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By Cosmas Omegoh
Rev. Fr. Paul Okoromi might be a priest of a different hue. Those who are beginning to know him wonder what manner of person he is. Some say he is many things rolled into one. Some say he is multi-talented. Yet some say he is a restless fellow. You make up your mind on what he is.
Fr. Okoromi is a priest of the Oblates of St Joseph based in Abeokuta, Ogun State. But between when he became a Catholic priest and now, he has become so many things to so many people, including those who call him a restless fellow, who surprises everyone, including himself.
“Yes, I’m restless,” he exploded with a bout of laugher, adding “I’m still in my 30s. I need to put all the energy I have now into use; let it be working. When I get old, I might not be able to accomplish anything more.
“One thing is this: It is difficult not to do anything that is in you. Not doing what is inside you will make you restless.”
At the moment, Fr. Okoromi is a herbal doctor. He took his time to attend a herbal school from where he graduated. Now, he is a licensed herbal medicine practitioner. He runs his own flourishing herbal outfit: PDO Herbal Clinic.
He is sought after by those who find healing using his remedies. They recommend him to others in search of cure.
When Fr. Okoromi is not out there exercising his priestly office, he might be somewhere in the thick bush hunting for leaves, roots and barks to prepare his remedies.
Fr. Okoromi is also an agriculturist. Before his ordination, he attended an agric college – Offer Agriculture Institute – based in Osun State from where he graduated. At home, he keeps some poultry; he rears some other animals too. Now, he is itching to actualise his poultry and fishery plans if only he will raise funds for the venture. Okoromi finds time to teach in his Oblates of St Joseph formation house in Abeokuta, contributing his quota to raising future priests for the Catholic Church.
Also, Fr. Okoromi is a talented musician and song writer, gifts he says run in his sinew.
His latest gospel offering: “I’m grateful,” will hit the airwaves soon.
According to him, his first attempt with his friend, Nonso, was billed to debut about the time the popular Danfo Driver hit the market.
He, Nonso and the Danfo Driver exponent were to be signed on by Cornerstone label at that time, but they later dropped the idea to answer: “Lord here we are,” to their Creator whose call is far more compelling.
Now, many years down the line, Fr. Okoromi is out there still exploring, launching out deep and wide, although he insisted that priesthood is the daddy of all his callings.
“I like to do new things,” he told Sunday Sun in an encounter, again exploding with wide laughter as he spoke.
“To tell you the truth, music is not new to me.
“I tell you something, before I was admitted into the Oblates of St Joseph, there was this point when our creativity was tested. They want to know what one could do. In my own case, there was a song I wrote then; that was what I presented to be admitted.
“All through my days in the seminary school, I was noted for my songs. Anytime there was a chance to sing, I was always the one put forward. So, I have been singing for a long time.
“When I was through with my Bachelor of Philosophy, my friend Nonso and I were signed by Cornerstone records, alongside the Danfo Driver crooner.
“How did it begin? While I was working in one of the parishes in Lagos as a seminarian, one of my friends, Nonso, now a priest working in the UK, and I teamed up.
“Cornerstone records actually signed us up. We did a lot of songs – 10 on the whole – he sang five while I sang five. We collaborated.
“What we had then was all gospel songs; we called our brand Afro gospel: pidgin, Igbo, Edo, and English songs.
“But at some point, we backed off to answer fully to our Father’s calling. We talked about discovering ourselves the more even after a video of the song had been done. Sadly, the songs were not released.
“But, what I have done now is entirely new.
“I’m grateful is a song of thanksgiving; it is a song of gratitude – it is classical.
“The video has been done; we are waiting for the release. That is where we are now.
“At every point in our lives, we have to be grateful. All through the year, our lives ought to be that of gratitude to God. Even if there is nothing to celebrate there must be a way to do so.”
At the moment, Fr. Okoromi is collaborating with a singer, Chidinma Ezike, also called Chinel, as his backup artist; she has been instrumental to the successes he has so far recorded.
“I met Fr. Okoromu when he visited our church – Queen of All Saints Catholic Church in Afromedia, Okokomaiko.
“There, I was a member of the choir. I sing auto and tenor. I began singing at seven.”
Looking back, she recalled: “I have backed up gospel artists like Femi Balogun, Gbenga Adenuga. And for Fr. Okoromi, I have been with him for some time now. It is great working together.”
Fr. Okorumi’s week is always loaded to the hilt. As a priest, he must celebrate daily and weekly Holy Masses. Yet, he finds time to teach in his congregation’s formation house. He also goes searching for raw materials for his herbal enterprise. He writes his songs, and finds time to visit the studio to sing them. He also tends to his few animals, in addition to responding to people’s needs as a herbal doctor and priest.
Now, the question is: What is the connection between all of these?
Fr. Okoromi has the answer: “All that I do are connected. I’m in the work of healing as a priest and herbal doctor. I help train priests so that they too can have compassion towards mankind. Then I sing. Singing and songs bring healing.
“Let’s go to the scripture. David at some point was playing the harp to King Saul when the later was having health issues. Whenever David played the harp, King Saul got relief.
“So, all that I do are connected.
“There are times when we feel stressed out, depressed. All what we need at that time may not be medicine. We need cool music which relaxes the nerves. So, everything is connected to the work of healing of the mind and the soul.
“When you link that to my song, ‘I’m grateful,’ you find a lot of relief. God has been gracious no matter how much we think our problems are.
“In Nigeria at the moment, we need a lot of healing, a lot of relief from our present predicaments.”
Recalling how he launched into agribusiness, he said: “When I finished my course in Philosophy on the road to becoming a priest, there were these two to three years one was out of school. I used the opportunity to attend Offer Centre Institute of Agriculture in Osun State, owned by the Catholic Archdiocese of Ibadan. Upon graduation, I obtained a certificate in agribusiness.
“The priest in charge of the school then, the late Rev. Fr. Mark Olatunji, taught me a big lesson I will never forget.
“When I went there, the first time, I was not happy. But today, I’m happy I was there to study. I studied every aspect of agriculture – cropping, animal rearing, fishery etc.
“Now, I teach agriculture in the seminary in an informal setting. But I don’t have a farm; I keep some poultry.
“I recall Fr. Olatunji saying to me: ‘Paul, one day, money from other sources will be drying up, and you will have to depend on yourself to survive.’
“Right now, the world is changing; we used to receive donor funding before from overseas, but that source is now drying up. So, the move for self sustenance is key. My congregation is looking forward to establishing a farm.”
The story of how he became a herbal doctor is as strange as fiction itself.
In a previous encounter, he recalled: “While I was working in Abuja, I always contemplated on what to do to touch lives more. Then I was transferred to Abeokuta.
“Shortly after resuming in Abeokuta, I was driving one day when I saw ‘African College of Traditional Medicine, Abeokuta,’ so I became curious.
“I’m an adventurous person; I always want to learn new things. So, I just drove into the premises. I told them I wanted to learn herbal medicine.
“Coincidentally, the owner of the institute is the chairman, of herbal medicine practitioners in Ogun State, and also a member of National Association of Traditional Medicine Practitioners.
“I told them I wanted to enroll as a student. I didn’t tell them I was a priest because I felt there might be details they would hide from me if I told them.
“The day they knew I’m a priest was the day of our graduation.”
He sees himself as jack of all trades and master of all, but insisted that priesthood is everything to him.
“It is a platform for all other things,” he said, maintaining that “singing is all about working for God and humanity.
“Being humane is all about attending to the needs of human beings, impacting and responding to their needs; the message of reality.”
