The Miss Ambassador for Peace Agency recently hosted the fourth edition of its pageantry and Peace Achievers Awards, how do you feel regarding the huge success of the event?
When you have a child and you see the child growing you will be very happy. It is a great pleasure seeing peace ambassador agency growing, not just growing, affecting lives very positively in the right direction. I believe it was a success because of the crème of personalities that were drawn and present during the event here in Abuja. All we are promoting in this agency is peace education and we can’t achieve peace without love and mutual understanding. It gives me great pleasure because that is my calling and that is what my foundation is all about.
How far has your foundation gone in affecting lives in the society?
Gabriel Oyibode Foundation was founded in 2013 and since then we’ve been doing wonderfully well but before 2013, Gabriel Oyibode as a personality has been affecting lives for more than 20 years consistently but off record. For the purpose of record and politics, I decided to register the foundation to give it a legal backing so that it can attract both government and international recognition and support but so far so good, I have not gotten support from anybody either government or charity organizations, I have been doing that from the little resources which God has bestowed on me. Any money that comes to me I see it as money for the people and not for really for me.
Is there a story behind your passion in reaching out and rendering help to people in need?
Most people do not know that I am an Evangelist by calling and as an evangelist, you are supposed to do the work that Jesus Christ did and he commissioned us in order to extend this love to the people not just preaching. Some ministries today know how to preach but they are not good in doing it and one of the major legacy of the coming of Jesus Christ is to come and teach us sacrificial love which is a very difficult virtue for people to cultivate. I am full of that passion, apart from the fact that I preach and teach it, it is a part of me, it is my calling and i want to make sure that I exhibit it till the end of time.
How many lives have you impacted so far?
There are testimonies, I cannot count. There are just too numerous to mention and I don’t keep records of all that because it is not really necessary because of my orientation. it is not because I want people to know me for my magnanimity but whatever I have done so far will speak to me.
Are there any scholarship awards?
So many, I cannot count
The agency this year gave out awards to some big wigs in the entertainment industry and some other notable personalities in society. What criteria did you employ in the selection?
I was not there when the selection was done but going from their presentation before me, I know they did a lot of research locally and internationally. They also went on the social media, made comparisons to arrive at the right persons to award.
It is on record that you donated brand new cars and also sponsored a trip to South Africa for the immediate past queens.
What form of support would you be giving to this new reign of queens?
I have been giving them my earnest support; I will continue to do what I have been doing to the youth and the entertainment industry.
Is MAFP the only pageantry you have supported so far?
No, it might also interest you to know that I have supported all the pageants in Abuja and received lots of awards. I will continue doing my best towards youth development through pageantry and other means.
What is your opinion about the plague of pageantry we are faced with presently in the country?
Well, in anything we do in this life we always have the bad eggs. They are recognized organization, it depends on the leaders to scrutinize who is coming in so as to separate the weed from the chaff.
What steps do you propose government should undertake to curb this?
The government should give the body strong recognition and also help in supporting them because they have continued to help lots of youths on the country to shun violence and at least get employed one way or the other.
Obviously besides being a philanthropist, you love entertainment.
What advice do you have for entertainers in Abuja so they could operate within the same class with Lagos based artistes?
They should be focused and do what they know how to do best so as to sustain that growth entertainment is receiving in Abuja. Soon Abuja will be the rave of the country and everyone would want to benefit from its huge presence of talents.
What would be your message to the President and the youths especially now that we are having a new dispensation?
My candid advice to the President is that he should embrace the younger generation because they are the strength of the economy. Today we are talking about entertainment it is a wonderful industry and apart from being a wonderful industry it also contributes immensely to citizen so it is good that the president should imbibe and welcome the youths even with all their talents and exhibitions.
You know youths can be very restive especially in a difficult and trying situation so my advice is they should be patient. The Bible preaches patience, the Koran preaches patience they should be patient, hardworking, prayerful and above all they should imbibe peace as a virtue.
How do you balance work, faith and family?
I find time to unwind with my family because I am married to my lovely princess, Favour Imabong Oyibode. She has been my backbone. My wife comes first in whatever I do, my family and children are very important to me. If I don’t work hard, how can I take good care of them? I hardly rest because I travel a lot to make sure that my business is intact but when I am not working, I stay with my family. My focus in the real estate makes it easier to focus on the issues of housing and infrastructural development. I believe that whatever you want in this life has to be achieved, it must be earned.
How has life been after the last election?
Life after the election has not been very easy especially because now that we are in a new administration, the PDP government was in power for 15 years and now ousted by the APC so it is not going to be too easy with people who have been in government before now as this is a new government and the new government has not really settled down properly. I am a businessman, a consultant to the Federal Government so a lot of things are on hold; the economy is strangulated so it is not really easy to cope. I believe that hard work pays and it is my guiding principle.
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