An Interesting & Dramatic Biography of Mike Bamiloye
In July 1959, when Nigeria, the most populous black nation in the world, was preparing for her independence, certain great dramatic events took place in the present day Osun State. The events confirmed the fact that life is a well thought-out drama in which everyone has certain part(s) to play; be it leading or minor roles.
Once the role(s) is(are) played and the time is over, the actor leaves the stage or is taken out for others to come in and act theirs.
Babalola left, Bamiloye came
On July 26, the then foremost revivalist in Nigeria and first General Evangelist of Christ Apostolic Church(CAC), Apostle Joseph Ayo Babalola, left the stage of gospel ministry as he died.
Within that time, another child of destiny who would become a great drama evangelist across the world, was conceived, at Ilesha, in same Osun State.
It was seven years after The Redeemed Christian Church of God(RCCG) was founded by an illiterate farmer, Josiah Akindayomi, through whom God had began to unfold his new agenda; a church that would later spread across the world.
Divine Arrangements : Nine months after, on Wednesday, April 13, 1960, this child of destiny was born at Ilesha, into the family of Pa Samuel Adejuyigbe Bamiloye and Mrs Grace Ebun Bamiloye of Ijebu-Ijesha descent, in same state.
That same year, in same Ilesha town, another son of destiny, Enoch Adejare Adeboye, who would later become the General Overseer of that RCCG to spread the church across the world, finished his secondary school.
Minor roles, great impacts: This baby who would be part of the great spiritual revival in Nigeria and Africa later, was named Abayomi; which means “Enemies would have gloated over my misfortune, had I not given birth to this boy”. It was due to long delay in having another child, many years after his senior sister was born.
For a mother who would die four years after, enemies would have gloated the more, but the minor roles she played in this world was historical and of lasting impact, which have silenced her enemies.
Through that late Madam Grace Ebun, Bamiloye’s name that was not initially in the parchment history of Yorubaland would always be seen and read in the pages of African and World History each time it is opened in future on world evangelism.
Rough & Tough Beginning : As Madam Grace Ebun Bamiloye died, leaving the stage for little Abayomi, who was Christened Michael as his baptismal name, to start facing life vicissitudes, the boy began to play some negative and tough roles like petty stealing wherever he got the opportunity to do so.
Like every actor whose life would be full of activities to make the drama or movie interesting, Bamiloye started primary school in 1967 at Ilesha where he attended Pry 1 and 2. He thereafter went to Ile-Ife for Pry 3 and proceeded to Awe town for his Pry 4, and Pry 5 at Oyo and then finished Pry 6 in Agege. All these happened in view of his motherless experience and the attending life challenges.
Of course, that his schooling excursions continued as he attended secondary schools at Mushin for Form 1 and 2, Ile-Ife for Form 3-5.
The Great Turnaround : In spite of these life vicissitudes he was committed to his studies.
In a dramatic manner however, he got exposed to the preaching while he was still in secondary school, where he got to hear about the damnations awaiting sinners and glorious future awaiting those who accept Jesus Christ and get connected to God.
He gave his life to Christ when he was just 15years old, while in Form 3 at Ile-Ife. From that time he began to have stable life and began to move with sense of fulfilling destiny; engaging in evangelism.
This tough beginning however, prepared him for his life assignments of having to move from place to place, town to town, state to state, nation to nation and continent to continent in future.
A Teacher, A Leader: Like every major actor in a drama, who doesn’t give up, he went to Teachers Training College at Ipetumodu, near Ile-Ife, to become a Grade 2 Teacher. He worked briefly for one year as a teacher.
He thereafter attended College of Education, to become a fully qualified teacher who could teach in secondary schools between 1980 and ’83. After bagging his NCE he went for the NYSC program (1984-85) and at the end started teaching.
He soon realised that the teaching profession was just to prepare him for his leadership roles in future and to teach a lot of people a new career, drama evangelism, which never had curriculum or as many people the way to God and living godly life via drama .
How He started His Ministry: From his teenage after his conversion, he had always believed God wanted to use him, but he didn’t know the area where he was to be used by God as a young convert.
