Christopher Oghenebrorie Okotie (born 16 June 1958) is a Nigerian

televangelist Televangelism (wikt:tele-, tele- "distance" and "evangelism," meaning "Christian ministry, ministry," sometimes called teleministry) is the use of media, specifically radio and television, to communicate Christianity. Televangelists are minister ...

and the pastor of the Household of God Church International Ministries, a

Pentecostal Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement

congregation in

Lagos Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the List of cities in Africa by population, second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national ca ...

since February 1987.

Personal life

Okotie was born to Francis Idje and Cecilia Okotie, in Ethiope-West, Delta State (then

Bendel State The Mid-Western Region was a division of Nigeria from 1963 to 1991, from 1976 being known as the Bendel state. It was formed in June 1963 from Benin and Delta provinces of the Western Region, and its capital was Benin City. It was renamed a pro ...

). 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 Edo College is a secondary grammar school in Benin City, Nigeria, the oldest in the Mid-Western Region. It was established in February, 1937 and started as the Benin Middle School with forms, I, II and III. In April 1937, the school, with a total ...

Benin City Benin City is the capital and largest city of Edo State, Edo State, Nigeria. It is the fourth-largest city in Nigeria according to the 2006 census, after Lagos, Kano (city), Kano, and Ibadan, with a population estimate of about 3,500,000 as of ...

. In 1984, he graduated with a degree in law from the

University of Nigeria The University of Nigeria, commonly referred to as UNN, is a federal university located in Nsukka, Enugu State, Eastern part of Nigeria. Founded by Nnamdi Azikiwe in 1955 and formally opened on 7 October 1960, the University of Nigeria has thr ...

at Nsukka. Okotie abandoned his schooling for a while to pursue a pop music career before his returning abruptly. 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 Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the U.S. state, state of Oklahoma and List of United States cities by population, 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. ...

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

, 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.

Corona Virus

When the government of Nigeria declared the reopening of churches in August 2020 but made it compulsory for members to put on their nose masks or face shield, Pastor Okotie condemned the idea of using face shield claiming it would be a reversal of the veil that was broken on the day

Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, names and titles), was ...

died and therefore creating a separation between men and God.

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,

. 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 Chike Obi (April 17, 1921 – March 13, 2008) was a Nigerian politician, mathematician and professor. The African Mathematics Union suggests that he was the first Nigerian to hold a doctorate in mathematics. Dr. Obi's early research dealt mainl ...

, the mathematician (1996), D.I.G. Chris Omeben, a retired policeman (1997), Mr. Taiwo Akinwunmi who designed the national flag (1998),

Hogan Bassey Hogan "Kid" Bassey MBE MON (3 June 1932 – 26 January 1998) was a Nigerian-British boxer; he was the first man of Nigerian descent to become a world boxing champion. He was born Okon Asuquo Bassey on the banks of the Cross River, Creek Tow ...

, former Commonwealth and World boxing champion (1999), Chief Michael Imodou, the Labour leader (2000), Chief

Margaret Ekpo Chief Margaret Ekpo (27 July 1914 – 21 September 2006) was a Nigerian women's rights activist and social mobilizer who was a pioneering female politician in the country's First Republic and a leading member of a class of traditional Nigerian ...

(2001), nationalist and woman activist, Mallam Aminu Kano, nationalist (2004)and

Isaac Adaka Boro Major Isaac Jasper Adaka Boro (10 September 1938 – 9 May 1968), fondly called "Boro", was a Nigerian nationalist, Ijaw, and soldier. He was one of the pioneers of minority rights activism in Nigeria. He was many parts and different things t ...

, human rights activist (2005). 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.

Wealth

In 2011, ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...

'' estimated his net worth at US$3–10 million.

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 Chief Olusegun Matthew Okikiola Ogunboye Aremu Obasanjo, , ( ; yo, Olúṣẹ́gun Ọbásanjọ́ ; born 5 March 1937) is a Nigerian political and military leader who served as Nigeria's head of state from 1976 to 1979 and later as its pres ...

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 Umaru Musa Yar'Adua (16 August 19515 May 2010) was a Nigerian politician who, was the President of Nigeria from 2007 to 2010. He was declared the winner of the Nigerian presidential election held on 21 April 2007, and was sworn in on 29 May 20 ...

in the May 2007 elections. Then in 2011, he ran and lost to the President

Goodluck Jonathan Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan (born 20 November 1957)Lawson Heyford, ''The Source'' (Lagos), 11 December 2006. is a Nigerian politician who served as the President of Nigeria from 2010 to 2015. He lost the 2015 presidential election to fo ...

Controversies

Okotie had a public spat with fellow Nigerian cleric

T.B. Joshua Temitope Balogun Joshua (12 June 1963 – 5 June 2021), popularly known as T. B. Joshua, was a Nigerian charismatic pastor, televangelist, and philanthropist. He was the leader and founder of Synagogue, Church of All Nations (SCOAN), a Chris ...

, referring to him as a 'deceptive magician'.

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''

References

External links

Household of God Church websiteFresh Democratic Party websiteRev Chris Okotie website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Okotie, Chris 1958 births Living people People from Delta State Nigerian evangelicals Nigerian television evangelists Fresh Democratic Party politicians Candidates in the Nigerian general election, 2003 University of Nigeria alumni Nigerian Pentecostal pastors Delta State politicians