Posted by By CHUKS ONUOHA, Umuahia on
To Vincent Onyegiri Imo, a lecturer in the Faculty of Agriculture and Vertinary Medicine, Abia State University, Umudike campus, says people who doubts the existence of God are foolish.
To Vincent Onyegiri Imo, a lecturer in the Faculty of Agriculture and Vertinary Medicine, Abia State University, Umudike campus, says people who doubts the existence of God are foolish.
'Anybody, no matter the status in life, who feels that he should not have a prominent component in God, that person is foolish and not wise because he is not aware of his origin and genesis. No wonder the word of God said that the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom.
No matter how such people feel that they have progressed, relying on their own strength, leaving God out of it, they are bound to crash because those people have built their houses on sand. The storm of life will arrive and they will be bewildered, confused and will run to lesser gods.
And God regard such people as wicked, therefore, despite their apparent prosperity or gift of intellectualism, they will end up frustrated and unfulfilled at the end of their lives. They will be most miserable."
Born in Aro Ndizuogu, Imo State and married with five children, how did he become a Christian having come from that part of the country that believes in charms and amulets? Hear him: 'My parents were Christians. They were prominent members at St. Stephen Anglican Church, Umuahia and we were born and baptized in the church. When my parents returned home from Umuahia, they continued unrelentlessly at St. Peter's Anglican Church, Ndiawa Aro Ndizuogu. Each time any of us visited home and failed to attend church service, my father was visibly angry. And to keep him happy, I must show up in the church even though I was not worshipping God in truth and in Spirit. It was in 1993 that I gave my life to Jesus Christ at Michael Okpara Square, Enugu. Before then, I had a vision while I was in Trinidad where I met face to face with Jesus Christ and Joseph of Arimathea, yet I never knew that there was a reason I should surrender my like to Jesus.
'Earlier in my life, I had thought that being the owner of a Mercedes Benz 200 car and being armed with a Ph.D. degree at a young age entailed that I had arrived. But, my life was chaotic, unfruitful without vision and hope. Thank God, Jesus has changed my story and destiny. I had my first degree before the age of 24 then, a rare feat and worked for over 11 years with two children before going for a post-graduate degree. The delay was caused by the civil war because I had gotten a USAID scholarship to study at Michigan State University and I was to leave in August but the war started in July when I was preparing to travel abroad. After the war, God compensated me by making it possible for me to get a Commonwealth scholarship, which enabled me to travel out for, studies with my whole family. Before our departure, despite the fact that I didn't know God, he showed me where I was going.
'I enjoyed so much favour in Trinidad that even fastidious union leaders did manual labour for me. It is unbelievable then, during convocation, the guest speaker concentrated on agriculture; and for that year, I was the only doctorate degree holder in agriculture and the guest speaker interrupted her speech to bow before me whenever she mentioned our doctor of Agriculture. While in Trinidad, I saw clearly the hand of God in my life, but could not interpret what was going on in my spiritual life. It is now that I understand.
I was a grade one student in University of Nigeria, Nsukka and came out as the best graduating student which was why I got the USAID scholarship award before graduation, an award hitherto reserved for lecturers. I do hold a master's degree because after one year of my post-graduate studies, my programme was up-graded to a straight Ph.D.
'The vision I saw in Trinidad kept haunting me. Anytime I sin, I was being reminded by that vision of the immense love Christ has for me and the undeserved protection. I would know within me that God was not happy with me. On May 31, 1993, there was a fellowship at Okpara Square, Enugu I rushed from my village to attend and at the end of it I answered altar call promptly, then begin my journey with God. Ever since that decision, it has been a wonderful life. You make prophecies and they come to pass, God honours them. By the auction of the Holy Spirit, I have written a book entitled Giving Testimony and those who have read it so far have been touched by God."
What does he think about prosperity as a child of God? 'Those who are against prosperity don't read the Bible and if they do, they don't understand what they read, because if they understand, they will not speak against prosperity. You can't serve God effectively if you are wretched,' he replied.
'Check through the Bible, all those who served God are rich people. Days are gone when the rats in the church are wretched as a result of lack and poverty of the church. Church rats of today are as fat as grasscutters because they have more than enough crumbs falling from the tables of the children of God. It is only those who have eaten enough that will have enough droppings on the flour of the church. The believer has to be rich in God's own way so that the heathen will not say why are you coming to borrow from me as you say that you have a God. Poverty is a curse."