The
story of Apostle Chibuzor Gift Chinyere, General Overseer of Omega
Power Ministry Worldwide (OPM) is likely to provide the needed tonic
that will ginger you to call the bluff of life’s challenges and succeed.
The
clergyman’s life experience and eventual journey to the top is also
likely to serve as a spinal transplant for those who have lost the
backbone of focus and determination.
Incidentally, his church
also holds out hope for the less privileged including prostitutes to
acquire skills that will enable them live decent lives.
Up till
2004, Apostle Chinyere whose church rates as one of the largest in
Rivers State, lived in the valley of life. For years, he lived under the
bridge at the Ogudu area of Ojota in Lagos. Later, he moved to Diobu,
generally regarded as Port Harcourt’s Ajegunle.
Within that same period, he eked out living from selling GSM re-change cards.
By
dint of divine touch and handwork, Apostle Chinyere now shepherds
hundreds of thousands of faithfuls and has left no avenue unexplored to
give hope to the hopeless.
In recent years, his church has spread
the gospel of hope to the shanties of Port Harcourt, Prison yards and
brothels within and outside the Rivers State capital.
The
Christian organization runs free computer programmes for less privileged
slum dwellers, prison inmates and prostitutes. This is aside the free
schools and other skill acquisition schemes of the church for its
members and non-members alike.
Speaking recently at the
graduation of about 120 persons who went through its five-month Diploma
Course in computer and Information Technology organized for residents of
Bundu Waterfront, one of the Port Harcourt slums, the clergyman said
his heart goes to the poor because he was one of them.
“I want to
touch the lives of the less privileged. I was living under the bridge,
an ordinary re-charge card seller. I have real feelings for the less
privileged and that is why I want to empower them.
“Since God did
it for me, I believe he would make some others very great. We are doing
what we do for those who cannot pay back”.
Apostle Chinyere told Daily Sun that the church chose Bundu Waterside because it is populated by the less privileged.
“There
is high level poverty there. I will not do it in GRA because people in
GRA have money to go to school. “Go there (Bundu) and see how people are
living. People live near waterside, inside shanties. I feel for them,
having remembered how I was some years ago, and wish to give them the
best of computer education.
“For sustainability of the
programme, we have given many of them employment. We have so many Chief
Executives in the church and we have referred so many of the
beneficiaries of the programme to places to work. So, as we speak with
these employers, they employ them”.
The OPM General Overseer
explained that the various empowerment programmes of the church are open
to members and non-members of the church. He advised the youth within
and around the state to avail themselves of the programme and become
gainfully employed.
He assured that although the various programmes gulp several millions of Naira, the church would not be deterred.
“The challenges are so much because the project runs into millions of Naira but we won’t stop.
“We
have even gone ahead to offer 26 scholarships in Abia State. A few days
ago, the church offered another 36 scholarships, one recipient from
each of the 36 States of the Federation to study to any level in the
university”.
He frowned at the
high school fees being charged by many educational institutions owned by
religious organizations in the country and accused the church of
contributing far below expectation to national development.
“A
lot of churches have not done enough. If you look around, you will find
some churches that build schools and their fees are unbelievably too
high for the poor.
“That
is why OPM started building schools. We give them school uniforms, free
books and they don’t pay school fees. They just come to school and
learn”.