COLLAPSE OF CEASEFIRE: MEND issues two-week ultimatum

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PAGE 38—SUNDAY VANGUARD, JULY 10, 2016 Bishop's son escapes UNIPORT's kidnappers ...bags first class degree in Ghana By Sam Eyoboka UFUOMATOMA Kwakpovwe, 26, was registered to read Pharmacy at the University of Port Harcourt and was doing just that when four demon-possessed gun-toting yet-to-be-identified hoodlums attempted to kidnap him and the attendant emotional trauma truncated that dream forcing his parents to relocate him to Ghana to continue his studies there. Ufuomatoma, Toma for short, is the second son of the publisher of Our Daily Manna and founder of The Manna Prayer Mountain Ministry, Orioke-Ogudu, Lagos, Bishop Chris Kwakpovwe. Last Sunday, a joyous father assembled gaily-dressed friends, relations and other well wishers from Delta State and around, to a special thanksgiving service at the Manna Prayer Mountain to celebrate Toma who had just bagged a First Class degree in Management and Computer Science. The joy knew no bounds as the church choir and Toma's six-man acapela group treated guests to popular gospel songs including several in Ghanaian languages. The service attended by the guest speaker, Archbishop George Amu of Goodnews Miracle Church, Lagos, former Board member/PRO, SSO of PFN, Pastor Femi Adura, and a host of other religious leaders also began the countdown to the 14-day fasting and prayers in preparation for the July 23 Anointing Service scheduled for the Prayer Mountain. At the end of the service, the bishop announced that there was plenty to eat and drink and of course the crowd waited patiently. Narrating the family's grassto-grace story, the OAUtrained pharmacist turned gospel preacher and publisher, Bishop Kwakpovwe said several years ago before the birth of the daily devotional, "we went through severe battles that I attempted commiting suicide by hanging. My plan was just to make sure that the children go to school so I can end it all before they return. I bought a rope and was about to hang myself but I heard a voice telling me, 'all you’ve been through all these years; is not unto death but unto destiny fulfilment of millions.' I didn’t know what it meant. He said you shall rise from a burden for the people, He said 'I've passed you through so that you can now help those who are passing through'. I didn’t understand because I'm a pharmacist and not a pastor or a writer. He said you will write. That was how ODM was born. I heard the name Daily Manna but my wife added the ‘Our’ to it. But after a while, though we started gradually first on a piece of paper in pamphlet form of about four pages. We did that for about a year or two. At a stage, I just found that during that 8-year crisis, I still couldn’t pay my children’s school fees because I was investing everything in the ministry. Everything turned upside down. My plan was to kill myself but at the end I got over that phase. But it didn’t just end that very day. The next phase was school fees and so on so I took the children to the village to stay with my mother. I didn’t want to borrow money, I would rather suffer. Toma and his elder brother, now doing Masters in the U.S. had to go to the village. They tried to kidnap him so he left for Ghana. It was so hard, I wanted to go back to pharmacy instead of suffering as a full time pastor! But God wouldn’t allow me do pharmacy. He said if I do it, I will not last. So the battle was harsh and these children suffered. My wife was so tolerant. The rich also cry Continuing his version of therich-also-cry narration, the bishop admitted that his wife, for several years could not afford ordinary sanitary pads. "Everything then was just about the ministry, it was either in or out; you either sink or swim. Any time I decided to go to renew my certificate so I can work, God would say 'don’t go to pharmacy council, if you do, you are gone.' He said: 'If you wait on Me, the world will hear your story'. When our cooking gas finished we started using firewood. At a stage, instead of buying fish, I’ld go to the market and ask them to give me those bones that dogs can take. "My wife would cut the bones into bits. It got to a point, I couldn’t even afford the bones anymore. There was a boy called Eric, my children’s best friend then who crossed the nearby river and catch fish in the morning and that is what I will use for food for that day. My house was close to the river. Eric was so helpful. His father was an Ijaw who lived on top of the river. He would go to the bush and cut trees down that would take about four days to dry before we could use them for firewood. When the guy left for school, we started using saw dust. At a point, I couldn’t afford the saw dust. So life was very harsh. St. Gloria, my children's school, increased school fees and I couldn't cope so I took them to my village. My mother tried and the children adjusted. "When people tell me Toma is humble, I just laugh. Why won’t he be humble? You know where we were coming from? This was in the 90s. People were pitying me but they couldn't help me though they were very supportive. People like Adegbe, the Ojos gave me money to start Our Daily Manna. The first ODM I published was with money from one of the Ojos. They’ve been here for 16 years." According to the bishop, Toma spent seven years, while his elder brother spent six years in Ughelli in Delta State, before gaining admission to the University of Port Harcourt to read pharmacy. The kidnap story One evening in his school hall, four Egbesu boys kidnapped him but by divine L-R: Mr. Toma Kwakpovwe, Bishop Chris Kwakpovwe, Rev. (Mrs) Flora