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Tag: MFM

  • MFM varsity to kick off Monday

    MFM varsity to kick off Monday

    The Mountain Top University (MTU) will join 60 other existing private universities as at its official inauguration comes up Monday next week.

    The institution owned by Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministry, will also usher in her first fruits of about 270 students for the 2016/2017 academic session spreading across its two colleges-Basic and Applied Sciences and Humanities, and Management and Social Sciences respectively.

    In a briefing at the university premises located in KM 12 Lagos Ibadan expressway Tuesday, MTU pioneer vice chancellor Prof Elijah Ayolabi, said in addition to the foregoing, the event which holds at the Mountain of Fire multipurpose hall would also feature the official unveiling of facilities in the institution.

    As an Information and Communication Technology-compliant university, Ayolabi said each student would be given a mobile learning device on gratis with 24 hour electronic library resources.

    The vice chancellor recalled how the MTU journey began in 12 years ago, saying the trip has been laced with series of challenges particularly by National Universities Commission, the university regulatory body whose team visited the institution from time to time to ensure that everything was put in place before final rubber stamp.

    ”The Mountain Top University is envisioned as a dynamic centre of excellence in the liberal tradition for the production of top-rate morally sound graduates of distinction who will be globally competitive for outstanding impact for the Nigerian society and global development,” Ayolabi said.

    “We have also commenced collaborative discussion with some foreign universities and professional bodies in order to make our products employers of labour and most sought after in the labour market.”

    Though faith based, Ayolabi said the university would open her door to all provided students of varying religious affiliations can comply with their guidelines.

    Prof Ayolabi was joined by the Registrar Mr Ademola Babalola and Chairman Scholarship Committee Prof Emmanuel Ayedun and other top principals of the university.

    Babalola, noted that the university aspires to have a centre of excellence in Biotechnology since that is the specialisation of the proprietor.

    Two other key areas of interest to the university are Music and Geophysics, Babalola added.

    “We expect that these three programmes will kick off by 2016/2017 academic session. Construction works are on course ahead of their commencement,” Babalola said.

    He said the second phase of the university development would be in Technology and Engineering, while the third phase would be in Medicine all to be concentrated at MTU permanent site which according to him, is about two kilometers away from its present site.

    Ayedun said the university hopes to convert the present site to its post graduate school in future when the proposed permanent is fully developed.

    Ayolabi said the salary structure is in line with what obtained at federal government universities, adding that the proprietor of MTU have put measures in place to ensure the institution does not run out of fund thereby owing workers.

  • MFM does not have agents, says Enakhena

    MFM does not have agents, says Enakhena

    Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries Football club of Lagos has not engaged the services of football agents to scout for players anywhere in the world.

    This clarification was made by the club chairman, Godwin Enakhena at the weekend when reacting to reports making the rounds that some agents are exhorting money from players with a promise to get them into MFM FC.

    “It has come to the notice of the management of MFM FC that some unscrupulous football agents are promising players a place in the club if they pay an undisclosed amount to them.

    “Fact is we at MFM FC have not engaged the services of any football agent anywhere in the world to look for players for us. We know how to get players. Please, don’t pay money to anybody”, warned the sports journalist.

    Meanwhile, MFM FC has intensified training for its debut in the Nigeria Football Professional League (NPFL), which is expected to kick off in February, 2016 at the Dr D. K Olukoya Sports Centre situated at the MFM Prayer City situated along the Lagos/Ibadan Expressway.

  • MFM rewards 108 First Class students with N54m

    MFM rewards 108 First Class students with N54m

    The Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries (MFM) under Dr Daniel Olukoya Foundation scheme, has rewarded 108 first class graduates, who are members of the church  across different schools globally,with  N500,000 each for their efforts.

    The foundation also presented half a million naira cheque each to two corps members who finished from Ebonyi State in Batch 12A and Batch 13A, and received the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Presidential honours after completing their service.

    The General Overseer of MFM, Dr. Daniel Olukoya, made the presentation at the monthly programme of the church, tagged, Power must change hands, held at their MFM prayer ground in Ogun State.

    The 108 graduates are  the 86 First class graduates from different universities, 20 students with distinction from polytechnics and two NYSC Presidential awardees after completing their national service.

    Dr. Olukoya said: “The first class honours award which started with 19 students, had risen to 108 and it is meant to encourage hard work among students. The programme was as a result of inspiration from the holy spirit that urged us to start it for the youths and rescue their generation from the streets. We are glad that it is making impact in their lives.”

    He said the award was put in place to reward youths who are dedicated to their academic work, while also creating time to serve God.

    Dr. Olukoya’s wife, Shade, alongside the Vice-chancellor of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU),Prof. Bamitale Omole, presented the cheques to the awardees.

