Guests of the General Overseer of Kings in Christ Church, Lagos, Reverend Chidi Anthony, and his wife, were surprised when they were served bottles of choice Champagne at the dedication of their fourth child. ORUKPE NELSON took him up on this and other issues. Excerpts…
What was your growing up like?

I lived a very rough life. I caused my family much pain and my father and mother rained curses on me. I will never blame them for that. And if there is anything like reincarnation, I will like to have another Ochaonuma as my father in the next world. He lived right; not only for me, but the entire family. I made him regret having a son like me.
In what ways did you cause your parent pain?

I was into cult life. I was one of the founding members of Bakassi boys in Aba.  The only thing that saved me is that I got born again before the eviction of Bakassi in Aba. I was vindicated because God delivered me. My friends were killed. I made my father spent money in police stations making cases and trying to get me out of troubles. When I got born again, I realised that I couldn’t go far until my father released me from those curses. I bought drink for him and told him that I was not worthy to be his son; I went like the prodigal son in the Bible.  In fact, I merited more curses but now I have come back to my senses.
What do you mean that you merited more curses?

I was the leader of a fraternity. I started as a member of Ajiagba Mafia. Later, I founded a mafia family, called Mafia Society Squad. My father was a treasurer of my village meeting. This gift of prophecy didn’t start today.  It manifested at the early stages of my life. But the Devil used it negatively such that when I entered a place, something would show me where money or valuables were hidden. I easily found where my father or mother kept money. As evil as I was, I never take little; I used to take the whole thing.

How did you become born-again?

I was awaiting trial when I received my call to ministry. I saw myself preaching in the National Stadium. Then, I was not a church goer, and I wondered how somebody who had not been to church could become a preacher overnight. I said that God was showing me an impossible thing. After I regained my freedom, I went home to Aba, looking bushy. On my way to a barbing saloon, I met Rev. Dr. Madubuike, who told me that I have a call of God. The minister asked me to see him. We met at the Royal Family Church. There, he told me that God said I was the Moses of this generation.

Could you tell us about your prison experience?

I was arrested for a big crime which I committed and was taken to Benue State where I was arraigned before a magistrate court. After the Court Clerk read out my case, a female magistrate swore that she would make sure that justice was meted out. There was enough evidence to prove me guilty as charged. Due to the severity of my case, the court required that only someone who owned a building in the city of Benue would take me on bail. I didn’t have such relation. So, I cried profusely in dock.  No one came to bail me; hence I was kept in prison on awaiting trial. One morning, the warders called me out. I didn’t want to go, because I thought that they wanted to kill me. I later went to the prison pastor, knelt down and asked him to pray for me before I proceeded on the journey of no return. The warders gave me my clothes and I asked them where they were taking me. ‘Thank your God, somebody has bailed you’ one of the warders announced. I looked at the man who came to bail me; I had never seen the person before. I said to him, ‘You risked your property for me, what if I disappear?’ He said, ‘I know you cannot run. I quickly put on my clothes and walked out of the prison before he changed his mind. He told me that he was in court the day I was crying and that the Lord told him that he should not allowed me to perish in prison. I wish I know that man today and I will appreciated him, because God used him to deliver me.
How did you meet your wife?  

Meeting my wife was the best thing that ever happened to me, because it marked the beginning of my breakthrough. In the year 2003, I was invited for a ministration programme at Mbano, Imo State. The brethren in that town had invited me because God had begun to do wonders through my ministry. It was so amazing that about 400 people took turns to see me for counseling. My wife happened to be one of those people I counseled. She had relationship challenge at that time. She later attended another camp meeting the brethren organised. I was praying late at night when other people had retired. When I lifted my head at about 2.00am, I noticed someone else was praying at the far end of the hall. It was the same lady I had counseled. The Spirit told me, ‘That is a wife material’. The next time I saw her was when I dedicated my car at a church service. The spirit told me specifically, ‘This is your wife’. After the ministration, I called her into my office and asked her to marry me.
Did you ever have challenges in marriage?

