Personality in Focus
Ebuka Obi: An Uncommon ‘Man of God’
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The term “Man of God” had long since lost its luster. Therefore, for anyone who has encountered the zestful spiritual director of Zion Prayer Movement Outreach, Lagos, Evangelist Chukwuebuka Anozie Obi, referring to him as a “Man of God” will be a paradox, given what we know about men of God.
Our Men of God have built a fluffy reputation as prosperity preachers. “The more you give, the more God blesses you”, they tell their ever-trusting followers. No longer content with 10 percent tithe, they now ask the congregation for “first fruit” – their entire first salary as well as the full salary for the first month of the year! For whatever problems they are seeking answers to, they are told to sow seeds to “provoke” God to grant their wishes. Many pastors even have price lists for prayer points, from healing to employment, business opportunities, life partners, fruit of the womb, contracts, visas.
But this is not the message at Evangelist Ebuka’s Zion City located at Ago, Okota. Not only does he abide by the Biblical injunction of “freely you were given, freely shall you give”, but he often declares that “any pastor who asks for money for prayers or for seeds and offerings to obtain answers to prayers is not a true prophet of God”. And you want to call him “man of God” like the others?
He preaches salvation, urges his members to fast and pray ceaselessly, to shun sin and embrace Christ as the sure way to obtain answers to prayers. Miracles are not for sale, he says. At Zion City and online, he does not ask for tithes or seeds. Which other man of God is like him?
Everyday, thousands of people from different states in Nigeria, the United States, UK, Asia and other parts of the world troop to Zion City in search of salvation and miracles. Millions more across the globe follow him online.
The first time I watched him on YouTube after a relation sent the link to me, I heard Evangelist Ebuka boast about his “Prophecy with instant solution”. I instantly dismissed him just as another “man of God” with bogus claims to visions and miracles.
But I was wrong. I have heard people at Zion giving mind-blowing testimonies – healing of terminal illnesses, stroke, paralysis, conceptions after years of barrenness, breakthroughs in careers and businesses, amongst others. Apart from those who received their miracles at the center, many others did so after he mentioned their cases during his “Open Heavens” online prophetic prayers. During one of my visits to the ministry, I witnessed two standout cases. One was a professor at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, who threw away the crutches he had been on for years after Ebuka prayed for him. The second was a woman who came all the way from the United States in search of solution to her 16-year-old hearing problem after exhausting all possible medical options in America. The woman who could only hear with hearing aids was completely healed at Zion and discarded the equipment. There were also many others who testified that the prophecies they were given were “on point”, like we say.
We have heard of men of God who arrange miracles or who prod people to give testimonies even when the healing has not occurred with the assurance that God will act on their faith and heal them. But for Evangelist Ebuka, the testimonies come in droves. He has a team which thoroughly scrutinizes and verifies claims of those who want to give testimonies before they are allowed to mount the podium to share their story. You are made to show evidence of “before” and “after” conditions to the panel to prove the miracle before it is accepted. Every day, the queue is so long that Ebuka has to cut many off so he could move on to his ministrations and deliverance sessions. This oftentimes leaves many complaining that they were not given time to share their miracles with the congregation. Surely, this is not the usual man of God!
While many men of God are associated with luxury and indulgence, Evangelist Ebuka lives a life of denial and self-abnegation like the prophets of old. Those close to him confirm he goes for several days every week without food, drinks only water and spends all his time between his ministry, the chapel and prayer retreats at mountains and monasteries.
He refuses to use the ministry’s funds for his personal needs or to be paid salaries or allowances like the elders advise. Even when he didn’t have a car some years ago, he opted for public transportation despite the ministry being rich enough to buy him any car of his choice. “God will provide all my needs”, he replied the elders when they insisted on buying a car for him. Today, his words have come true. Gifts of brand new cars flood his compound, the latest being a Tesla car by someone who said he had a major business breakthrough after the evangelist prayed for him.
With his huge followership and the incredible miracles God is performing through him, Ebuka can easily be one of the richest men of God in Nigeria if he asks for seed, tithe or money for prayers like the rest. During his last birthday celebration on October 22 which was attended by prominent politicians and businessmen, including governors and senators, he refused a $300,000 gift from a politician because the Holy Spirit advised him not to accept it. Instead of collecting gifts from the political leaders of south east who were present, he told them the only gift he desired was for them to meet the President to plead for the release of Nnamdi Kanu.
