Men of God failed to deliver Jonathan from a spell – Bishop Mike Okonkwo

 Dr Mike Okonkwo is the presiding Bishop of The Redeemed Evangelical Mission, TREM, with over 160 branches in Nigeria and across the globe. The top Evangelist who will celebrate his 70th birthday come September 6, in this interview shares his life challenges, his turn around as well as the present anti-corruption crusade in the country. Excerpts. My Parents and career My parents were angry with me for choosing the Ministry. They did everything they could to stop me but I was resolute. They could not understand why of all professions, I chose the ministry. I was working in the bank, and very comfortable. They said I had bright future in the then African Continental Bank, Lagos. And to worsen it all, of all places in the Pentecostal church, they maintained that if I want to answer the call of God, I should go and answer from the Anglican or Catholic. At a stage, they went and arranged for police to arrest me, frame me for something in order to distract me and change my mind. But nothing was going to change my mind. So, in another four years, I refused to have contact with them so that I would not be distracted. But I am glad to say before my father died, he was able to see and rw that this is the ministry God has actually called me. Growing up My parents were disciplinarians. My father was a civil servant in the then Post & Telecommunication. My father sent me to Offa in 1957 to live with a teacher. There, I passed my entrance exams to Mayflower Grammar school, Ikenne. Because of the need to understand my native language, after two years, I changed to Merchant of Life in Oba, a school close to Onitsha where I graduated in 1963. When I left school, I worked in Ports Authority in Lagos for a few months. What I saw there was frightening – how money changed hands. I was not comfortable in that environment and I told my parents, that the place was not for me. So, again, I had to leave. I moved to African Continental Bank. Even as cashier in ACB, I remember one day, as I went for lunch, somebody followed me and asked that I should change some counterfeit money for genuine ones for him, saying he would give me a share from it. I was afraid and I ran away because I felt somebody would be listening. It was during the civil war and we were afraid as non-indigene, so, I asked for a transfer and I was moved to Onitsha. Thereafter, the civil war intensified, the Nigerian troops conquered Onitsha, we then moved to Awka and from there again, to Port Harcourt. At that point different branches of ACB were moving, eventually, we came to Owerri. In Owerri, the manager did not like me and it had nothing to do with my job. He felt I should be coming around him like other people but I felt there was no reason for that. When the war intensified, they were now recruiting people into the army by force. Although banking was viewed as part of essential services during the war, as the war intensified, they had to recruit from the banks as well. One of the days they came to recruit, they conscripted some people into the army but they missed me because I went to buy cigarette. The manager was not too happy that I was not part of them. I did not understand why he would want me to go to the army. He went to the camp and secured the release of those selected and asked that the exercise should be repeated and through a ballot system. Again, we did ballot and I won that I will not to go to the army. He was not still happy. Again, he organised that the military people should come to the office and pick whoever they wanted perhaps with an indication that they should pick me. We were busy at the counter that day and suddenly the manager called me and two others. We went to his office and we met a military captain and his assistant. The manager said, ‘gentlemen, the headquarters said we should hand you over to the Captain.’ I wanted to run, and the Captain said he would shoot me if dared. Then I said okay, they should at least allow us to hand over our official duties. They agreed, and as soon as we stepped out of the manager’s office, we ran away. I ran for miles and again, I found myself in a military camp where one of my class mates was in charge. I told him what happened. That was how I stopped working in ACB. From there I went to look for my parents where they were being held as refugees. By then, Dr Iloh was in charge of the Red Cross. I stayed with him for a few months. The war intensified and I was afraid they were going to catch me on the streets to join the army because that was the norm. So, when I found out that I could not escape it, I told my parents that my brother and I have to willingly go and register in the military. So, we did, and the training went for three months and throughout the period, we never fired one shot. After the third month, we got a pass to see our parents and that same day, we were told they were moving us to the force headquarters and to Gabon for further training since Gabon had recognised Biafra. They distributed riffles and bullets to us, but I told my brother, he should not take the arms and ammunition. He asked why, but I said he should follow me. We went back through the gate we came in and the Sentry was there who sensed we wanted to run but we told him that one of the officers left his cloths half way and he sent us to get the cloths. Surprisingly, he agreed, and as soon as we got out of the gate, we disappeared into the bush. The next day, the war ended while every person, sent to war the day we escaped from the headquarters were all killed. Those who were alive did whatever they wanted like smoking, womanising and all kinds of things. That was