Christ Embassy And The Tale Of Two Chrises
We enter a new chapter in the book of
pentecostalism where the hierarchy of one of the
leading pentecostal churches in Nigeria, Christ
Embassy, presents an intriguing twist to the
power-play within the Nigerian axis of
christendom. A few years ago, the membership of
Household Of God was rattled with the story of
Tina’s decision to quit her matrimonial
relationship with its dark and dandy leader, Pastor
Chris Okotie. Tina was his wife for many years.
The public announcement of their divorce made
headlines! Tabloids carrying hotchpotch details of
the break-up saga sold like hot bread. Everybody
wanted to know what led to the collapse of the
marriage between publicity-shy Tina and
grandiloquent Chris. After all the dust raised in the
public domain by the news of her exit from Chris
Okotie’s life, Nigerians are now left with rumours
(not facts) about how they settled themselves out
of court. It will sure be nice to know what Tina is
up to now. At least we know Chris is still doing
what he knows how to do best in Ikeja.
It will interest Nigerians to know that just as Chris
Okotie’s damage-control strategy on Tina’s
decision to leave his household was about to
conclude its carefully plotted course, Chris
Oyakhilome suddenly became the target of his big,
hot and vitriolic grammar! Oyakhilome is Okotie’s
corporate neighbour. Both men run the head-
quarters of their church business in the same
neighbourhood. Both are from former Bendel
State. The two are men of elevated material style.
They command a huge followership of ignorant
God-seeking Nigerians. Hustlers admire, copy and
besiege them. Ladies seek their attention, offering
all that makes them the graveyard of weak men
just to have some special experience of their gold
and platinum-plated private lives! Oh yes, when I
talk of the two Chrises of Christianity in Nigeria, I
refer to these two intelligent, fortunate and
intriguing Nigerian men of Niger-Delta extraction
who have ingeniously created non-oil private
systems that give them titanic and tax-free
access to the ‘national cake’ in the name of God
and Jesus!
Like Pastor Chris Okotie did a few years ago,
Pastor Chris Oyakhilome is now facing a divorce
project initiated by his wife, Anita! Once the Vice-
President of Christ Embassy, Anita sounds like a
wounded lioness roaring in unappeasable
determination to get justice the way she wants it!
Expectedly, a team of sharp-brain lawyers are
preparing for the juicy but herculean task of
convincing a British court to compel Chris
Oyakhilome to settle her handsomely. Stories
spinning out of the rumour-mills tell that Anita is
totally opposed to out-of-court settlement. This
decision, according to a bubbling social cocktail of
eavesdroppers, fabricators, exaggerators, fact-
spreaders and sensationalists, is apparently based
on lessons learnt from her former neighbour’s
experience. Does Anita really mean business? Is
she right to be aiming at securing a large chunk
of the private empire to herself? Why shouldn’t
Anita or anyone who knows how lucrative the
business of stealing in the name of God is demand
for some good piece of the action haven been able
to ingratiate himself or herself deep into the
racket as a loyal or dedicated servant for a long
time? Who wants to be an errand-boy or a sales-
girl forever?
The Tina/Anita episodes in the pentecostal crime-
scene of Nigeria are simply one of the many
proofs of the Godlessness of religion, in this case,
the church! One day you see man and wife smiling
side-by-side on billboard and poster as a faithful
and dedicated pair of church-leaders. A few years
later, wife goes public with a divorce suit against
the same man she once told unquestioning
congregations is her God anointed and appointed
partner in the selfless service of saving lost souls
in His name! Very interesting! How does an
intelligent and an uncolonized brain associate or
relate divine matrimony with divorce? Chris
Oyakhilome and Chris Okotie know better than all
the men, women and children over which they
preside that behind the shine and show of material
fortune runs the stark reality that life demands
much more than cash and charisma for it to yield
its stream of bliss to any human-being. And
whether they like it or not, the truth stands that
the charismatic Chrises of Oregun (in Ikeja)
actually have a whole lot to learn about the nature
of women and about the management of wife,
especially where the sister in question is in the
know of the inner wirings and workings of the
colossal material wealth system that has been
generating the warmth of paradisal luxury in which
she has been swelling for as long as she chooses
to remember! The union between man and wife
succeeds not on the basis of how much the
husband spends or bends to please his wife, but
primarily on the basis of the man’s ability to
develop and maintain high personal spiritual,
mental and moral capacity that can withstand the
stress and strain of the attachment (i.e. woman)
of his choice. In other words, before a man starts
indulging in women, particularly at the level of
matrimony, he must have developed himself to a
level where he can spiritually govern them in
sincere love backed with deep wisdom, otherwise
he is simply gambling!
Digging deeper into the cake of logic and
commonsense as regards the latest fallout from
‘Oregun’, one comes in contact with a familiar
berry whose taste is always sour in the mouth of
religious leaders. That religion is sterile and
fraudulent is a fact that its leaders always avoid!
In any form, religion is parasitic and enslaving! It
serves the interest of those whose conscience is
numb enough to allow them use it to materially
and politically enrich themselves at the expense of
the spiritual development and mental liberty of the
ignorant and needy! Christ Embassy is just one of
the many corporate organizations across the globe
involved in the commerce of selling barren
theology to poor and privileged crowds of seekers
of truth, liberty and divine empowerment! This
particular church has for long been associated
with the public display of miracles. We watched its
head-pastor, Chris Oyakhilome, many times on TV
in the past perform his ‘magic’ on young and old
people, decked in expensive suits and capped with
gleaming jerry-curls amid intermittent choruses
from an enthusiastic bevy of choristers. Part of
the silent message of that serially televised
showbiz was: ‘pastor Chris is being used by God,
he has divine power, come to Christ Embassy and
receive the power of God in your life!’ Pastor Chris
Oyakhilome was (and still is) widely credited with
healing the lame, the blind, the insane etc. Now
that he has a very serious household problem at
hand, are we about to witness another big miracle
by him? What God has put together, let no man
put asunder, so the popular saying goes! Is it
possible for Pastor Chris of Christ Embassy to
deliver his matrimony from the jaws of disaster
with his powers? If yes, why not so far? When? Or
is he indirectly telling us that woman palaver is
immune to divine intervention or that his powers
and public mission are questionable? Yorubas say
that the works and blessings of God are smooth
and painless! How many marriages these days in
our society can survive the test of these granite
words?
One of the salvos that his corporate neighbour,
Pastor Chris Okotie, shot at him in their heated
encounter (allegedly over property) was that he
had his hands soaked in pastor T.B Joshua’s
mystique! He called Chris Oyakhilome a covert
comrade of Joshua, saying that his healing
powers are diabolical purchases made from the
head of the Synagogue of All Nations! What an
interesting accusation that was!
Everything in existence was made by The Creator!
All powers are from Him! Religion preaches good
and bad. There is actually no good and bad in The
Lord’s universe. All we have is good from Him. It
is man who either uses or treats what The
Almighty has created either in a good or in a bad
way! Basically, man’s biggest enemy is man!
Religion, as tame and simple as it appears, is one
of his most notorious inventions! Man fights man
with religion. He sets-up organizations in the
name of past human embodiments of The
Supreme Life-Force of creation (Jesus,
Mohammed etc), claiming the God resides within
their concrete walls. The Urhobos (of the Niger-
Delta) say that ‘it is a foolish man who allows the
disease that killed his fore-fathers to kill him’.
Islam and Christianity were used to rob and rape
those before us. They were used to justify the
gruesome treatment of our fathers and mothers
held in chattel bondage in Europe, the Americas
and in the Arab world. The Pope of the Catholic
Church drew words of blessing from the Christian
bible to encourage the criminal business of
shipping innocent black men, women and children
like common cargo across the wild Atlantic Ocean!
Arabs used (and still use) Islam to seize and
colonize territories. Americans export
pentecostalism as a New Age tool for imperialist
manipulation and control. Their Nigerian agents
and sub-gangs are enjoying every bit of the game!
Unfortunate Nigerians are searching for God, and
organizations like Christ Embassy are offering
everything concoctable from glittering deception to
printed rhapsodies to them instead, peeling
stupendous and tax-free profit off their delicate
skin in the process!
The two dandy Chrises of Oregun are human.
They are mere mortals who are prone to making
mistakes. It is human to err and outrightly
inhuman to keep bleeding people of their hard-
earned income without end! The Law of Karma is
primordial, objective and eternal! Christ Embassy
has no visa for anyone to glide into heaven,
wherever it is! Money is its mantra and Anita
appears to know deeply well how to chant it in
defiance when extremely hurt!

