lose her life or her soul; that is the glory of God. She lost many things, but God can restore.
For today, though, the story is really about God’s redemptive power. I have always said that, from God’s own point of view, it is not about where you fell, or how, or when, or how many times — it is whether you are going to rise again. I was listening to a Bible study very early this morning, and something stayed with me, because I have been working in my head on a grand Bible-study series on knowing God — for the reason people are so easily misled by false teachers is that they do not know who God is. But God has revealed Himself to us in the Bible: how He speaks and how He does not, what He requires and what He does not, what He desires for us and what He does not. And it occurred to me that we must understand that God’s thoughts toward us are so good that He is actually rooting for us to succeed — rooting for us to get into heaven. That is what differentiates Him from the gods of Greek mythology or the small-letter-g gods of the African pantheon. Those false gods, revealed by Satan, are always waiting for you to fall, to make a mistake, so they can beat and punish you — setting impossible tasks and traps for their devotees, then laughing them to scorn. That is not the God of the Bible. He is rooting for you to succeed. As the prophet said, His thoughts toward us are thoughts of good and not of evil. So from God’s perspective the question is not why or how or when or how often you fell; it is: are you going to rise again? That is the glory of the gospel.
There is a place in the Psalms where it is said there is no God like Him, a loving God. The people of old, before God revealed Himself to the patriarchs, the prophets, through Christ, and to the apostles, did not know of such a God — a God who is loving, forgiving, who helps. What they knew were false gods revealed by Satan, always hiding, waiting for their devotees to err so they could beat them up and throw them away. That is not the God of the Bible, who is rooting for me and for you to succeed. When I fall, He looks at me with pity; He remembers my frame, that I am dust, and He says, “Fear not, worm Jacob, I will help you.” And the overarching point from Ejiro’s story, which has warmed my heart, is that she did not stay where she fell. She fell publicly; it became public knowledge. Some would have stayed there, hidden from the public glare in embarrassment and shame, considering themselves finished — in business, or no longer acceptable to God. But she left the cult, went back to church, received discipleship, restarted her business from her sister’s boys’ quarters, and — as the Americans say — bootstrapped herself again, and is now on an upward trajectory. I wish her the very best.
We must also commend her family and friends, who started the “Where is Ejiro?” campaign, putting public pressure on that so-called prophetess to release their sister. They stood by her. The Bible says two are better than one, for when one falls, the other will lift him up — but woe to the one who falls with no one to help. I was chatting with a friend recently, and we thanked God for our friendship; I shared that beautiful stanza from the hymn “For the Beauty of the Earth” — “for the joy of human love, for brother, for sister, for parent, for child, for friends on earth and friends above.” Ejiro must be so grateful that, when she fell, she was surrounded by such gentle thought, such wonderful brothers, sisters and friends. If you have such a blessing in your life, be grateful to God. Have you fallen? Don’t stay there. What if you fall tomorrow? Do not be afraid — He will pick you up and help you. “Fear not, worm Jacob; I will help you” (Isaiah 41). There has never been a God like Him, invested in the success of His children, rooting for them, waiting for them in heaven.
There is a hymn we used to sing in my old church growing up — I cannot lay my hands on the English version now — but the truth of it is this: heaven will not be complete until all His redeemed children are there. He will not declare the feast open until all His elect are gathered. That is why the apostle rightly praised Him as the One able to keep us from falling and to present us faultless before His throne. Who is it that condemns? Is it not the same One who justifies? Glory to God. So, Ejiro, congratulations — you have learned the hard way, and I hope your experience becomes your everlasting testimony to help and guide others. I love stories like this, because they lead us to celebrate God’s redemptive power, who God is in His nature, and how every one of us must remember that it is not a matter of how or when or how many times you fell — it is whether you will rise again. Your Lord wants to help you. Just look up and say, “Lord, help me,” and He will lift you up and make you as white as snow.
ON UGANDA’S “COLONIAL COURT CULTURE” AND THE WEIGHTIER MATTERS
Next — and I am chuckling as I begin — a story from Uganda, the second time in about two weeks we have taken a story from there. This one concerns the Uganda Law Society. I did some checks to confirm its veracity, and it is true: an official executive order, issued by Isaac Ssemakadde, the President of the Uganda Law Society, titled “Abolition of Colonial Court Culture.”
If you are familiar with legal practice in the Commonwealth, you know its arcane, profession-typical culture — the wearing of wigs, bowing in court, and forms of comportment ingrained into lawyers trained in Commonwealth countries. This executive order applies to members of the Uganda Law Society and directs them to stop specific practices immediately. Key provisions: first, the abolition of bar and deference rituals — no more bowing or physical subservience before judicial officers. As many know, in Nigeria we still have vestiges of this colonial heritage: when you appear before a judge, you bow, to show deference. Many Africans now see these as mere relics of colonialism, and in Uganda they are saying: stop it. The order also abolishes certain titles and honorifics — you no longer say “My Lord,” “Your Lordship,” “Your Worship,” “My Lady” — anything implying lordship, worship or feudal superiority is abolished. In their place, plain addresses: “Mr. Justice” or “Madam Justice” for the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal, “Mr. Justice / Madam Justice” or by name in the High Court, “Mr. Magistrate / Madam Magistrate,” “Mr. Registrar / Madam Registrar,” or simply the surname. The broader context is that the order calls for a national consultation within 90 days on further decolonisation — including wigs, gowns, and foreign-language requirements (perhaps they wish to use languages native to Uganda and abandon English). It is framed as restoring dignity, equal citizenship, and confronting judicial issues — they are calling it “the radical new bar” — tied to ongoing tensions within the judiciary and government.
I understand the Ugandan bar is plagued by lawyers’ strikes, concerns over executive influence, delays, and selective justice. These are real concerns — the same as in Nigeria: a slow justice system, selective justice, suspected undue influence of the executive over the courts, corruption, lawyers’ welfare. But see what is proposed as the solution: let us abandon the vestiges of colonial influence. What are the supposed advantages? Some say it will promote equality and accessibility — but how can anyone credibly prove that the manner of address has restricted access to justice? Others say, “We are promoting our own culture” — and I have no reservation in saying I find such arguments totally irrelevant and watery. I had a principal in my early years in practice, Dr. Lasisi, who would say of arguments that go to no issue, “That’s just gas.” “Our culture, our culture” — but you have not addressed the weightier matters: real access to justice, the removal of delays, the removal of the influence of money and corruption on the judicial system, a fair and effective criminal justice system. You have not addressed those, but — “our culture, no more coloniality.” Please.
Anybody who wants to avoid the difficult, real issues shines a light on things that get you emotionally attached but have no effect whatsoever. If truly the Ugandan judiciary suffers delays, executive influence, corruption, and poor lawyers’ welfare, please tell me how changing the way you address the court, or whether you bow, will address those real issues. That is why Jesus rebuked those who would meticulously tithe — “I have harvested my herbs, servant, be careful to divide it into ten equal parts, I must tithe the tenth” — saying, in effect, there is nothing wrong with that in itself, but you have neglected the weightier matters of justice and mercy. Africans need to be reminded of this. I hear similar things: “We have terrorism in Nigeria, but we don’t want US intervention, because — Western imperialism, they have their interests.” You cannot tackle terrorism yourself, you may even be complicit, but “oh, no foreigners.” Please. We need to identify the things that really matter.
Those responsible for the rot in the system are smart enough to make people concer