t’s no news that religious organisations across Nigeria own and run football clubs, what is news is that the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries, MFM, has become the first church team to qualify to play in the prestigious Nigeria Premier League, reports Ilugbekhai Emmanuel

THIS is coming nearly two decades since Lagos State last had a team in the elite division of Nigerian football. All credit must go to Dr Daniel Kolawole Olukoya, the General Overseer of one of the largest pentecostal churches in Africa, a man whose large appetite for empowering the youth is legendary. The world is aware of his regular scholarship awards to first class graduates from various tertiary institutions ‎who are members of MFM scattered across the universe.

He took this a notch higher with his Youth Repositioning Agenda, a divine instruction he received from God in 2006 with the birth of a football competition amongst MFM branches across Africa. Sports was part of his 70 point-agenda for youths.

Four years into the competition, precisely 2011, MFM got into the amateur ‎League Two. And a season later, the team gained promotion to amateur division one.

But while getting ready for the new season, there was a divine promotion to the more illustrious Nigerian Division One League, which is one step lower than the Nigerian Premier League.

This opportunity came in 2013 when Alhaji Toyin Gafaar, proprietor of famed Ikorodu side, Bolowotan football club, gave up his place in the NNL to MFM.

“I had to take a decision which was, firstly, listening to what God was saying to me to give my pet club to an organisation that would take very good care of it. The choice was obvious, it had to be MFM,” explained Gafaar.”Secondly, Lagos needed a team in the Nigerian Premier League in no distant future and I was confident that MFM can do it.

“I had this at the back of my mind, the reason I rejected millions offered me to sell it to clubs outside Lagos. Looking back now, I thank God I took the right decision. They have just gained promotion to play in the NPL which is a dream that has come to pass for me,” noted the football enthusiast.

With a strong financial base, moral and spiritual backing of Dr Olukoya, the sky was going to be the starting point for MFM FC.

According to Godwin Enakhena, who is the chairman of MFM FC, the team was condemned to doing very well because of the support from its financiers.

“From 2007 when MFM FC was founded, Dr Olukoya has not stopped giving us all we need to excel.

“With a befitting hostel, regular payment of salaries, feeding of the players and their officials, the boys knew they had to deliver. A testament of how well motivated the players were manifested in December 2014 when MFM emerged the first church to win the maiden Church World Cup in Goa, India.

“Gaining promotion to play in the Nigerian Premier League is a dream come through for us all at MFM,” concluded the sports journalist.

An obviously delighted chairman of Lagos State Football Association, Barr Seyi Akinwunmi, also expressed his delight on the promotion of MFM FC to the premier league.

“I’m very happy for Lagosians and by extension the FA and MFM that after 23 years absence, football is back in Lagos. Truth is, if I decide to quit this post today, I will be satisfied because football is back in Lagos.”

‎For MFM, the team’s promotion to the NPL is one achievement that has caught the attention of the world in the last two weeks.

Aside loads of goodwill messages, the management of MFM FC has revived tons of coaching applications from coaches within and outside Nigeria who want to lead the newest baby in Nigerian football.

The number one football person in Nigeria, Amaju Pinnick, who is the president of Nigeria Football Federation, was at MFM’s Yaba headquarters on Sunday to celebrate with the church.

Pinnick, who described MFM FC’s rise to the top of Nigerian football as a model for others to follow, promised to support the church to ensure it stays at the pinnacle of football for a long time.

“MFM has made history as the first church to qualify to play in the Nigerian Premier League, this is commendable. I salute the General Overseer, players and officials of the team for this youth development policy. I urge other religious organisations to borrow a leaf from MFM.”

‎It is on record that MFM FC produced players for the Nigerian under 17 side, popularly called the Golden Eaglets, en route to victory at the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Abu Dhabi in 2013.

MFM also had three players in the Nigeria U-20 side, the Flying Eagles, that won the Africa U-20 Championship in Senegal this year.

Aside goalkeeper Joshua Enaholo who was in goal for the Flying Eagles, midfielder Ifeanyi Ifeanyi, Belgium-based Wilfred Ndidi‎, Akinjide Idowu and assistant coach, Nduka Ugbade, is the Technical Director of MFM FC.

For the records, MFM is not only about football. Wrestler Odunayo Adekuoroye who won gold at the last Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, is a product of the church. This is not forgetting Africa and Commonwealth long jump gold medallist, Ese Brume, and sprinter Divine Oduduru who were discovered at the 2012 and 2013 editions of the Dr Olukoya National Under 18 Athletics championship which the GO has sponsored nonstop since 2012.

Asked how MFM FC plans to keep pace with the big boys in the Nigerian Premier League, Enakhena who doubles as the Sports Director was confident that there won’t be problems: “MFM FC didn’t get into the league by default, we were ready from the word go, we planned and bided our time for the right opportunity to make a statement by qualifying for the Premier League.

“Truth is, there’s nothing special about the NPL. We’ve been ready since 2007, so, there’s no cause for alarm. MFM FC is ready to play in the big league,” he noted.


http://thenationonlineng.net/grass-to-grace-how-olukoya-transformed-mfm-into-premiership-club/

What's d name of d team again

How much dem wan dey pay dem