the turning point in my life. And since then, every step I took has been a miracle. Challenges Here were several challenges, and even now there is no end to challenges. The first one as a Minister was when I lost my first child. I got married to my wife in 1980 and we had our first daughter in 1982. We went to a crusade in Abeokuta in December 1984, we came back before the Christmas and on the Christmas eve, She developed high fever and early morning of 26th she died. It was a day I was going to preach. After praying and she did not come to life again, I left her in the room and still went to preach. I did not mention what happened to anyone. As a minister, that is one of the challenges you face. Another experience was that my immediate younger brother who was the only support I had when I went into a ministry. We were six boys and four girls our parents had. He had passed the high level exams and was to go for Medicine. But my parents did not want him to go as a way of punishing him for supporting my cause as a minister. They wanted to know if that could make me change my mind. But as God would have it, he still went to the University, passed as a medical doctor, joined the Navy and still joined me in the ministry. He was one of our praise and worship leaders. So, in the late 80s, I was traveling out and I asked him to conduct an interview on my behalf. It was when armed robbery began as an issue then. Some robbers followed him to his car, closed-in on him inside the church compound and asked him to bring the key of the 504 car. I think the military instinct in him made him to resist and started fighting them and he was shot. They took him to one hospital in Akoka, that could not manage the situation, yet did not refer him. I was abroad, I got wind of the situation and I asked that they moved him to a better hospital, but unfortunately, it was late, he died. It was very devastating to me. But I made up my mind, challenges should not make me reject the call of God. I told myself that the best I could do is to be the best in my calling. There are also challenges of not having enough funds to do the calling of God. For me, if everything you need is already there, then you don’t need God. So, if it is God that provides everything you need, you must depend on God for your needs. About Nigeria I have always said it that God’s hand is upon Nigeria. If not it would have been Nunc dimittis long ago. But God has a prophetic hand upon Nigeria. It is not an accident, irrespective of our different challenges, and contradictions. So, whether the devil likes it or not Nigeria is going to be very great. On Buhari’s anti-corruption crusade Everybody knows that corruption has killed us. It is not only endemic, in fact, the level is that if you are not corrupt, you will not be a good Nigerian. That is the level we have degenerated. And it is unfortunate calling Buhari Mr. Go-slow. How do you want him to come and clear the mess of 16 years in two days? I don’t know why we are never truthful with ourselves. If the only thing Buhari can achieve is just to instil fear of corruption, and all the machinery of government and agencies are working to dissuade corruption, then we would have achieved a lot. Have you noticed that suddenly, electricity is working? EFCC has come alive? Where have they been all these years? The reason they were not working before was that no one would indict or punish them. I admire ex-President Jonathan so much, but he didn’t have the gut to fight corruption. I will also blame the men of God. I will say the men of God, failed Jonathan. Because Jonathan was operating like somebody under some spell and we (the men of God) had the responsibility of taken him out of the spell, pray with him even for three days and whatever was holding him would have been removed. But we did not do that. Probably, he had the intention of doing the right thing but forces were against him and don’t forget he was not a matured christian. We would have taken him out and probably we would not be in this mess today. On same sex marriage The church should not be shocked about this because they are the part of the end time event. Don’t also be surprised if other strange things follow. I wont be surprised if bestiality is introduced. I will only be shocked if the church gets involved in it. If nations endorse it, nations don’t go by the Bible. They play politics. Parents must talk to their children and let them know that that is not the right thing. On his wife I don’t think I would have been able to achieve what I have achieved if not for the wonderful wife God has given to me. One of the things that is common to those who are called is that they are not only husbands to their wives, they are husbands and fathers to a lot of people. So, if you have a wife that does not understand this fact or that is possessive, she could destroy your work. If everyday we are always fighting at home, with the huge responsibility I have in the church, I don’t know how I would have survived. I thank God for having an understanding wife, as people often come to thank her for something I had done. Again, she has covered a lot of my weaknesses, reaching out to people and places that I was not able to reach out to. She is certainly a huge contributor to the work God has called me. Physical exercise and food I do a little exercise, I don’t do exercise for Olympics. I eat red meat and little carbohydrate. I also swim even though I don’t have a swimming pool in my house. I do that occasionally when I travel. So, it is not about what I eat or how I exercise but the grace of God. And if there is anything I should ask from God more, it is His Grace. CULLED FROM VANGUARD NEWSPAPER

