BISHOP MIKE OKONKWO 70TH BIRTHDAY
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.
BISHOP MIKE OKONKWO
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
*Bishop Okonkwo
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.
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