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By Lukman Olabiyi
The disciples of the General Overseer of the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries (MFM), Pastor Daniel Olukoya on July 15, put smiles on the faces of widows, widowers and other less-privileged folks. The move was to celebrate the birthday of the popular cleric and his wife.
July 15, which was the birthday of Olukoya and his wife, Pastor Shade Olukoya, was a memorable day for hundreds of widows, elderly people and others who reside in Ojokoro area of Ikorodu and its environs in Lagos State, as they were blessed with foodstuff by the GO’s disciples.
The philanthropic gesture of Olukoya’s disciples, according to them, is the philosophy of their spiritual father and GO, which is bringing joy to the lives of as many people as possible, no matter their class, religion, sect or condition.
The beneficiaries of the Olukoyas’ birthday largesse were not limited to Christians but included Muslims and people of other religions who trooped into the venue where the foodstuff and some books authored by the GO were shared at Ojokoro, Agric, Ikorodu.
On that day, hundreds of people who congregated at the venue of the event were not only blessed with material things but blessed spiritually. They all left the venue beaming with smiles.
Speaking on behalf the MFM GO’s disciples, the regional overseer South South 7, Ikom, Cross River State, Pastor Jesusina Morenikeji gave insight into how the idea was conceptualised and how they gathered funds for the project without any input from the celebrators.
Morenikeji, who is also the leader and coordinator of Online Deliverance Prophetic Prayer and Revival Team (ODPPRT), promised that the project was not going to stop as long as the cleric and his wife remain alive, and that it would be improved upon to cater to a larger number of people in the society every year.
He said the positive impact of the project goes beyond giving material things to the people, noting that the spiritual blessings people received were of greater heights.
According to him, many people that gave their lives to Christ was a big achievement and God Is going to record it in the accounts of the celebrants for their good deed in the world.
“Today, July 15, happens to be the birthday of our father and mother in the Lord, Mr. and Mrs. Olukoya. Having worked under these good leaders for the past 23 years as pastor, as minister, I have carefully observed their lifestyles and their leadership traits. I discovered that they are givers, philanthropists, and have done many corporate social responsibility things, positively affecting millions of lives both in Nigeria and outside Nigeria.
“And today being July 15, three years ago, the God gave me a vision to celebrate our father in the lord. Three years ago, we had online praises session for them. Two years ago too, we did the same thing and last year, we did the same thing. But this year 2022 is a pragmatic step because our father in the lord, Dr. D k Olukoya is 65 and our mother in the lord is also a year plus as well.
“So, I felt this thing having been done for three years, I needed to take it to another level, and I remember that one of the attributes of these father and mother is that they are givers. So I decided to put funds together by mobilising other sons and daughters of the celebrants to give back to the society.
“Unfortunately, the way we are in this country, there is hunger in the land , so I felt it will be good on the day of their birthday to do something that will have impact on the less privileged. “Hunger does not know tribe, hunger does not know religion. So we threw it open for everybody and we believe this is the best way to celebrate our father and mother in the lord because being cheerful giver and philanthropist, we have to follow their footsteps and continue to affect people positively.
“Today, the response of people makes us feel happy. Truly, there is hunger in the land. What we initially target is 500 people but as you can see, our target is less than the number of people that are still trooping in for the largesse. So, next year by the grace of God, we will do more,” he said.
Many of the beneficiaries could not hide their feeling as they prayed whole heartedly for the cleric and his wife.
An elderly man, who identified himself as John, said the foodstuff meant a lot to him because it would go a long way in feeding his family. He prayed for Pastor Olukoya, his wife and the family.
A woman, Anna who claimed she was a widow, said she was just passing by in the area when she got wind of the project and decided to check what was happening at the venue.
She expressed her joy for the spiritual blessing and the foodstuff, even as she thanked the organisers for their kindness.
Another woman, Funke who came all the way from Igbogbo to the programme, said she was called by a friend who she had earlier cried to for help due to the condition of her family .
“My friend knows quite well that me and my family are suffering because we have nothing to eat. When I was asked to come over, I had no money for transport. But she told me to borrow, that she would give me money. Thank God that I was not disappointed, I pray to God to continue to bless the celebrants and their children,” she said.
