Category: Worship

Bishop Maxwell Okoro is the General Overseer of I Care Ministry International with headquarters in Port Harcourt. He spoke with Precious Dikewoha, on the circumstances surrounding his birth, ministry and challenges. Excerpts:

Is it true or a rumour that you were born deaf and dumb?

It is not a rumour; it is real. My mother is still alive. She stays here with me in Port Harcourt and you can ask her. According to my mother, I was in her womb for 11 months and was delivered deaf and dumb on January 18, 1968 at Imode Town in Ughelli, Delta State.

Unfortunately, I was born into a poor family of palm wine tappers. It is expected of every child to cry during birth but mine was different. I didn’t cry even when my two hands were folded. They did everything humanly possible to ensure that I cry. My mother said the whole village gathered to initiate ideas on ways out.  You can imagine a new born baby receiving serious beating on his bottom just to ensure that I cry, yet I didn’t.

Then I was packaged inside a village drum and people were beating the drum and nothing happened. Someone suggested that they should put me in a room and shoot the traditional gun, I mean gun-cannon. They did and nothing happened. That was when the village concluded that I was a useless baby who will grow up to be an imbecile, deaf and dumb.

But after three months when my mother was water-feeding me, she said amazingly I finally  cried and my mother dropped me there and ran out to call others who  gathered watching the baby which they all agreed should be thrown into the forest. It was indeed an unexplainable  miracle. So, when human effort fails, God starts working.

How was growing up?

It was rough, hopeless and helpless. My father is a palm wane taper; we were living inside the bush where he has palm wine trees. The circumstances surrounding my mother conceiving me, the delivery and the condition after delivery showed that I was an unusual child according to my mother.

She said the family used to call me juju because I can wake up in the morning and tell my father that he should not go out today and if he tries it strange things will happen to him. My mother said sometimes for seven days I will decide not to eat their food and they will be beating me to eat.

I developed eye problem when I was young because of the measles affecting children and my father thought dropping palm wine into my eyes every morning will prevent me from having measles. One day after returning from school, he called me and my brother and poured palm wine into our eyes. My brother immediately started bleeding.

This affected our eyes and it became a serious problem that almost took our sights. Because we lived inside the forest, nobody was associating with us.

I understand you once attempted suicide. Why was that?

That is one of my experiences that has brought me to where I am today. I decided to commit suicide because of frustration. When I finished secondary school, I travelled to Lagos to meet my brother, a medical doctor. While staying with him, his wife made my life miserable.

I had to leave.  I decided to stay with one of my cousins in Mushin Olorunsogo. One day, he called me and drove me out of his house by 12am. I became frustrated that night. I had nowhere  to go or sleep. I had to settle for an abandoned fishing trawler at Kirikiri Phase II jetty.

The vessel was seized by the Nigerian Navy but it became my house.  The environment is one of the tough jungles and before I could know what was happening, the bad boys in the area stole everything I had, except the cloth I was wearing.

One day, I decided to commit suicide and my plan was to jump inside the Kirikiri River but while I was going toward the river something told me that I should step into a church located by the corner of the road leading to the river to have some rest. When I got to the church, pastor welcomed me very well. I wondered how a pastor could wholeheartedly welcome somebody who is about to end his life.

The pastor told me that God told him that I have future and I am going to be a great man in life. He also told me to be sleeping in his church since I did’t have where to stay.  I slept there for two years. One day while I was sleeping in that church, God appeared to me in glory and told me to go out and win souls for him.

He showed me a very big church and crowd of worshipers but I told Him I can’t do His work. I woke up from that trance and saw myself in the clinic called Shungo Clinic. I don’t know if the clinic is still there now; it was located close to Tin Can Bus stop. After I was discharged from the clinic, I still maintained that I will not do the work of God.  I told God that what I want is money not to win soul for him

So, how did you get into the ministry?

God gave me job and made me a millionaire. I got a job in a place where I worked as the Personal Assistant to the Late Rear Admiral S. J . Ugwuna (Rtd), who was the chairman, Suwe Shipping Ltd Victoria Inland, Lagos.

At this time, I was swimming in money. One day, trouble started; everywhere the money was coming from was blocked.  Somebody that was staying in a two bedroom flat was now squatting with his brother. Because of thinking and hardship  developed severe headache.

I was rushed to the hospital. It was when I regained consciousness that they told me what transpired. The doctor told me that God brought me back to life. That was how I succumbed to His calling to carry the cross.

