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| •Ohiorenoya and his wife |
He is one of the associates of late Archbishop Benson Idahosa for close to 30 years and one of the outstanding Bible teachers in Nigeria. Speaking with Saturday Sun on his 60th birthday, Dr. Mike Ohiorenoya went down the memory lane to reveal his journey so far in his challenges and successes in life.
The minister who has laboured in God’s house for about 40 years has a major regret in life. And if he were to be given a second chance, he would have invested most of the years he put into consultancy and academia into working full time for God as a preacher.
“I believe there is no mistake in anything God allows in the life of every child of God. But one thing I think I should have done differently is my timing to serve God on full time. I believe I would have covered more ground with those years I was sharing my ministry with vocation job and professional consultancy”, he said.
Bullied child
Although I enrolled in school at a young age and had double promotion, my academic progression was still longwinded and I ended up spending seven years instead of six years which became the vogue a year or two later. Most of my classmates were much older than me; the youngest after him was about three years my senior and some were actually eight years my senior. The consequence was that I was bullied into submission and thereby became a recluse in class. This affected my performance as timidity had the better of him to an extent that even if I knew the answer to a question, I would not summon the courage to volunteer it.
“When I was in standard three, an ailment kept me away from school for a year only to resume the following year to discover that my classmates had advanced to a higher class. I was therefore forced to repeat standard one where my classmates were mainly people of my age.
Conversion and career
My Christian race started in my secondary school days in 1969. I attended the Scripture Union Fellowship where a lecturer from the University of Ibadan preached on the parable of the sower. The message really touched my heart and I surrendered to the Lord Jesus Christ. A friend introduced me to Church of God Mission in Benin in 1970. When I got there, I saw this man-Idahosa-preaching and dancing with his might and excitement. I was immediately attracted to his charisma. His preaching and church services were quite different from the rampant cold ways of worshipping then. Of course, Idahosa was at the fore of preachers that God used to put life into Christianity in this country. I have since remained a member, and later I became a pastor of Church of God Mission.
After my education, I had a stint at the University of Benin as a lecturer and at the University of Lagos as a Senior Lecturer (associate Professor). I also served as a consultant to many banks and financial Institutions and the United Nations on Information Systems. While doing all these, I was also serving as a pastor until the year 200I I surrendered to leave all other things to serve Him full time.
My family and I
In 1973, which was my penultimate year in the University, I met a loving sister called Mary Moka during a fellowship at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH). She was the Secretary General of the fellowship and I was a president of ECU, University of Benin. It was our first meeting but her presence made an impression on me, which my friend who attended the programme with me also confirmed. From there, one thing led to the other and we got married in February 1976 after my National Youth Service Corps programme, while she was concluding her Midwifery course at the UBTH.
I still love her and I used to tell her that she looks the same way I saw her about 34 years ago we met. She is as still a loving, humble wife and a good cook she used to be. She has been my co-traveler in all the experiences I had in life and ministry.
She knows that 1 really love her, but like an every woman who is given to worry, the usual complaint is that I have not been expressing my love as I ought to. We are blessed us with three biological children, a girl Ebohitai, two boys Ohikhokhai and Oisamagbo and many spiritual children as well.
Why I left Church of God
“I was with the Church of God for over 30 years before I had to heed God’s call to start a new work under Covenant Hope Ministries in 2006. It was not easy because at my age then, many wondered, how at my age, close to 60, I could cope with planting a new ministry having spent about 40 years serving in another ministry. But as the name of the Church goes, it was a covenant of obedience to God’s word. And I thank God because He has been faithful to His promise to keep the ministry growing with no stress.
Touched by great minds
I get inspired each time I read about the minds of great men. The lives of John Wesley and Martin Luther King Jr. especially really influenced my life positively. John Wesley was a man of great enthusiasm, and doggedness. One of his quotes that used to spark fire in me is: ‘Catch on fire with enthusiasm and people will come from miles to watch you burn.’ He demonstrated and fought slave trade to a standstill even though William Wilberforce is most credited with the success maybe because of political backing. And reading about Martin Luther King Jr. is another ball game. Aside from his oratory power, I so much admire his free spirit. Martin Luther was not a racist and never discriminated against anybody throughout his life. ‘I have dream’ was one of his celebrated speeches,
Passion for Idahosa
There are many Nigerian leaders I hold in high esteem, but Idahosa stood out. Not really because of his status, even though he was like nobody when I met him, but what drew me to him was his charisma. He was a leader of leaders. He really understood how to relate with human beings and had the gift of bringing out the best from whoever he got in contact with. If for example you discuss what someone did or said against Idahosa or you to somebody to him you would be surprised that he would be dealing with the person in the affectionate way.
I love to be around people who are endowed with infectious character but people who are not straightforward put me off. I don't like when I’m at loss of how to place you or your word.
Happy times
I have had so many happy moments. For example, I had a very wonderful childhood and like every young man and woman, my wedding day was one of my happy moments and each time we had a new child was a high point in my life.
To the glory of God, I have had the far easier avenues and opportunities to make money to become a billionaire in the secular world. And if it is fame, I had opportunities thrust upon me to be well known in my profession but I turned my back on them. All these came soon after my doctorate degree. My external examiner, Prof. John Anderson of King's College Hospital, London who is a renowned Medical Computer Scientist, described my theses as "one of the few good theses in recent times.
But despite all these, I have come to discover that one of my best decisions so far is to serve in the Lord’s vineyard. I have to experience utmost peace while serving God. Even with about 40 years as a pastor, I wish I had embraced full time ministry earlier. Although it was not easy doing so in 2001. Traveling abroad d
this is a great testimony brother Mike one!!!
ReplyDeletelawumi