Kwakpovwe and their daughter at the thanksgiving service. *Pastor Femi Adura and Archbishop George Amu at the thanksgiving service. intervention, he managed to escape through the toilet window. What made him to leave Nigeria; his bed, generator and everything because he couldn’t go back to his private hostel. I called him and asked him where he was, he said he was in a bush. I told him to go to the nearest G. Agofure Motor park and proceed to Lagos even if he didn't have money. I spoke with the driver telling him I would pay on arrival in Lagos. He missed school for about a year because he couldn’t go back to Port Harcourt. The then Rivers State Police commissioner called me and said they would give him security and I refused; the Nigeria Police cannot secure him. I believe that God did it. Maybe if the kidnappers didn’t attack him, I may not have sent him out for first degree. That battle promoted him. My life stories are very complicated and always very hard but they always lead to great testimonies. The bishop believes that what precipitated the son's kidnap had to do with his early act of benevolence to the university. "I just bought some pharmacy books for the faculty of pharmacy, and during the convocation, the dean of the faulty told the VC that one parent donated pharmacy books. I studied pharmacy at OAU, Ile Ife. I got the books and donated same for the department of pharmacy and this guy now announced my name. That was what led to the kidnap. The truth is there are no millions anywhere. The kind of life I live, I'm an aggressive person. If you give me money now, I'm investing it in the Lekki Prayer Tower just about to start. In Ghana, Toma didn’t do pharmacy. Instead he did management and computer studies. To continue with His mentors Among his mentors are the late Archbishop Benson Idahosa who baptized him, the outgoing CAN president, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor and Pastor W.F. Kumuyi. Which was why we asked him about the controversy over the Deeper Life's Daily Manna and his own Our Daily Manna and this is how he responded: "It became a legal issue but as an elder and father, I had to honour Pastor Kumuyi. We began Our Daily Manna in January 2001. The law states that you must deposit three copies with the National Library which we did but one of the guys there, Mr. Ola Ojo, worshipped with Deeper Life. The moment he saw Our Daily Manna he just adopted the name, Daily Manna. The guy wrote for Kumuyi before and at a time worked for Pastor Adeboye and now with Pastor Olukoya. They do what is known as contract writing. This guy is gift-ed. He has about 20 workers equipped with computers who work on pastors' messages. He came to me to produce for me. I'm not allowed. I'm still asking God why because I need help. I need God to raise people who have caught the ODM vision. I can’t keep writ-ing like this for life. Sometimes I write kneel-ing down. Sometimes I will be on the bed; sometimes I will stand on one very big table. There is no style I have not used to write. I'm now using dictation," he maintained. Told to enumerate testimonies that have attended the effort, Kwakpovwe said there was no way he could, stating: "Is it about the dead that were raised? People placed this book on people who doctors had pronounced dead and they come back to life and many more in Ghana, Zimbabwe, pharmacy, he needed to do a South Africa, Mozambique, pre-degree programme U.S, China, Canada, Russia, meaning he had to do another two more years. I said no. I told him let God’s will be done. Toma is today a business advertisement guru. The funny thing, the cleric continued, is that nobody can put his finger on the day of his breakthrough. "So, I can’t say this is how it started. People say there is so much power behind ODM because sometimes I write in anger and in hunger. We’ve changed the quality from time to time but not the writing. It must continue," he explained. Was that the only thing you were doing then, Kwakpovwe France, all over the world. Not just Our Daily Manna, there is also War against Hamman." He also had an opportunity to talk of the anointing service scheduled for July 23, saying: "We have two anointing services every year: in January which is very explosive and the July one which is also massive. A knock down is not a knockout! You must hold on, delay is not denial. We have set aside 14 days from Sunday, July 10 to fast towards the July anointing service. We are expecting delegates from about 200 countries where ODM is being read." who began his Christian voyage at the Catholic Silence of Church before a born again experience on February 3, matrimonial 1976 at a Scripture Union challenge meeting before a soujorn at Tunde Joda's Christ Chapel, then Chapel of Praise, W.F. Kumuyi's Deeper Life and the Assemblies of God Church, was asked. "We had one fellowship kind of then, it was not a church. We had Chapel of Liberty many years ago at Ojota which metamorphosed to Liberty Army. All these were The man of God would rather not talk about recent controversy over his matrimony, saying: "I could talk about my past experiences but marital misconception was a very bitter one. I don’t want to go into that because it will take me to so many issues. But the summary is that I'm above that in residential houses. now. I married properly; properly means I paid bride price and there are legal papers. If you had an experien-ce years ago and you just felt that this person ought to be and it didn’t happen what will you do? "That’s a very odd experience. I can’t even talk about it here because there are so many twists. I was just too emotional, very