Christopher Oghenebrorie Okotie (born 16 June 1958) is a Nigerian televangelist and the pastor of the Household
of God Church International Ministries, a Pentecostal[1] congregation in Lagos
since February 1987.
Personal
life
Okotie was born to Francis Idje and
Cecilia Okotie, in Ethiope-West, Delta State (then Bendel State). As a growing child, he always
loved to sing. While in secondary school at Edo College, Benin City, he
belonged to the school's Music Club and usually entertained groups of people.
He never considered commercialising his talent until his first year at
university, when his father died. His hobbies include jogging, martial arts and
music.
Education
and career
He attended secondary school at Edo College, Benin City. In 1984, he graduated with a degree
in law from the University of Nigeria
at Nsukka. Okotie abandoned his schooling for a
while to pursue a pop music career before his returning abruptly.[2] Okotie married twice and announced he
has separated from his second wife on June 24, 2012.
He returned to school to complete
his education and graduated with a law degree. Whilst undergoing law school he
interrupted his schooling again to begin his religious ministries. Okotie
attended the Grace Fellowship Bible School in Tulsa,
Oklahoma, and, soon after, established the
Household of God Ministry.
In 1990, Okotie established the
annual Karis Awards, hosted by his church, to recognize and financially reward
Nigerian citizens.[citation needed]
Grace
programme/Karis Award
The GRACE Program/ Karis Award is an
annual charity event hosted at the church where he pastors; The HouseHold of
God International Ministries, Lagos. The guiding philosophy being that
greatness does not consist in being great but in the ability to make others
great. The Karis Award gives recognition to, while financially rewarding
Nigerians who had offered distinguished service to the nation, but are not
recognized nor rewarded for their contributions to the nation building. Some
recipients are, Prof. Chike Obi, the mathematician (1996), D.I.G. Chris Omeben,
a retired policeman (1997), Mr. Taiwo Akinwunmi who designed the national flag
(1998), Hogan Bassey, former Commonwealth and World boxing champion (1999),
Chief Michael Imodou, the Labour leader (2000), Chief Margaret Ekpo (2001), nationalist and woman
activist, Mallam Aminu Kano, nationalist (2004)and Isaac Adaka Boro, human
rights activist (2005).[citation needed]
The GRACE Program also makes regular
cash and material contributions to charity organizations such as the SOS
Children Village, the Sunshine Foundation, Pacelli School for the Blind and
Partially Sighted and Little Saints Orphanage, Spinal Cord Injuries Association
of Nigeria, and The Childcare Trust.[citation needed]
Wealth
Presidential
runs
Okotie first ran for the President
under the banner of the Justice Party (JP), led by Ralph Obiorah after he was
schemed out of the National Democratic Party (NDP) primaries elections; he lost
to Olusegun Obasanjo
in the May 2003 elections. He ran again in 2007 on the platform of a party he
founded, Fresh Democratic party, FRESH and lost to Umaru Yar'Adua in the May 2007
elections. Then in 2011, he ran and lost to the President Goodluck
Jonathan.[4]
Publications
Okotie has published books and is a
regular contributor to several Nigerian newspapers.
- The Last Outcast (Best selling book, 2001)
- A terror war beyond hashtags
- A conference of geriatrics
- In search of game changers
- Power shift: what my readers say
- Why Vision 20:2020 became a lost cause
- State policies and prophetic solutions
- Adadevoh and the Ebola crisis
- A Government stuck in timing response snafu
- This present assault on education
- Rage over villaleaks et al
- Time to shift Governance paradigm
- 2015: Imperative of the paradigm shift option
- ASUU strike: implications of political infidelity
- Counting the cost of insecurity
- The looming demographic time bomb
- Reclaiming Nigeria's lost hope
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