You know marriage involves the coming together of two people who come from different backgrounds and have varying orientations. My wife had some characters that I was not used to; I had some mannerism which I could not jettison in one day. So we passed through a process of learning to accommodate each other’s short-comings. Misunderstandings came along the way as expected to happen between husband and wife. Now, we have learnt to understand each other. However, the biggest challenge we faced was coping with five years of childlessness. We went to several hospitals and different diagnoses were given. We heard many things from people. Some said that I had low sperm count. Others said my wife was a prostitute and had damaged her womb. But we focused on God. Then I met a special man at a church programme held in Nnewi, Anambra State. He is Chidi Okafor, the current General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God Church Nigeria. I was in that programme because I was confused. I related my problems to him. Having listened patiently, Rev. Okafor asked me, ‘Who called you?’ and I said God. He said, ‘If God called you, be at peace because God cannot abandon you’. He told me to maintain my focus on God and cover my ear with spiritual cotton wool. I believed him and today it has been very well with us.
Today, you dedicated your fourth child, after five years of bareness….

I now have four children, which is my last baby. If God even decide to bless me again with a child, I will say it is enough.

Who decided that you are done with baby making?

No, we agreed together. Two cannot work together except they agree.  Even those days we didn’t have a child, each time we prayed, we told God that we needed four children. I always wished to have three boys and one girl; but God blessed us with two boys and two girls which is a perfect match.

If your wife becomes pregnant again, what will you do?

I am a man of principles; I believe that God cannot give someone what he does not want. He is not an author of confusion. What I need are four kids, and I have talked to God about it. Besides, my wife is already on family planning of 15 years. Before 15 years expires, she will enter menopause.

Do you sometimes help your wife in doing house work?

I cannot prepare tea for myself and it is not pride. I don’t know how to do it. There is a day I tried to fry plantain and egg, but my wife did not encourage me. That day, she laughed me to scorn. She told me in plain terms that I could not fry ordinary plantain. That was not encouraging.
How do you settle your differences as a couple?

We settle our differences without involving a third party. My family doesn’t have issues with my wife, neither do I with her family. We may be having a problem now, immediately someone comes into our house, we will start laughing and when the person leaves the house, we start where we stopped until we settle the dispute amicably.

What position does your wife hold in the church?

She is my General Overseer, the only pastor that can pastor me. You may have noticed that when we wanted to take a decision in church, I said I needed to consult my G.O. Even the child dedication, we took the decision together. We built a large auditorium within months and for three weeks, there was no money but my wife sold her things, I sold my three Sport Utility Vehicles and put all into the church project. I became a foot runner again, but that didn’t bother me. There was no money; but my wife decided that we should do the child dedication first. I thanked God for her life. Truly God did it, people were giving me, I went to the church members; they were giving me money. You saw commissioners, senior military personnel and I am highly favoured. The Bible said that he that found a good wife, found favour before the Lord.

What is the best advice she had ever given to you?

Her best advice is, ‘Beware of friends’. I have partners in progress as members. Many are senior military personnel, top government officials, business persons, professionals… different classes of people.

What does style mean to you?

I like being simple and feel free to associate with people. Some time ago, they would have conceived me to take the bishop title and I had ordered for the regalia. It was then I knew that bishops wear up to nine different clothes. My brother, I nearly suffocated in the regalia, as I tried it on. And I said to myself that if this is all bishop was all about, I don’t need the title. I love to be simple and sometime people don’t recognize me easily because of my attires.
But you built this palatial mansion here?

Mansion? My wife always told me that Daddy has prepared a mansion for her in heaven and I believe her. But I also said to my wife, that if somebody builds my own mansion here on earth, I would give her a very nice room. I always pray that I will go to heaven before her. But if she goes before me she should reserve one room for me in her mansion. But the truth is that one person built this house for me. Somebody I prayed out of trouble decided to build this, this is phase one. I know God will use me to build another edifice; and if you can call this a mansion, I wondered what you will say when the vision comes true. Maybe you will call it heaven on earth.

Why did you throw such a lavish party for child dedication?

If you were in the hospital when my wife was in labour, you would appreciate the situation differently.  My wife battled hell. My wife had died during labour. But we have a covenant of life in our church that no member will die young; we have that covenant with God. She laboured for days and I prayed till I could not pray anymore. I serve a living God. Assuming God did not bring her back, do you know what people would say? They would have said that I used her for ritual. Do you know what it takes to build this type of auditorium in one year and two months? Or to buy a land in this part of Lagos and after building, the GO’s wife and child died? My brother, people will chase me out of Nigeria; but my God have seen my heart. He knows truly that I cannot stand the shame and vindicated me. So I didn’t spent money, we will still do part two of this party.