young, very small but later in life before I went through this major crisis, I had to take the bull by the horn and I think God gave me my wife. I married her legally. If you like somebody but you didn’t pay her bride price for any reason, maybe the person was married, it’s painful, but what do you do? Every disappointment is a blessing. So that’s my story," he summariz-ed. Also speaking, Toma who attended Kogbodi International School, Ughelli, Delta state, said the transition was not altogether a bad experien-ce because it offered them the opportunity to get close to grand ma and other people at the homefront. "The transition from Lagos to Delta State was not very easy to cope with initially but as time went on, I got used to it. We went through secondary school education and came out of it. Looking back at the whole thing, I'm able to pick strength from different points of the journey. It taught me so many things I probably wouldn’t have known being in Lagos. I am exposed to many other things that I am grateful for right now. The Lagos education system and environment compared to Delta State was a whole lot of difference," he stated. The young lad attended Regent University of Science and Technology in Ghana, affirming that the experience in that West African nation was satisfactory and fulfilling. "Before I got to Regent, it was a bit of a struggle, trying to pick the right school. I got admission to go to U.K. but my dad did not permit me to go. I got admission in a couple of other schools in Ghana; it was a bit of a struggle, trying to pick the actual university to go to. But as time went on, I settled for Regent University and I began to study there. Leaving Port Harcourt and starting over again, I had a drive to do more than the average student would. Everything I wanted to do, I wanted to do it very well," he added. Osanebi empowers 22 women DEPUTY Speaker, Delta State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Friday Ossai Osanebi has called on all Deltans, especially leaders and well meaning Deltans to see the prosperity agenda of Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa as a collective mandate. He said this Sunday at Christ Embassy, Beneku, Ndokwa East Local Government area during a thanksgiving service. Osanebi demonstrated his compassion for the poor in the society when he urged the congregation to see the properity of every believer as paramount in the heart of God and as people that have received some level of blessing from God, it's just natural to distribute same to the less privileged. The Deputy Speaker then called on the church pastor and other leaders, to select 22 less privileged and economically weak women to be empowered to start small scale enterprises. He then empowered the 22 women with varying sums of money in line with their choices of business. To ensure that the women were serious minded and not wasters, Osanebi took time to interview each one to ascertain the nature of business they could do comfortably and that was how the deputy speaker in turn gave them cheques in church to immediately start up businesses of their choice immediately. C M Y K
SUNDAY VANGUARD, JULY 10, 2016, PAGE 39 Buhari should restructure Nigeria, says Bishop Umunna General Overseer of Bible Life Christian Church, Ajegunle, Lagos, Bishop (Prof.) Leonard Umunna marked his 62nd birthday anniversary with a variety of activities in his church including Bible Quiz, debate on the topic: 'Is God partial?' with plenty to eat and drink. At the end, the celebrant granted an interview with reporters present where he took a look at the state of the nation. SAM EYOBOKA was there. Excerpts... How does it feel to be 62 years and in the service of the Lord? I feel like I am just beginning, because I have acquired experience, knowledge---not enough really---but it is good, better, best every other year. I have never had a better yesterday. It has always been good yesterday, better today and best tomorrow. At 62 could you to take a look at the state of the Nigerian nation? Nigeria is now a laughing stock among many people all over the world. In the comity of nations, it has rated less then ‘A’ again. You know you have a list. Africa is not even in ‘A’ list in the real sense of it. Football, it in reverse process; economy wise, it is in reverse process and we have been named one that had the best economy. Now, we are not even a good economy. What do you want me to say of Nigeria now? When we were young, we enjoyed Nigeria, but we didn’t know. We thought we would enjoy it better without the Europeans. But now we know that some of our leaders did not learn from the Europeans before they took over. They had programmes and the managed it well; this is the reality. If my children were to have a bit of what we had: Is it the streets where we walked between orchards?; is it the schools where you will go to school in your uniform and return clean?; Is it in the office when you graduate, you have a car waiting for you to do the job?; Is it in the home, you will sleep fine and wake up? What is that you are proud of about Nigeria now? Let somebody tell me! You have heard of light. Then we had Electrical Corporation of Nigeria (ECN). Then we were proud of ourselves in the comity of nations. Our pound, shilling and pens then now Naira and Kobo were enough match for any international currency. Is it educational attainment, any certificate you had in Nigeria you will stand with your equals anywhere. If our people travelled abroad we were honoured. The other time I went to America, I was the only one who carried the Nigerian flag. It was demanded that all of us should come with our