Senior Pastor of Daystar Christian Centre, Sam Adeyemi, has opened up about his decision to relocate from Nigeria to the United States.
In an interview with Seun Okinbaloye on Channel TV’s ‘Mic podcast,’ Adeyemi detailed the sequence of events and personal challenges that led to his move.
In 2020, the clergy man was one of several prominent Nigerian clerics who vocally condemned police actions against #EndSARS protesters. This public stance resulted in a criminal complaint against him and 50 other individuals, including several celebrities. Despite a court order eventually halting the prosecution, Adeyemi faced mounting pressures that influenced his decision to relocate.
According to him, at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, his entire family was in the U.S., leading them to stay together there. As church services were set to resume in Nigeria, the #EndSARS protests erupted, causing major unrest that further delayed their return.
However, it was a series of disturbing dreams that ultimately convinced Adeyemi and his wife to remain in the U.S. “My wife had a dream in which she traveled to Nigeria and returned to the US, which was a bad dream. I told her I don’t like this dream,” Adeyemi recounted. Just three days later, he experienced his own unsettling dream where he was violently attacked. The intensity of this dream woke him up shouting the name of Jesus Christ, alarming his wife and prompting them to pray fervently.
The disturbing dreams persisted whenever they planned to return to Nigeria. Adeyemi shared that he had never experienced multiple dreams about the same event in one night, making the situation even more alarming. Their concerns were further validated when family members in Nigeria expressed unease about their potential return. “A few days later, we called family members in Nigeria, and one person said, ‘I’m feeling very uncomfortable about you travelling to Nigeria.’ We called another family member who said, ‘I feel uncomfortable about you coming. What is going on?’” he recalled.
Believing these were divine warnings, Adeyemi held a Zoom meeting with the top 120 leaders of Daystar Christian Centre to discuss the situation. The church elders supported his decision to stay in the U.S. for as long as necessary. “They said you’ve never deceived us before. If God asks you to stay, stay as long as He directs. We’ll continue this journey,” Adeyemi stated.