    Mrs Olukoya advised parents to be as current as their children, and encourage them to be abreast of the Information and Communications Technology.

    Omole lauded the recipients for their dedication. He urged them to appreciate the grace of God upon their lives. He noted that many of their peers who started with them could not complete their programmes due to different reasons.

    He called on other churches to emulate MFM by encouraging hardworking students through similar awards.

    “The award is worthy of emulation, I urge other households of faith to follow MFM steps to encourage hard work,” Omole said.

    The coordinator of MFM campus fellowship worldwide and director of MFM youth directorate worldwide, Pastor Abraham Paul, said the incentive has had tremendous impact on beneficiaries, while encouraging others to be daring.

    Pastor Paul said: “It is a tremendous initiative from the ministry considering the large number of graduates being awarded. Often times, we write to the institutions to send us background information on the students for us to know their capabilities.”

    He said the awardees cut across graduates from various institutions beyond Nigeria such as Ukraine,Malaysia,Ghana,U.K and Benin Republic. .

    One of the beneficiaries, Miss Morayo Ayodele from City University, London who got a first class from Mathematics and Finance,  said her major challenge was studying in a Western school, as against  the Nigerian education which both has different climes.

    She said she initially expressed doubt when she was invited by MFM, until she arrived the country and was eventually presented with the cheque.

    Another awardee Jude Osamor, served in Ikwo Local Government Area, Ebonyi State, (Batch 12 A) and finished from the University of Lagos after studying Petroleum and Gas Engineering.  The need for him to fill a gap where he served, eventually paid off.

    Mrs Oselumenosen Ayodele, who finished from the Nigerian Army School of Finance and Administration, Apapa,Lagos and was the best graduating student in the 2013 set with a distinction in Finance and Administration, said it was her aim to always be the best that spurs her on.

    Ajenifuja Gabriel, who got distinction from the Lagos State Polytechnic in Banking and Finance, said: “My dad is a draughtsman, my mum is a petty trader and my challenge was in paying school fees but God always sent me help at the dying minute. When I googled and saw what the general overseer passed through to be where he is today, it motivated me to be focused.”

     

  • MFM targets 3SC’s scalp

    MFM FC assistant coach Fidelis Ilechukwu believes there is no better time to play Nigeria National League (NNL) Division B leaders 3SC.

    MFM head into the game in a confident mood after thrashing high-flying Abia Comets 4-2 in their last home game. Ilechukwu insists his team can replicate the same performance to see off the Oluyole Warriors at the Agege Stadium this weekend.

    “We have prepared very well for this match and I expect a convincing victory against 3SC. We have one of the best squads in this league, but we have not been lucky. We are not happy that we have drawn some games at home, but that is football for you,” he told Supersport.com.

    “The good thing is that we beat Abia Comets, who were the leaders, when we met two weeks ago.

    “So, my boys know with the same effort they should also beat 3SC. We respect them for being one of the big sides in the NNL.

    “I understand they have beefed up their team with some new players recently. Only a few sides were able to do that, and that’s why we have prepared well for them. I even feel we have a better team and we will prove that on the pitch.”

    Ilechukwu feels they are the favourites to win despite experiencing contrasting fortunes with 3SC on the NNL Division B log. He added he was confident they could still get promoted to the premier league.

    “3SC may be leading, but we still are the favourites to win this match. We’re calm and under no pressure because the promotion race is still wide open. The top spot has changed between many clubs like Gabros, Prime, Comets and now 3SC. It is too early to write off any team.

    “My team has shown we can get results anywhere, and I’m sure we would soon put together a decent run of games that would take us to the top,” he said.

    MFM are 12th in NNL Division B with 11 points, five adrift of the leaders, 3SC, after nine rounds of matches.

  • DR. D.K OLUKOYA OF MFM; My life and passion for football

    DR. D.K OLUKOYA OF MFM; My life and passion for football

    I grew up like every normal child and did participate in sporting activities,” stated Olukoya, who is a First Class Micro-Biology Graduate of the University of Lagos. “My father was a policeman and that meant we kept moving around Nigeria because of the normal posting in The Nigeria Police Force.

    “I was in charge of the footballers kits at the Adekunle Police barracks because I played football as an outside right, today’s No 7, and I also did athletics.

    “I supported Stationery Stores of Lagos, the darling club of Lagosians; it was the club to follow then because Stores had great players like Haruna Ilerika, Peter Aneke, Baba Ali, and many others.

    “I’m really excited with the news that the club is now back and I hope they would bring back the memory of the old Stationery Stores.

    “I have two (all-time favourite footballers) one is alive while the other is dead. The late Thunder Balogun was my favourite Nigerian footballer, he was very good. Then Edson Arantes Do Nascimento, aka Pele. Who would watch Pele and not love him? He’s one of the best footballers ever born,” noted Olukoya who earned a Doctorate degree in Molecular Genetics from the University of Reading in the United Kingdom.