When he was at the College of Education, he got so much involved in drama evangelism, going from campus to campus to do evangelical drama presentations .
After his youth service(NYSC) program in 1985, while working as a teacher, he went back to be College of Education to be directing their drama presentations and writing scripts for them.
Spirit-led Prayer That Changed Life: In one of the rehearsal programs one evening, the coordinator of the College Theater Group asked a student to lead a prayer, who then asked the brethren to pray and commit the ministry of Bro Mike Bamiloye into God’s hands that God will use him more and that he would succeed. It was that prayer point that struck his mind and opened his eyes that to know that the drama was a ministry.
He Caught The Vision: It was that evening that it occurred to him that the drama presentations they were carrying out to do evangelism was actually the ministry God has called him into.
From that moment he began to move with that sense of vision, to fulfill the ministry and his destiny.
The Challenges, The Vacuum : In those days in pre-1980s and ’80s the existing stage drama presentations, movies and television drama productions were from the cultural theatre groups and the tragicomedians from the likes of Hubert Ogunde, Oyin Adejobi, Duro Ladipo and Ojo Ladipo, Moses Adejumo(a.k.a Baba Sala), Ajimajasan, Jimoh Aliu, Fadeyi Oloro, Akin Ogungbe, and the likes.
Then their films like Aye, Jayesimi, Orunmoru, were mostly promoting all forms of idolatry, use of occult power to fight battles, the need for people to fear those who had juju, wizardry, witchcraft and other demonic or ancestral powers.
The worshipping of idols and appeasing to gods and goddesses. Although they were believed by people to be teaching moral or cultural lessons, none was evangelical or making reference to the need for reconciliation with God and salvation of souls.
Even the existing foreign evangelical films then like Jesus of Nazareth, Moses, Samson and Delilah, David and Goliath, e.t.c. were said to have been produced by secular actors and actresses who either needed to be converted or uncommitted Christians who just produced the movies for entertainment to make money and not intentionally to win souls .
…And Gloria Bamiloye Came In : Like in a well scripted drama, Bamiloye would not start his ministry without first getting the God ordained wife for him. So he fasted and prayed many times in order to get the right wife, who will be the No.1 member of his inner caucus in his ministry. All the sisters he was approaching and proposing to as he was fasting and praying, turned down the proposal.
When he now got tired and almost confused, he met Miss Gloria Olusola Obembe, a gifted sister in the drama group he was directing, who was also trusting God for the right husband. And without stress the duo met each other and divinely knew each was the right partner God has being preparing for both.
Solid Ministerial Preparations : Like an actor playing a well scripted role, the moment Gloria accepted to be his wife on Saturday 4th August 1985, he announced that now the ministry will start.
So the next day, 5th August 1985, he gathered members and they started praying and fasting, holding meetings and sharing God’s word in solid preparation for one year, to start the ministry.
So, the 25-year-old Bamiloye, started the Mount Zion Faith Ministries International with his fiancée, Gloria, and the team members like someone acting a divine programme to help the evangelical and missionary efforts of the indigenous churches from Nigeria .
The year 1985 was the time Nigeria would celebrate her 25th independence anniversary.
Holy Ghost Outpouring : In 1986 they launched out by presenting their first Mt Zion Drama titled “Hell In Conference” during the Christian Teachers National Conference”.
It was the season the first Holy Ghost Night was organised by Pastor Adeboye; five years after he took over as the G.O. of the RCCG at the Redemption Camp.
The outpouring of the Holy Spirit during these two programmes virtually opened a new chapter in the great revival that was to spread across Nigeria and later impact Africa and the world.
Rejection & Suffering : So it was charting a new course and setting a pace. The only existing drama groups then were the secular drama groups of Hubert Ogunde, Duro Ladipo, Jimoh Aliyu, and comedy theatre groups like Moses Olaiya( Baba Sala), Jacob, Papalolo & Aderupoko, and so. These were the ones people knew.