Pope Francis Condemns Christian Persecution

Pope Francis, in a letter to the church community on Friday in Jordan, slammed the “atrocious, inhuman and inexplicable” persecution of Christians and minorities, urging the international community not to remain silent. This is contained in a message carried by the Secretary General of the Italian Bishops Conference (CEI), Nunzio Galantino, to the ecclesiastical community in Jordan, a country that has taken in a large number of Syrian and Iraqi refugees. “They are the martyrs of today, humiliated and discriminated against for their loyalty to the Gospel.’’ The Pontiff renewed his “solidarity appeal” on behalf “of a Church that does not forget and does not abandon her children exiled on account of their faith. “They know that we raise a daily prayer for them, together with gratitude for the testimony that they offer us.’’ Francis also said his thought goes to the communities that took in these brothers and sisters, not looking the other way He told the Catholics of Jordan “You have announced the resurrection of Christ with the sharing of sorrow and the solidarity that you have provided to the hundreds of thousands of refugees. He said they did this “With your bowing to their suffering, which can stifle hope; and with your fraternal service, which also illuminates such dark moments of existence.’’

RCCG donates $20,000 to renovate Vanuatu State House

The Redeemed Christian Church of God says it has donated $20,000 towards the renovation of the dilapidated State House of the Republic of Vanuatu, an island nation in the South Pacific Ocean. The church said in a statement that a temporary residence was being used as the State House after the original was destroyed by Cyclone Uma in 1987. The statement read in part, “Receiving the donation, the Head of State of the Republic of Vanuatu, Baldwin Jackson Lonsdale, expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the Redeemed Christian Church of God for being one of the very first organisations to respond to the office’s appeal. According to the statement, the recent heavy rainfall experienced in the island has forced the already deteriorated state office to close its doors as appeals were sent to business organisations, donor partners and interested parties to help fund the renovation of the office. It added that the high office confirmed that the money had been deposited at the finance department to ensure that there was accountability and transparency for all the funds coming in towards the renovation project. Lonsdale was quoted as saying that one of the most important priorities that needed urgent attention was the construction of a presidential house. “The conditions of the current presidential residence is deteriorating so much that we have to be accommodated in a rented premises. Our office is being housed in one of the colonial residential premises; and 35 years on since independence, we are still without a presidential palace,” he said. Culled from Punch Newspaper

Canadian pastor held by North Korea

A Canadian pastor who went missing in North Korea is being held by the communist state’s authorities, his church and Canadian consular officials said Thursday. Reverend Hyeon Soo Lim, 60, has not been heard from since January 31, just after he arrived in North Korea via China. The Light Korean Presbyterian Church said his family “received notice from Canadian officials that the government of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea has confirmed that Mr Hyeon Soo Lim is being held in North Korea.” A Canadian government official told AFP that Ottawa is aware of a Canadian citizen detained in North Korea and is trying to help them. But, the official added, Ottawa has no diplomatic relations with North Korea and so “the ability of Canadian officials to provide consular assistance is extremely limited.” Lim went missing while on a humanitarian mission, according to church officials. He had led many aid missions to North Korea in the past involving work with orphanages and nursing homes, they said. Lim’s lack of communication was initially attributed to the 21-day quarantine imposed on all foreign visitors to North Korea to prevent any outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus. But that period would have ended on February 21, after which there was still no news, prompting Lim’s church to go public to try to determine his whereabouts. Reverend Chun Ki-Won, the director of Durihana, a South Korean Christian missionary organization helping North Korean refugees, said Lim was one of the most influential Christian missionaries operating in the North. Chun told AFP Lim had been asked to come to Pyongyang on January 31. He said this information came from other members of the close-knit circle of ethnic Korean missionaries in the United States and Canada who are involved in aid projects in the North. The reason for the invitation was unclear, but he said he feared it was political. Chun noted that some of the food-related projects Lim was involved in were linked to associates of Jang Song-Thaek, the purged uncle of leader Kim Jong-Un. Jang is known to have led many joint economic projects before he was dramatically arrested and executed for treason in December 2012. Ottawa advises its citizens against travel to North Korea. Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Rob Nicholson said, “This (case) underscores what the Canadian government has been saying: ‘Don’t go to North Korea.'” Although religious freedom is enshrined in the North Korean constitution, religious activity is severely restricted to officially-recognized groups linked to the government. Pyongyang views foreign missionaries with deep suspicion, although it allows access to some who undertake humanitarian work. However, anyone caught engaging in any unauthorized activities would be subject to immediate arrest. A number of missionaries — mostly US citizens — have been arrested in North Korea in the past with some of them allowed to return home after interventions by high-profile US figures.

