Former President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and the founder of Word of Life Bible Church, Ayo Oritsejafor, has openly shared his private and gruelling battle with an aggressive form of cancer.
In a video message shared with his congregation, the prominent cleric revealed that he secretly managed intense physical and emotional pain while continuing to preach, smile, and laugh with his members without disclosing his diagnosis.
In the video, he said: "The cancer has spread, there is no hope". The doctors told me to go and return in three months, certain things are not right. I came back home, I was still dancing, I was still helping people, I was still doing my best for God, with cancer living in my body. I was in pain, but I was still laughing."
Ayo Oritsejafor said he travelled to the United States for cancer treatment and chose to appear healthy in public as part of his personal lifestyle.
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He explained that he spent about four months in the U.S. receiving specialised medical care, with his treatment costing around $120,000.
Oritsejafor said the experience changed his outlook, noting that while he recovered and returned to Nigeria, someone he knew who was also battling the same illness around the same time died abroad.
He urged members of his church not to celebrate his recovery in a way that compared him with others who did not survive, saying he believes his healing was due to God's mercy and a personal vow to serve more in ministry.