So,they would ask, “Are you going to be dancing around like Baba Sala, or making incantations like Ogunde and so on, going from village to village? In fact, my own pastor and church elders called me into council meeting and asked what is it I wanted to be doing with gospel drama, because it was strange to them. They couldn’t understand the kind of ministry it was. They understood the ministries of pastors, evangelists, prophets and teachers of God’s words. Drama evangelism was strange to them then.
You Can’t Marry Gloria: Bamiloye’s efforts to marry Gloria was rejected by their parents on the ground that the man had no job. They kicked against a jobless man marrying Gloria. Bamiloye had resigned his teaching job and started full time drama ministry. No salary, no fixed allowance from any quarters. And the intending couple were together in the ministry that had no tangible and “reliable ” source of income. This to them was the most foolish thing any Christian could do. Drama ministry, they made it clear, is not among the ministries mentioned in the Holy Bible.
In spite of the rejection and opposition however, the bride and the bridegroom went ahead and married in 1988, according to God’s leading.
When The Going Became Tough: The outcome of the adventure the young couple and other seven couples embarked on however fetched them a lot of poverty in the midst of progress.
As they were going from school to school, church to church, village to village, getting applauded for powerful ministrations, the honorarium they were being given were not encouraging but they kept on forging ahead amidst the tough times, as God kept on confirming his presence with them..
Be Stupid To Succeed: Sometimes in the early days, while they were in Kano for a month drama ministrations on stage some movie marketers came with their cameras and recorded the drama to sell without their permission.
The pastor who hosted them thought they were the ones who invited those cameramen while Bamiloye thought the pastor arranged for the recording.
When they eventually discovered and decided to stop them the next day, according to Bamiloye, God told them to allow those people to play their smart game to help them spread the gospel via videos.
Of course, this seemingly stupid action helped Bamiloye and his team because they didn’t have the resources to do video recording of their staged drama and those who had the means helped to advertise them cheaply and also gave them a copy of the master-tape which they also reproduced in mass quantities later and began to sell in every place where they carried out drama ministrations thereafter.
This also gave them the courage to start film productions.
Raise Men & Train Them: After producing their first movie in 1990, “The Unprofitable Servants” a man took the film to an NTA station, Tejuosho, Lagos, where it was shown on television. Of course, this encouraged them to get more committed and spurred them to take a step further in gospel movies production.
To keep on improving, the Mount Zion Institute of Christian Drama was set-up in 1991 to study moviemaking and drama production and train members and those who would join them later in this new career.
Through this drama college, Bamiloye has raised many great drama ministers like: Evangelist Kolade Segun Okeowo (KSO) of Christoline Film Productions and Founder of Zionstone Film Village, Pastor Moses Makinde of Bread of Life Drama Ministries, Professor Lekan Asikhia of LADTEM, David Kolawole Okeowo of TRECOM, Abiola Jesulowo of Signs & Wonders Drama Ministries, Evangelist Musa Zira, Evangelist Osaige Ekhator, of Benin, Chioma Chukwulotam, and the Europe based Pastor Seun Jonathan and USA based Wole Adeyi of Flaming Sword Film Productions, Dallas, Texas, and many others.
Agbara Nla: The Ministerial Breakthrough: They later produced “The Beginning of the End”, “Lost Forever” and “Perilous Time” between 1991 and 1992 without many people noticing them in Nigeria.
Like a colossus, Bamiloye however stormed the Nigeria movie industry in 1993 and revolutionised it through another Christian movie, “Agbara Nla”, a Yoruba blockbuster that soon turned him to a household name in the entire South West and parts of Nigeria, when its English version, “The Ultimate Power” was produced in 1994.
Mobilising For Greater Impact: In 1996 he succeeded in mobilising all drama ministers and gospel moviemakers in Nigeria to come together and formed a formidable association, the All Nigeria Conference of Evangelical Drama Ministers (ANCEDRAM); and he remains the Chairman of the Board of Trustees till date.
This marked the beginning of greater impact in the world. It gave birth to many other drama ministers associations in some West Africa and other Africa countries.
