Chris Oyakhilome
| Chris Oyakhilome | |
|---|---|
| Born | Edo, Nigeria |
| Occupation | Pastor, faith healing minister, television host and author |
| Net worth | $30–50 million (2011, Forbes)[1] |
| Spouse(s) |
Anita Ebhodaghe (m. 1991; div 2016) |
| Children | Sharon Oyakhilome, Charlyn Oyakhilome |
| Website | http://www.pastorchrisonline.org |
Chris Oyakhilome (also known as "Pastor Chris") is a Nigerian Christian minister who is the founding president of Believers' Loveworld Incorporated, also known as Christ Embassy, a Bible-based Christian ministry headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria.
Career
His ministry runs several arms including the Healing School, Rhapsody of Realities, LoveWorld Books, and an NGO called the Innercity Missions for Children as well as three Christian television channels: LoveWorld TV, LoveWorld SAT and LoveWorld Plus. Oyakhilome's television programs feature what are claimed to be faith healings and miracles, in large meetings which his ministry organises in several countries, with gatherings of over 2.5 million people in a single night's event.[2]
In 2015, Oyakhilome was given an honorary doctorate from Ambrose Alli University,[3] and Benson Idahosa University.[4]
Oyakhilome's ministry holds meetings in the United Kingdom and the United States, and has "healing school" sessions in South Africa and Canada.[5] and organized the Night of Bliss South Africa event at the FNB Stadium in Johannesburg.[6] Oyakhilome also operates an International School of Ministry, which held one of its Ministers' Network Conferences in 2016 with 5000 ministers in attendance from 145 countries, in Johannesburg, South Africa.[7]
Oyakhilome runs an online prayer network using social media to send messages to Christians in several countries. He had over 1.2 million followers on Twitter in 2013,[8] over 30 million followers on his own social networking website called Yookos and operates a smartphone messenger called KingsChat[9] Oyakhilome is also the author of the daily devotional "Rhapsody of Realities". It is available in 739 languages and allegedly distributed in "242 countries", despite there only being a maximum of 206 countries in the world[10] On Rhapsody website the "Rhapsody of Realities" devotional is only available for download in some 150 languages. Oyakhilome also hosts Higher Life conferences in Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, UK, US and Canada.
Oyakhilome's Future Africa Leaders Award is an initiative aimed at identifying, awarding and supporting young Africans who have demonstrated exemplary leadership through education, youth empowerment and mentoring, and through other projects aimed at helping young people to prepare for the future. Over 40 Africans have been awarded since 2013.[11]
Personal life
Oyakhilome married Anita Ebhodaghe in 1991.[12] After 25 years of marriage, Anita Ebodaghe filed for divorce on April 9, 2014 at the Central Family Court in London, citing "Unreasonable Behaviour." They divorced in February 2016.[12]
Government investigations
Oyakhilome has been the target of scrutiny by the Government of South Africa for his meetings and alleged miracles.[13] Oyakhilome has also been a target of criticism by the Treatment Action Campaign for his support of faith healing as a supposed cure for HIV/AIDS.[14]
In 2016, the South African government threatened to jail Oyakhilome if his organization does not reveal what they do with all the donations they receive.[15]
References
- ↑ "The Five Richest Pastors In Nigeria". Forbes.com. 2011-06-22. Retrieved 2015-08-11.
- ↑ "Pastor Chris Oyakhilome… definitely a Crowd Magnet!!". TheShoutsBlog. Retrieved 2009-06-10.
- ↑ "Ambrose Alli University Honours Chris Oyakhilome With Doctorate Degree". InformationNigeria. Retrieved 2015-06-11.
- ↑ "Pastor Chris Oyakhilome pledges N1billion to Nigeria University". Ghanaweb.com. Retrieved 2015-10-24.
- ↑ "Pastor Chris' Ministrations at IEYC 2015 (Session II)". Loveworldnews.com. Retrieved 2015-04-08.
- ↑ "We attend Pastor Chris' Night of Bliss". DRUM. 2011-03-16. Retrieved 2015-08-11.
- ↑ "Welcome Luncheon at ISM Ministers' Network Conference". Loveworldnews.com. 2016-04-12. Retrieved 2016-05-01.
- ↑ "Stats and Ranking for Pastor Chris". Twitaholic. Retrieved 26 August 2013.
- ↑ "KingsChat on Google Play". Google. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
- ↑ http://www.rhapsodyofrealities.org/index.php/en/home/about
- ↑ "Report: 2014 Future Africa Leaders' Awards". Loveworldsat.org. Retrieved 2015-01-12.
- 1 2 http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/02/anita-finalises-divorce-from-pastor-chris-oyakhilome/
- ↑ "Televangelists told to verify miracles or pull the plug". The Times (South Africa). Retrieved 2015-08-11.
- ↑ Treatment Action Campaign (2 August 2010). "ETV promoting AIDS quackery". Politicsweb.
- ↑ "South Africa threatens to jail Pastor Chris Oyakhilome". The Premium Times (South Africa). Retrieved 2016-01-01.