    He further shed light on why he established the MFM Football Club and why he runs away from predicting football matches. Excerpts…

    Motivation in running a football club

    It is part of our 70-point agenda in Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries, which is to reposition the youths of this generation for Christ Jesus, using sport as a tool. We all know the power of sports in the world and so we are taking advantage of the power of football and other sports to win souls into God’s kingdom. We are not using only football; there are other sports like athletics, basketball and table tennis.

    As I said earlier, the motivation is following God’s instruction to rescue youths of this generation from the grip of Satan. This is a very serious issue that has to be addressed as quickly as possible.

    So, it’s God’s mandate for us at the MFM and there’s no going back and He’s helping us.

    Fortunately, we are slowly and steadily making progress with our 70-point agenda, sports is one of them. All we are doing is engaging the youths in profitable ventures which is geared towards making them have the fear of God and become better leaders of this great country.

    Our youths must be taught God’s ways and this can only be done inside the church and not outside of it.

    We also found out that with a football in one hand and a bible in the other, the battle to save our youths from destroying themselves will be easy to accomplish. So, if it’s a ploy, using your word, it is working for us in Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries with the founding of a football club.

    Vision for MFM FC

    We want MFM FC to be a model club side that will be a reference point for other football clubs in Nigeria and beyond; a club of champions that upholds the cardinal rule of playing fair always.

    We want MFM FC to be a club where players will experience positive changes in their football careers; an ideal football club that is made up of God-fearing youths who will excel in their chosen careers and become instruments that will eradicate poverty in their linage and change their family fortunes through football.MFM FC joined the professional ranks less than two years ago and so far we’ve achieved so much in spite of the many challenges that exist in every human endeavour.

    Our target is to gain promotion to the Premier League at the end of this season; we are on track. We will measure our success when we get there.

    Growing up

    I grew up like every normal child and did participate in sporting activities. My father was a policeman and that means we kept moving around Nigeria because of the normal posting in The Nigeria Police Force. I was in charge of the footballer’s kits at the Adekunle Police barracks because I played football as an outside right, today’s No 7. I also did athletics. I supported Stationery Stores of Lagos, the darling club of Lagosians; it was the club to follow then. Stores had great players like Haruna Ilerika, Peter Aneke, Baba Ali, and many others.

    Favourite footballers

    I have two; one is alive while the other is dead. The late Thunder Balogun was my favourite Nigerian footballer, he was very good. Then Edson Arantes Do Nascimento, aka Pele. Who would watch Pele and not love him, one of the best footballers ever born.The Super Eagles at Brazil 2014 World Cup

    The key to success is planning and working towards set targets. We’ve been to the World Cup four times before and this will be our fifth, have we found out the mistakes we made that stopped us in our previous appearances? If yes, are we working towards ensuring that the same mistakes are not made in Brazil? Again, are we putting God first in all we do? Nigeria is blessed with abundant talents and if well harnessed, I really can’t see any other country stopping us. Let’s do our best and commit the rest into God’s hands.

    Predict matches

    MFM is a praying ministry; we pray and God answers our prayers. It’s our duty to pray for the success of all that concerns Nigeria. We should be very careful not to trivialise the prophetic ministry. If we put God first and prepare very well for competitions, we will always come out tops.

    AFN & I

    We thank The Athletics Federation of Nigeria led by Evangelist Solomon Ogba for the recognition and appreciation. It’s a privilege for us at MFM to help in the discovery and nurturing of talents that abound in Nigeria. Don’t forget that God’s mandate to MFM is to reposition Nigerian youths for Christ Jesus, and sport is one of the many ways to achieving this. We agreed to sponsor the annual Dr. D. K. Olukoya National U-18 Athletics competition when we were approached by the Athletics Federation of Nigeria about four years ago. To the glory of God, I learnt that the event has produced so many talents for Nigeria and we are very happy about the success achieved so far.

    Honouring Nduka Ugbade

    We were very proud that someone from MFM played a great role in winning the FIFA under 17 World Cup for Nigeria. It was a great achievement for Nduka Ugbade who had won the same trophy for Nigeria as captain in 1985, the first black African to achieve that feat. Nduka is a very dedicated young man, his likes are hard to find. So, giving him a car was just our own little way of telling him how well we appreciate him. He deserves more than that. For your information, he has been with us for close to a decade. We are very proud of him.