What are the challenges since you started?

I started my ministry (I Care Ministry) with four people but today God has abundantly increased the number of worshipers into thousands. We are seven years old in this ministry, God has been so wonderful.  My only challenge in this ministry is persecution.

God said pastors and believers should be one but men of God come to preach to my members to leave my church. They say my offense is that God is using me to heal the sick and make the blind to see. They say that I am a fake pastor. They told me that God’s miracles in my church are fake.

That is the highest persecution I have faced in my life. When Jesus was an ordinary human being, nobody talked about persecution but when he started doing miracles, persecutions came. They say I am using juju, they say all manners of things against my church.

Rev. John Amah is the Coordinator for Inter-Church Relationship in the Assemblies of God Nigeria. He spoke with Sunday Oguntola on issues bordering on the suspended General Superintendent of the church, Rev.  Paul Emeka. Excerpts:

What’s your position on the crisis?

This is a very good question. By the grace of God, I am the District Superintendent of the Sango District Assemblies of God Nigeria. At the national level, I am the coordinator for Inter-Church Relationship. By implication, I am the person officially appointed to represent the church in the CAN, the PFN and other religious bodies AG is affiliated with.

In a nutshell, I am like the External Affairs Minister of the denomination. It is my responsibility to inform the world on the true position of things, especially in times like this. All the while we kept quiet, Dr. Emeka had a field day with his boys saying all sorts of things in the news media and on the social network.

The principal officers of the church: (the Acting GS, Dr Chidi Okoroafor; the General Secretary, Dr John Ikoni, and the General Treasurer, Dr Vincent Alaje) had a meeting with me and told me of the need to do my job and not just keep quiet while Dr Emeka is everywhere in the press. That is the reason why we are speaking up now.

In the last interview Dr Emeka granted, he alleged that money is at the root of the crisis. Is this true?

The whole thing is laughable. If actually he was carrying the EC along in all the decisions he took as he claimed, this crisis would not have arisen. The truth is that he was a principality; he ran the church as a one-man church.

He said N16m car and a cash of N50m was given to Dr. Charles Osueke on his retirement. For the purpose of accurate records, Dr. Osueke served as the General Superintendent for 22yrs without a personal house and personal vehicle. He was a selfless leader.

When he was retiring, the church set up a committee to raise some funds for his retirement. When the funds were raised, all the District Superintendents gathered, the house decided to give Dr. Paul Emeka’s in-law, who was the General Treasurer, a car worth N8m, a parting gift of N10m and built a house worth N15m.

Rev Osueke was then given an SUV valued at N16m and parting cash of N15m and built a house worth N25m for him since he had no house of his own in Enugu.  Why did he have to bring that to the public? That is being mischievous.

He claimed he made a profit of N106m for the Sunday School; this is incredible! In January 2014, he told us the District Superintendents and our wives that he has re-organised the Sunday School Department and hopefully by the end of this year, the Sunday School will make a profit of N70m based on his projection of three million members.

He forgot that the three-million membership includes one million children and one million illiterates who can’t read our Sunday School manual. We were waiting for the magic, but in less than five months from when he made the projection, he claimed he has made a profit of N106m as against the N70m he projected for the year. Well, judge for yourself if there is any truth in that. But even if there is, what is the correlation in this situation? How does that sound? All that Paul Emeka is trying to do is to whip up sentiments against the new administration.

Paul Emeka claimed that he was trying to fight corruption. This is ridiculous! When he came into power in 2011, he requested that a new SUV Land Cruiser be bought for him and it was bought for N18m. Late last year, again, he bought another Sequoia 2014 Model SUV for N18m. In just two years of his reign as a GS, he has bought vehicles worth N36m.

These exclude other utility vehicles. He is fighting corruption, yet in the first year he came into office, he brought in principal staff at the General Council from his home town. They were the Corporate Director, the Director of Administration, the Camp Director (his nephew). His brother-in-law, his brother-in-law’s wife and his sister-in-law are all workers at the Evangel TV house.

All the construction jobs at Evangel Camp were awarded to his elder brother who became a building contractor immediately he became the GS so that all the contracts at the Evangel Camp would be handled by him. No tenders were presented to the EC before contracts were awarded to his nephew. So, who is corrupt here?

But can the decision to suspend him be rescinded?