Above all, the formation of North American Conference of Evangelical Drama and Film Ministers (NACEDRAM). UK Christian Drama Ministers Association, of which he is the Founder and Head of their Advisory Councils.
Increase The Light, Expose Darkness.: They soon began to expose the limitations of the power of darkness and the numerous benefits of having Jesus Christ as Lord and personal savior, the power of prayer through such films like “Ide Esu”, The Fruitless Tree, Enemy of My Soul, Haunting Shadows, “Apoti Eri”, The gods Are Dead’ e.t.c.
Consequently more people continued to get the light of God and receive deliverance from captivity of occult power, idolatry and demonic cum cultural bondage.
The numerous killings on university campuses by cult members reduced as many begin to get converted.
Help Church, Help The People:Through their various movies they helped churches to witness easy harvest of souls because many began to see the need to go to church and serve God rather than serving idols and fearing witches and wizards.
What hundreds of sermons may not achieve their movies achieved. Many of their movies like: “Busy But Guilty” , One Careless Night, Enemy of My Soul, “Apoti Eri”, help many people to resolve marital and family crises, domestic problems and other social challenges.
Senseless Sacrificial Givings: Bamiloye said God once asked him to share all the money he had among seven people who were neither members of his biological family nor his ministry members, at the time those mentioned were all in great need. It looked senseless and very difficult for him to do, especially as he had to do it seven times. And each time he had to multiply by seven the total of the last amount given out.
In spite of the difficulty, he obeyed God. It got to a time the money increased to millions of naira. And he had to disburse millions to people when children school fees and other pressing issues were calling for urgent attention.
The outcome however was highly rewarding. It opened doors of favour for him, both for his “Power Night” quarterly programmes and for his foreign mission trips.
The Foreign Outreaches: He began to carry out foreign mission outreaches to Africa. When you which you watch such movies like Busy But Guilty, you will see the blend of Nigeria with Kenya. They’ve been to Ghana, Togo, Cameroon, Liberia, Kenya. His disciples have continued with the African mission outreaches.
His foreign mission to United Kingdom would be seen in Hunting Shadows among others.
When you watch such movies like The Broken Pitcher, Dangerous Influence, The King Is Coming, A Crack In The Wall, Abejoye, e.t.c, you will see his mission outreaches to USA.
Likewise, The Finest Wine will tell you about his exploit in Canada. His double trips to India produced “Rupantar”.
The Children Are Ready: Now the children are already taking over gradually. While in SSS 1 class in secondary school, Bamiloye’s first son, Damilola, first came out with The Youthful Lust. While in Bowen University and during his NYSC programme he produced “Fiwajomi”, Dying With The Kings(with his younger Brother, Joshua Mike Bamiloye as major cast), Shadows of Death.
He has, after graduation, written, edited and produced other movies like The Land of Fury, The Ignition, The Accountants, Journey In Circles, and many other short playlets on YouTube
Joshua who majored on music and soundtrack of the movie production has also featured in other movies like Sunset At Midday.
No Room For Lot’s Experience
In order not to create room for continuous internal wrangling among the seven families that constitute the ministries as their children grew up to adulthood and their needs and expectations were increasing, a new dimension was introduced.
Every founding member became an independent producer, having acquired a lot of experiences and skills, with the existence of the Mount Zion Institute of Christian Drama.
So, they began to write scripts, direct and produce movies independently,
This enabled them to produce more movies within short time, carry out more drama outreaches and spread their tentacles to different parts of the world.
Consequently, you see such movies like “Pakute Oro” by Joseph Yemi Adepoju, Open Alta by Ebenezer Bayo Abraham; all under the Mount Zion Film Productions.
Bamiloye’s Diamond Birthday: No Retirement Plan: Bamiloye clocked 60 recently,and he was celebrated in many ways in spite of the COVID-19 pandemic which made public gathering impossible. Bamiloye was celebrated in many dramatic and musical way, as a movie iconic celebrity. He however made it clear that the man of his life has just gotten to the interlude because from birth till old age, a dramatist has roles to play. So, no plan to retire soon