Jerusalem church on Mount Zion torched

Suspected Jewish extremists set fire to a Greek Orthodox seminary building on Mount Zion in Jerusalem early Thursday, 24 hours after a mosque was torched in the West Bank. The vandals torched an annexe of the seminary just outside the walls of the Old City and scrawled “graffiti insulting Jesus”, police spokeswoman Luba Samri said, describing it as a “nationalist” attack. Police said the assailants set light to the toilet and shower block at the seminary, causing damage but no injuries. Outside, they daubed insulting slogans in Hebrew about Jesus. The attack took place just outside the Old City walls on Mount Zion, close to Dormition Abbey, a Roman Catholic institution which was targeted by an arson attack during a visit by Pope Francis last May. Following a police request, a gag order has been imposed on all details of the investigation which will remain in force until March 4. Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat condemned the attack as “deplorable” and pledged to bring the perpetrators to justice. On Wednesday, a mosque near Bethlehem in the southern West Bank was set alight and anti-Arab slogans in Hebrew sprayed on a nearby wall. Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erakat denounced the perpetrators of both incidents as “terrorists”, blaming Israel’s government for inciting the attacks by continuing its “illegal occupation and colonisation based on distorted religious claims.” The United Nations has warned such incidents could “inflame an already volatile environment.” Both incidents bore the hallmarks of so-called “price tag” attacks — a euphemism for nationalist-motivated hate crimes by Jewish extremists, which generally target Palestinians or Arab Israelis but have increasingly also hit Christian and Muslim places of worship

Edo CAN Denies Knowledge of N3m Jonathan Largesse to State Chapter

The Edo State Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Bishop Peter Imasuen, on Monday denied any involvement in the sharing of N7 billion largesse allegedly given to the national leadership of the association by President Goodluck Jonathan in which the state chapter got N3 million. Imasuen, who is also the Bishop of Benin Diocese, Anglican Communion, stated this in Benin City, while reacting to the allegation raised by a Borno-based cleric, Pastor Kallam Musa-Dikwa, that the sum of N3 million, from the largesse, was disbursed to Edo State chairman of the association. Musa-Dikwa, had on February 16 claimed that CAN got the money on January 26, 2015 and distributed N3 million to each state chairman across the country to enable them support the re-election bid of President Jonathan. But Bishop Imasuen told newsmen in Benin City that he was not aware of the money, as he did not attend the last meeting of the Christian body and did collect any money, as a state chairman. “I am not a politician; what we owe the country is prayer. So, I don’t know anything about the money. “They didn’t give me any money and I was not even there when we had the last CAN meeting; at that time, we were having the standing committee at Ughelli (Delta State). So, how would they have given me money when I was not in the meeting?” Asked if he would have benefited from the alleged largesse if he had been present, Imasuen retorted: “Collected the money for what? What will I use the money for? We are men of God; we are to pray for the peace of the country. “At the time you now take money, how will God answer your prayer? I don’t run after riches. I run after blessing; riches come and go but blessings remain.” He noted that he was only interested in performing his responsibility as a cleric, rather than engaging in partisan politics. The cleric also described the allegation as one peddled by persons whom he described as “self-made pastors and bishops” who could say anything to cause disunity. “Even if you give me money, I would be afraid; I will not sleep because the politicians will be after you, everybody will be after you, the thieves will know that you have money. So, I will rather relax my mind and be okay with whatever God gives me. “There are many people who are self-made pastors or bishops; they can say anything. If you do something I don’t like, for instance, I can go back and do certain things to distabilise you. “I don’t belong to any party; once I know that you are a credible person, I can vote for you; vote for those that can stand and defend this country. We are praying God to give us a leader who will lead us and lead the youths,” he added.

Kumuyi tells Nigerians to take their destiny in their hands

Respected cleric and the General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry, Pastor William Folorunsho Ikumuyiwa, has called on Nigerians to stop bothering themselves about the ongoing challenges facing the nation. He asked them to take their destiny in their hands by seeking God’s face for intervention. Kumuyi gave this charge during a two-day ministerial visit and campus crusade organised by the Campus Christian Mobilisation Committee of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Osun State. The former university don while preaching to thousands of people at the new religious ground of the the OAU, said, “Nigerians should take their destiny in their hands. People should not be discouraged by whatever problems they are facing now, either as individuals or as a nation”. He noted that there were two different kinds of people in the world, saying while some saw themselves as “grasshoppers”, others equally looked themselves as “conquerors”. He said, “There is need to be like the biblical Caleb, who never allowed the towering, scary figure of the giants they saw to dissuade him from entering the land of Canaan. Caleb gave a positive account of what he saw and encouraged others to be optimistic. You are what you think you are.” He prayed for God’s wisdom for members of the university in the discharge of their responsibilities. Also speaking at the event, the Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Bamitale Omole, commended Kumuyi for accepting the invitation to minister on the campus. He said Kumuyi “is indeed one of the few remaining examples of the ideal Christian faith today”