national flags. All the other Nigerians that went with me, none did. But God honoured me because they looked down on me as if I was the most corrupt person in that international programme. I was sort of humiliated at the airport let alone in the place. But when they raised my resume, they knew that this person is different. When we lined up to wash the feet of people, it fell on my lot to wash the feet of the most prominent prophet there. Immediately I took her feet, the anointing took over, she landed on the ground. She tried to get up, she landed on the ground again. People began to look and they said that is that man who carried the Nigerian flag. Honour came back. It is people who have purity and integrity that God can support nowadays. At what point did Nigeria began to nose-dive? The trouble started before the Nigerian Civil War. Yes, the one of oil was after Gowon and Co; when they felt that they have gotten enough and nobody should have telephones, this and that. Before the civil war, there was heavy disenchantment in the West – Operation Wetiee. That tribal, regional statement began to be punitive. Like the present administration now has further polarized Nigeria. Before, we were a bit united, at least, believing in our government that we have a Nigerian government. But now, they don’t believe that there is a Nigerian government. That was before the war? Yes. Now this one is before virtually another war, worsening things. That was what triggered it; all these Operation wetiee. What made the Nzeogwus to take over? Was it not this kind of thing: political appointments, when some get in, you put only your tribes men, members of your political party. Was it not what started it then? Then there was a counter coup. The same thing is happening now. We are polarized now more. We were never so divided in tribalism, religion, in government as now. Then it was step one, now its step two. What do you want me to say? It is there in the history book. It is here with us again. Are we at the verge of a revolution? We are in a revolution already. It is only that the powers that be are suppressing them. There's revolution in the North; there is revolution in the East; there is revolution in the West; and also at the center. Didn’t you hear that they are planning a coup? Even in the Niger Delta? I said in the East, not only in the Niger Delta. I told you people the other time that there is no part of Nigeria that is not marginalized. Now that they have found something to vent their spleen, this ranching and that party corruption charge, no! Everywhere now, Boko Haran has not stopped because ISIS are restrategising; they feel that the man who was in league with them did not do well. They asked him to do this; he did that. He was using children and female to bomb. They said don’t do it, he did it. That is why they suffered damage; now they are restrategising. They want Islamic State. Go to the East, you think that they have kept quiet, but they have taken to arms. It is only that their leaders are not pleased with them because it will affect the leadership more now. It could have been easier in the time of Odumegwu Ojukwu because then they had guns and soldiers but now they are not finding it easy. Let truth be told. Even CUTTING BIRTHDAY CAKE: Bishop (Prof.) Leonard Umunna, the celebrant, flanked by some guests, cutting his 62nd birthday cake you yourself here now you are nothing less than unitary. It is not sitting comfortable. You military. The Western side, the are sitting on a keg of gun Eastern side and the Northern powder: any day there is a side, ask them; they were bang you could be thrown off better. After the war, I heard jobs. Instead of promotion it Gowon dividing Nigeria into is a demotion. I told you that 12 states. Later, it became I am not prepared to talk to political division; so that the the press about this government because all the wonder- a state for her parents. And wife of Babangida will have ful good ideas that God gave this time, it didn’t serve the immediately some other purpose again. May be God governments heard that used it to avoid unnecessary Bishop Umunna said this power belonging to the blocs thing fine and God helped and so that it can easily be them. But now you talk and check-mated. But now it has talk it will seem as if you are gone as far as security, to just like others talking. politics. What else do you want? If you want to correct these things, start from the head. What is the solution? Let’s start from the head; that is where the issue starts rotten. Buhari should reshuffle his cabinet. That’s not the head. The head is Buhari himself…. Buhari is the one that invited them. I said let’s start from the head. Buhari should reshuffle his cabinet. He is the head of Nigeria now. He should restructure Nigeria and restructure each ministry; and spread it down the ladder. What do you mean by that? The regional clime was better. You have started federalism; you are running IT was another moment of celebration for the Priests and Religious in Lagos Catholic Archdiocese as members of Serra Club of Maryland gathered friends and well wishers for a dinner with Priests/Religious & Patrons' night in support of the promotion and funding of priestly vocations. The dinner, a forum for the Serra Club of Maryland to review its activities in the past year and sensitize the public to key into the five elements of Serra which include Spiritual growth in Christ, encouragement of church vocations, Religious education, Responsive lay leadership and Association in Should we then go back to the national conference recommendations or a referendum? When I recommended a