Rev. (Dr.) Soul Nzomimbaye is the founding National Coordinator, Nigerian Customs Christian Fellowship, NCCF, who led the fellowship in an official level for 12years, and unofficially for about 16years. Currently, he is the founder of Integrity Christian Assembly and the lead pastor.
According to him, every Christian must do the work of God. He added that he cannot be a Christian, and refuse to do the work God called me to do, stating that as a Christian, he cannot stand and see decay, or see people dying without Christ, a situation he said prompted him to be a light, a guide and a salt in NCCF and Customs as well.
He further stated that salvation should not be for the Customs alone, but that Customs will know Christ through the NCCF and it is happening.
“I feel satisfied and happy that some of these people identified with us and they know that we are serving the true God,” he stated.
Excerpts:
Rev. Dr. Soul Nzomimbaye, your name is ringing bell in Nigerian Customs Christian Fellowship, NCCF, as the pioneer and visionary can you enlighten us but first, introduce yourself?
Presently, as you know, I retired from the Customs Service, by the way, I am Rev. (Dr.) Soul Nzomimbaye, I was the founding National Coordinator, Nigerian Customs Christian Fellowship, NCCF, I led the fellowship in an official level for 12years, and unofficially for about 16years, but now I am in my own ministry, founded by me in 2005, known as Integrity Christian Assembly and the lead pastor, we moved from Ikeja in 2016, this year is now 2024, then we are about Eight years or so in this church. So this is the Integrity Christian Assembly and by the grace of God, I am the leader and the founder of the church.
Sir, retired officers, serving and promoted officers of Nigerian Customs Service came today 28th January, 2024 for thanksgiving service for promoted officers in your ministry, Integrity Christian Assembly International. What do you think that informed the decision?
I think what motivated them and what moved them to come here is because they realized that it’s through me that some of them rose through the ranks, it’s through me that some of them knew Christ. It’s through me that some of them became pastors, under my leadership some of them were ordained and some of them became serious Christians.
And realizing that their blessings from the world started from my leadership role in NCCF, and knowing that I am their father in NCCF, that is that the NCCF started from me, as the first and founding National Coordinator, I think that is why they decided to shift here. It’s like honour me as their father in the Lord, and as the person they began to recall Christian lives in Customs Christian Fellowship and that is why they found it necessary and important to come here and serve the Lord, because of my leadership role and because of the role I played in their lives. That I believe is why they came here.
Many of the people I have spoken to here poured encomium on you, and recalled how you sacrificed lots of things for NCCF to stand and stabilize. What prompted that decision, knowing well that you will retire from customs?
You see, God told me that wherever I am going to work that I should be the light and I should be the salt in that place and finding myself in Customs, I realized that God has a purpose for me to be in Customs. I had a calling even before I joined the service and since I found myself in the Nigeria Customs Fellowship, I decided by the Holy Spirit that I must play my role as a Salt, and that is what motivates me.
I cannot be a Christian, and refuse to do the work God called me to do. I stand there and see a decay, and I see people that are dying without Christ and that prompted me to be a light, a guide and a salt in NCCF and Customs as well. And that was why I sacrificed everything so that God would use me to be that salt and light in the service. Just as the Bible says, in Matthew 5: 14-16.
We understand that your doggedness and the likes of elder Harrison and others have kept the NCCF going, what will you do in addition to inculcating in the new officers the Christlike life you set up for Christians in Customs through NCCF?
I think one of the things we have been doing, number one, is to visit them in their chapters, and also try to attend their conferences, you know, every year we have what we call the ministers conference. As they are having these conferences, we go there and encourage them and things like Zonal meetings they have, to the National Prayer Concert, as we used to go. I think it is encouraging that they see us around, we minister some words of exhortation to them and encourage them and like what happened today, we told them what we passed through and some of them were encouraged. These are some of the ways to encourage them.
So when we attend Ministers’ Conferences to help and also we go to their meetings in their different chapters and commands, we encourage them and I think that is the only way to help and also help them to grow with that concept and with that idea in mind.
Is there any improvement in Customs Services now compared to when you were in services?
I think there is great improvement even in the moral aspect, and the spiritual, there is that moral enlightenment, and there is that moral awareness in the service. Because, in our days, there were not many places where you have chapels, but by the grace of God, today, there is no command that you go to Customs that you will not see a chapel. And even because the other religions were encouraged, they were fired up to be serious with their prayers and with their own meetings because you can see that there is a moral uplighting. There is a moral awareness in the service. Just because of what we have been doing, you know that, every year there is what we call Prayer Concert, and that Prayer Concert every command in every state they know this is happening, they know that this people are praying people and we pray and include the Nigerian Customs Service, because of that prayers I believe God has answered some of them a lot.
Among those present at the event today were not only Customs Officers, the major Stakeholder in Customs, and de-cream-de-la cream in the society came to witness the thanksgiving, how do you feel?
I am fulfilled because that is what we have been praying for, not for only Customs officers but other people that are serving with Customs, number one we have agents, these are civilians, where people like you journalist that attend our fellowship, we have mechanics, engineers that work with Customs all these people are identified with Customs and their lives have changed.
So, that is my wish, salvation should not be for the Customs alone, Customs will know Christ through us and it is happening. I feel satisfied and happy that some of these people identified with us and they know that we are serving the true God.
Your words of appreciation?
I want to thank God, and especially the organisers of this thanksgiving service, the one that facilitated it and the two comptrollers, Comptroller Harrison and Bamiseye. Even other people that didn’t come out, they contributed, I am happy that they recognized this ministry, some of them have not come here before.
But, today they are here through the people that organized this meeting, came to know this place and to promote Christ because they did not come here because of man alone, they came here because of Jesus Christ.
I am happy that because of Jesus Christ this place is filled up today. So I am very happy and thankful.