The decision of the General Committee cannot be reversed. Discipline is one of the keys that kept this church together for 80 years. If a wrong precedent is set because of Paul Emeka, I am afraid this church will become lawless and disintegrate. In the Supreme Court of Nigeria, you don’t reverse the decisions of the judges, no matter what.

Again, he claimed that a quorum was not formed in the General Committee meeting. What do you say to this?

This is how AG functions. If a General Committee meeting or a General Council meeting is called, we don’t take head count to be sure everybody is available. The number that comes for such meeting automatically takes the decision so long as adequate information was passed for the meeting.

In the case of that General Committee of 6th March where he was suspended, we were 54 unit heads as against 105. The Presbyters of other unit heads who couldn’t attend were all present. We were over 200 persons in attendance on that day. Many area supervisors couldn’t come because he had threatened to remove them if they honoured the meeting.

He said we hired people to attend the General Committee meeting, are we political parties? How can that be done? Hired from where? There is a video recording of the whole proceeding. If he had attended the General Committee and defended himself and even apologised to the house, this situation wouldn’t have been this way. But as they say, pride comes before destruction.

When will this media war stop?

The way forward is for him to withdraw the two law suits he filed against the church. Whatever Paul Emeka is or has today is from this church and it is unfortunate he is systematically destroying the church that made him what he is today.

If he humbles himself and takes the suspension, this crisis will come to an end. If he shows signs of genuine repentance in a month or two, he will be reinstated.

He started the media war. He went everywhere. We just came up to keep the records straight.

There had been whispers about Rev. Emeka’s professorship not being genuine…

Sunny, you went to a university just as I did. You don’t buy professorship. Once you are made a professor, it will be published and on an appointed day, you are made to give your inaugural lecture.

The inaugural lecture is published; it is not a thing you hide. You must also be a university lecturer before you can become a professor. I know he had his PhD from the University of Nsukka but we don’t know where he got his professorship from. He will explain that when the time comes, maybe against the state.

Has any leader in AG been suspended in the past and what was their reaction?

Several leaders in AG have been suspended in the past and they took it calmly as believers. They served their suspension and in some cases they were even re-elected in future. The first founder of the AG Nigeria before the Americans took it over was suspended in Port Harcourt even by those whom he converted to Christ and he faithfully served it.

A one-time Assistant General Superintendent was suspended and heaven did not fall. He served it and was restored. Dr. Emeka has suspended many as a leader and they never rebelled against him. They served their suspension. It is one thing that keeps AG disciplined whether genuinely or pretentiously.

From the confines of Church of the Anointing (COTA) Los Angeles California, its Nigeria-born founder, Pastor Nelson Ugwuzor, is shaking the whole of America, winning souls and initiating well-received community projects.

The prophetic preacher has become a household name in America. He is seen as a pastor to the celebrities and stars in Los Angeles, Hollywood and Beverly Hills.

He led the city of Los Angeles in a prayer of victory for President Barack Obama, a week before his election at a gathering of over a quarter-million people during the city’s Taste of Soul Family Festival.

For his efforts and spiritual insights, awards and recognitions have continued to pour in.

The United States Senate and members of California State Congress have conferred several awards on him.

The Mayor of Los Angeles, and former Governor of the State of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, also recognised Ugwuzor for his humanitarian role in the state.

Awards and Certificates of Appreciation have also been bestowed on him by ministries, spiritual leaders and politicians across the globe for his ministerial inspiration and humanitarian service to the world.

In 2012, Pastor Nelson, as he is popularly called, received the Stellar Award for his radio show, Spread the word, which airs every Sunday on Stevie Wonder’s legendary radio station in the US.

The show attracts over one million listeners weekly.

Born in Aba, Abia State to the late Mr. Ruben Ugwuzor and Chief Mrs. Pleasure Ugwuzor (a.k.a. Nneohaaba), Nelson was educated in Nigeria and the USA.

He is a constant voice and face on Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN), the world’s largest Christian broadcasting network.

Come June 5, Nelson will be in Costa Mesa, California as special guest speaker on an upcoming edition of the “Praise the Lord” television programme on TBN.

The episode will be broadcast worldwide and aired in Nigeria and Africa from June 6.

On the numerous roles he is playing, Nelson said: “I am so humbled to be used by the Lord Jesus Christ to touch the hearts of men and women for God’s glory in a time like this.

“I am thankful that God uses me to go from house to house, city to city, and nation to nation changing our world for good.” He believes that one word from the Lord can change your entire life.