I do get your drift Op but for heaven sake these men are supposed to be icons and mentors to a host of people,I have always been concerned about the high level of exposure to temptation in their services and I have always known this would happen,they also preach as if they were supernatural not men like us...

na wa o.. which kind write up be this? una see wetin ppl don dey talk, does christianity/religion revolve around ur two princes of oregun ? dis no add up jor mods don't dare take this to fp o.

1miccza:
I do get your drift Op but for heaven sake these men are supposed to be icons and mentors to a host of people,I have always been concerned about the high level of exposure to temptation in their services and I have always known this would happen, they also preach as if they were supernatural not men like us...

that holier than thou behavior is the problem with some christians. mi land-lady behaves more or less like a witch buh she always acts as if others are d worst sinners on earth and she's d holy one. as far as i'm concerned, no man is holy jare, not even d senior oga at d vatican..

na wa oooo..so you expect me to read all dis

0p, this write-up is very educative, how I wish these businessmen who call them selves pastors can learn the simple rules of their business, they will thrive well.

as for their followers, some are already deluded while some are getting business from the church. they have no choice but to follow.

it is better still that the church stands even if the marriage doesn't, the church it self is also an employer of labour, some are paying tithe while some are getting their means of livelihood there.

do you know what a bodyguard in Christ embassy earns?

Toyozzie:
na wa oooo..so you expect me to read all dis

Yes, learn to read. There are lots of salient points in that OP you can take to the bank with. Don't be lazy.

Back to the topic,

On point, so Guru sabi yarn better like this. Very educative!

Toyozzie:
na wa oooo..so you expect me to read all dis

you're probably one of their victims,read and be liberated.

Op if you like shout from now till tomorrow,the BRAINWASHED will not hear.

Toyozzie:
na wa oooo..so you expect me to read all dis

so u 1 tell me say u no fit read dis rightup finish? Wot is there that u cannot read?

edogho:
that holier than thou behavior is the problem with some christians. mi land-lady behaves more or less like a witch buh she always acts as if others are d worst sinners on earth and she's d holy one. as far as i'm concerned, no man is holy jare, not even d senior oga at d vatican..

Abi?You rightly called him the senior "oga" at the vatican,an oga is a man and nobody holy pass finally. But they make the whole sttuff to look like after them all it's God.

OP ur head is there..Very educative.wish my people would seek d truth.check hw we all troop out to mosque/church on friday/sunday but yet corruption runs in our blood

baloney!

Banks92:
OP ur head is there..Very educative.wish my people would seek d truth.check hw we all troop out to mosque/church on friday/sunday but yet corruption runs in our blood

true talk my brother