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
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
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.