    Thoughts on Nigerian football

    The year 2013 was very good for Nigerian football. We won the Africa Nations Cup, qualified for the World Cup and crowned it with victory at the world level by winning the FIFA U-17 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates. Interestingly, I was in the UAE then and we at MFM celebrated the victory with Nigeria’s ambassador to that country. As a church, we are praying for a good outing by the Super Eagles at the World Cup. We are asking God to help Stephen Keshi who has been doing a very good job to pick the right players for the World Cup. As a church, we will always back the Nigeria Football Federation with prayers. I remember we sent a letter of congratulations to Aminu Maigari, the president, when Nigeria qualified for the World Cup. He is doing a very good job supported by the board, not forgetting the chairman of the Technical Committee, Barrister Christopher Green.

  • Chime unfair to us, MFM cries out

    The Mountain of Fire and Miracles (MFM) has accused Enugu State Governor, Sullivan Chime, of deliberating working to hamper its operations.

    It said the governor’s failure to pay the N250million compensation demanded following the unlawful demolition of its South East regional headquarters in the Enugu metropolis on October 9 is in bad faith and a breach of trust.

    The 5,000-seater auditorium was demolished on the order of Chime for allegedly violating environmental regulations despite a court order restraining the action.

    The head of the church’s legal team, Barrister Bolaji Onilenla, told reporters that the church accepted to move to a new location on 5, Emeka Ebila Street when the governor made an overture.

    The development, he said, made them withdraw the case from court to give way for a peaceful resolution of the crisis.

    Onilenla lamented that the governor and his team only provided a new land, which has been a source of contention between two communities.

    The situation boiled over on December 1 when some hoodlums allegedly led by a notorious land thug, Ike Ani, stormed and vandalised the temporary structure on the new land.

    He accused the governor of insincerity and victimisation, wondering why the lingering tussle over the land was not resolved before it was allocated to the church.

    Onilenla said: “The church has not been able to settle on the land. We did our best to bring the warring communities together but they would not be pacified.

    “If the state government had handled the issue, we won’t be here. The governor pretended to be peace-loving, which was why we withdrew the case but he had left us on our own to handle the two communities.”

    The Regional Overseer of South East I MFM, Pastor Rotimi Olugbule, said the situation has left the worshippers in perpetual fear and disarray.

    “It is affecting them because everyone wants to worship in a safe, peaceful environment. The worshippers are frightened and scared,” he reiterated.

    Onilenla said payment of the compensation will enable the church meet the high demands of the warring communities.

    He warned that the church might be left with no choice but to press for contempt charges based on a court order over the demolition.

  • MFM cries foul over demolition of regional headquarters

    Penultimate Thursday was agonising for members of the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministry (MFM) Enugu.

    The 5,000-seater auditorium, which serves as the regional headquarters of the church few metres away from the Zik Avenue Bridge Uwani, was demolished by officials of the Enugu State Ministry of Capital Territory Development Authority (ECTDA).

    The church’s building, which existed for 15 years, was the first branch of MFM in the South South and South East regions.

    The Commissioner for ECTDA, Engr. Iyke Ugwegede, said the structure was illegal and not approved, saying the application for approval was considered and rejected in March 2012.

    Ugwegede added that the structure was built on waterways and showed many defects.

    But a statement by the chairman, Publicity Committee of MFM, Pastor Oladele Bank-Olemoh, described the demolition exercise as “nothing but the height of democratic oppression and it is utterly condemnable by all well meaning and discerning minds.”

    He maintained that structure was not in any way obstructing the flow of the river and it was not encroaching on government land as alleged by the commissioner.

    He demanded for unreserved apology from the Enugu Government over “the unwarranted act of wickedness meted to the church and its followers.”

    Bank-Olemoh pointed out that several other buildings on the same stretch of road where the church was demolished are still standing, saying “this leaves much to be desired of the motive behind the exercise.”

    He stated that with the relevant papers such as Certificate of Occupancy (CofO ) and approvals by the government in place, it was callous go ahead with the demolition exercise.

    Bank-Olemoh demanded for adequate compensations based on the alleged illegality of the action.

    Sources said the church put in a compensation request of N250 million for the demolished structure.

    Bank-Olemoh assured that all legal documents on the land and approvals of the building structure by the state government are available for perusal.

    The regional pastor of MFM, Kennedy Ogaranya, who was on ground when the demolition squad arrived, alleged there was more to the exercise than meet the eyes.

    Speaking last Thursday at the Lagos International headquarters of the church, Ogaranya said: “I believe there was an ulterior motive for the action.”

    According to him, the church obtained approvals for the building in 1998, 2002 and 2010 for expansion after securing Certificate of Occupancy (CofO) on the land.

    The 20 plots of land provided at Emeka Ebile road, Ogaranyi stated had been a subject of contention between the Ngwo and Amaechi communities.

    He said the church was working on taking possession of the new site and pleading for more time when the demolition was carried out.