referendum before the coming in of the Buhari administration, it was good then. But now, I don’t think that a referendum will even agree that we should be together. The current realities will make them to say let’s part our ways. That’s why I am saying restructure. The truth about this is, this nation has refused to take the right advice I gave them. They should change the constitution. Not amend it; change the name. It has a spiritual vibration that will make it to continue like this; striving to progress and not making any head way. If they don’t change the constitution in line with the current reality all the problems we are passing through they are the things that we are to solve forget about oil, this and that. Nobody would want to be cheated. I was coming from Pakistan the other time passing through Dubai, and came back. I said oooo, it is a question of time now that the whole world has opened our eyes, before we see war between the Delta people and the state. Now that oil has been found in Lagos and others are saying they have and this and that; injustice is in the land. They left this land …oh it is for our people, that is the problem. Then I say that there is no nation or state that is oil producing that is not living better than Nigeria. How do you dash me my thing, and tell me to keep quiet? Where the greatest injustice is, is in our nation. The last CAN election has sort of divided Christians in Nigeria.... It is a product of our economy and realities in our nation. Righteousness exalts a nation when you have a right leader at the top. Whether you believe it or not, your foremost leader is an indication of peace. Once there is economic restoration, once there is good leadership at the top, you will see that it will affect CAN; affect Cherubim and Sera-phim, Apostolic Church, Bible Life Church, Roman Catholic and every other church. But the center cannot hold, as Chinua Achebe said, once the kind of thing you are seeing is all about. For that of CAN, let’s see what happened during Jonathan/ Ayo Oritsejafor regime of CAN because politics has come into it. The division is also at the state level; we are further polarized. Buhari has come to polarize Christians more. Some leaders in the North said God said Buhari would win, some other said Buhari would lose and some told Jonathan that God has vowed that he must return. It shouldn’t be so. God is not interested in whether you come from this religion or that to lead this nation. Christians should tread softly on the issue of Ishmaelite will not. Even God allowed an Egyptian, Jeroboam, to rule Israel not to talk of Nigeria. Will President Buhari be the last president of Nigeria? I don’t predict. God has told me to keep quiet. And He has not told me about Buhari. He is the only president that God told me not to say anything. During the time of Jonathan, I wanted to correct him about all his weaknesses, but God said don’t correct him that He has a purpose for which he put him there. Towards the end we saw it. He saved Nigeria from war. But I don’t assure you that there will be no war for now. I don’t assure you that there will be no Nigeria. But going by the pace of things, unless something is done quickly, sorry, one of these days you may ask how is Nigeria and they will ask which part but they can remedy it. Serra Club of Maryland fetes priests and religious By Sam Eyoboka & Olayinka Latona Christian fellowship. The event took place at the McGovern Hall of St. Agnes Catholic Church, Maryland, Lagos and was attended by Catholic faithfuls including the Episcopal Vicar, Lagos Region, Archdiocese of Lagos, Very Rev. Msgr. Bernard Okodua, Dr. Deji Adebayo, Rev. Father Fadairo, friends from different sectors of the economy, relations as well as other guests to show appreciation to the Clergy and the Religious for all they have been doing for the parishioners in general. Admonishing members of the club and other participants to put God first in their under-takings, Rev. Fr. Paul Anyansi who delivered the dinner lecture titled; “Steps to Saint-hood, The example of St. Junipero Serra”, stressed that Christians ought to live a life worthy of emulation at all times. According to him, "St. Serra who was born on November 24, 1713 in a Spanish village of Petra, was a disciplined Christian whose missionary career was to the glory of God and love of humanity. His lifestyle should be an example for us, Junipero Serra totally gave his life for others, and in like manner, God called each one of us to be special and disciplined in our various vocations”. Enumerating some of the past activities of Serra Club of Maryland, the club president, Serran Rose Nzenwa said: “We had a lot of programmes between 2015 and this year. We donated N1 million to the archdiocese for the priests' school fees while the sisters got N500,000. We buy items for them, celebrate their birthdays and their special days. It is a vocation and we don’t normally run away from anything that concerns priests and priesthood.” Continuing, Serran Nzenwa said: “The challenges facing the club are just like any other organization. We are dealing with human beings of different types, sometimes some of them are difficult to handle, some cannot support you when it comes to work”. Serra Club of Maryland is a member of the Serra International, a voluntary association of Catholic lay men and women who dedicate themselves to the fostering and promotion of vocation to the ministerial priesthood and consecrated life. C M Y K
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COLLAPSE OF CEASEFIRE: MEND issues two-week ultimatum

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