Nigeria: The Many Sides of Popular Evangelist, Ebuka Obi

5 August 2024

He took over the religious sphere in the country like a thunderstorm. His entry was heralded with uncountable tales of wonders and miracles. Yet, discordant tunes still dogged his path. His towering reputation and stature were such that believers and non-believers thronged to his ministry to witness his activities. Some came out shouting eureka while some ended up pointing, accusing fingers at him alleging all sorts of fake things.

Life

The life and times of Chukwuebuka Anozie Obi, now referred to as Evangelist Ebuka Obi is simply a refreshingly fairy story told. He was born in a village called Ogidi in the 80'swith a twin brother called Engineer C.C. Obi. He had a very different childhood from his siblings because of the grace of his life. At the age of eight, he started discovering he could see into the realm of the spirit, something which is not common for someone his age.

When he was 12 yrs old, he accompanied Late Rev Father Luke Odinkemere to exorcisms and would often point to different locations where diabolical objects were buried under ground and then Fr. Luke will instruct them to dig, and they will find that what Ebuka Obi said was true. Amongst the many gifts he had was the ability to tell pregnant women the gender of their unborn children. Ebuka Obi's parents were worried their child was not like other children and wanted to control the trajectory of their child's life but late Father Luke Odinkemere advised them that nothing was wrong with their child; that he was a gifted child who God will use mightily in his generation.

Vow of celibacy

Late Rev. Fr. Luke Odinkemere became a mentor to Ebuka Obi and he impacted his lifestyle in general. He played a huge role in the consecrated lifestyle of Ebuka Obi until he passed. He made Ebuka Obi at the age of 12 take a vow of chastity (not to have sex) till he got married, not to leave the Catholic Church and not to be money minded. These vows shaped the life of the young man that he even, in a bid to make sure he kept the rules, avoided women at all costs including his sisters.

The journey of Evangelist Ebuka Anozie Obi to Zion Ministry is one filled with a lot of encounters and sacrifices. He was known to shut down his successful business as instructed by the Holy Spirit and go into full-time ministry, a move which made his family question his move. This is bound to affect any young man when at the beginning of his ministry, he felt all alone in his move to stop all projects like his personal story building project in his family and his cable business at Idumota Lagos.

Life of prayers

Ebuka Obi has always remained true to his calling and ministry and is known to massively help the poor. His life is replete with prayers, fasting, abstinence, giving, and often separating him to visit monasteries and deserts to pray. Ebuka Obi's upbringing is not a secret and can easily be verified since his parents are still alive and the community where he grew up have testified to the incredible anointing upon him.

Persecution

There have been reports of both threats to his life and countless attacks both from the clergy of the same faith as him and from other denominations. His prophecies with instant solutions have been criticized, and the miracles have been tagged fake yet, the crowd keeps increasing. These attacks would make one wonder; what has Ebuka Obi done to attract the level of hatred and jealousy from men of God who one will expect to be happy that God is raising sons since the harvest is many and laborers are few. Has he taken another's wife? Is his preaching a different doctrine? I have not seen anyone come out with a tangible reason as to why Ebuka Obi should not be allowed to breathe and serve God and humanity in peace.

Notable Testimonial

The grace of God upon the life of Ebuka Obi has touched countless lives globally. He has so many sons who can confidently testify how their lives have changed drastically. One of his adherents, Chibueze Eugeneike popularly known as 'Akunatakasi confessed that he is amongst the numerous beneficiaries of the graces upon the life of Ebuka Anozie Obi.

He came to Zion, shattered, battered, and broken from the challenges of life. He came to Zion wearing the only clothing he possessed at the time. But after his encounter with Evangelist Ebuka Obi, he is now one of the notable billionaires in Zion Ministry. He is now a known philanthropist who has a heart of gold for helping the poor.

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