He has established Seraphic Hospital to provide free treatment to poor patients, and Seraphic foundation to cater to the needs of thousands of orphans, widows and others in need. He is currently building a monumental hospital for people with mental health conditions in Anambra State. He has also embarked on a campaign to stop an evil practice in Igbo land where people are forced to appear before deities and shrines in the name of settling disputes.
Proud of his Igbo roots, he uses his platform to campaign for peace in the South East and an end to kidnapping and killings in the region in order to bring development to the region. He encourages his Igbo followers across the globe to ensure their children do not abandon their language and roots.
But like the prophets of old, his bourgeoning profile, flourishing ministry and candid preaching have made some people, including well established pastors, uncomfortable. His message of appreciation to Hope Uzodinma of Imo State for rebuilding the road to his home town was twisted by some to mean campaigning for the governor.
A strikingly handsome and charismatic figure, the Imo State-born Evangelist Ebuka is not yet married. I do not know how old he is, but his twin brother, Engineer CC Obi is married and already has three children. But I guess he is being kept back by the trepidation of having to divide his time between his family and the ministry he loves so much.
And how did he come about such enormous “anointing”? His story goes far back. At eight, he was already preaching in the streets early in the morning, a development that often pitted him against his father who chased him around with a cane to go to school. By the time he turned 12, he met a priest, Reverend Father Luke Odinkenmelu, who prophesied to him that the world would hear of his conquest in the Lord if he kept the following three injunctions: one, he must not leave the Catholic Church, two, he must remain a virgin until he married, and three, he must not be money-conscious. He accepted and made a vow at the altar. So far, Evangelist Ebuka says, he has kept the three vows, including remaining a virgin despite his dashing looks and the women that flock to Zion City.
No, Evangelist Ebuka is not the regular man of God, he is miles apart from the crowd. He is a rare prophet of his generation!
The Obi of Onitsha, His Majesty Igwe Alfred Nnaemeka Achebe, has commended Globacom for its unwavering commitment to the preservation and promotion of Nigeria’s cultural heritage, noting that the telecommunications company’s sustained support has helped transform the Ofala Festival into a world-renowned cultural celebration.
Speaking on the 2026 edition of the festival, held at Ime Obi, Onitsha, Anambra State, on Friday, the monarch paid a glowing tribute to Globacom for its longstanding role as the principal sponsor of the festival, a partnership that has spanned fifteen consecutive years since 2011.
According to the monarch, “Their partnership has transformed the festival from a palace ritual to a world-renowned cultural festival owes a great deal to purposeful partnership. Since 2011, Globacom has stood with us as our principal partner – now fifteen consecutive years of unwavering commitment.” He added that “In good times and challenging times, Globacom has helped us preserve the authenticity of Ofala while enhancing its presentation, documentation, broadcast and global reach. They have helped take a living heritage to the global stage”.
Igwe Achebe also applauded the vision of Globacom’s Chairman, Dr Mike Adenuga Jr., whose commitment to cultural preservation, he noted, reflects a profound appreciation of the role of indigenous traditions in strengthening national identity and social cohesion.
“I thank Globacom and its Chairman, Otunba (Dr) Mike Adenuga Jr., GCON, a true man of culture, for his vision and belief that culture is not a luxury but a foundation for unity,” the monarch said.
Commenting on the theme of this year’s festival, “Igba Mbo, Iga N’Iru” — Strive and Advance — Igwe Achebe described it as a compelling call to diligence, excellence, self-improvement and collective progress. He explained that the theme embodied the enduring spirit of the forebears who built the Onitsha kingdom on the banks of the Niger, while challenging younger generations to preserve that legacy through enterprise, purposeful endeavour and a commitment to progress.
In his goodwill message to the monarch and the people of Onitsha, Dr Adenuga described Globacom’s association with the Ofala Festival “since 2011 has been much more than a corporate partnership. It has been a relationship which we cherish deeply and regard as a privilege”. He expressed profound appreciation to Igwe Achebe for the opportunity afforded Globacom to contribute to the preservation, celebration and wider projection of the community’s priceless cultural heritage.
He noted that the annual festival provides a valuable platform for showcasing the rich cultural traditions, dignity and enduring values of the Onitsha people to audiences across Nigeria, Africa and the wider world.
Through its longstanding partnership with Ofala, Globacom continues to demonstrate that corporate citizenship extends beyond commercial enterprise to the preservation of the cultural foundations that give communities their identity, strengthen their unity and connect generations.
Kardinal Business Travel, a travel technology company with African and global focus, was among 60 startups that pitched at the 2nd edition of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Startup Awards, held at the ECOWAS Commission headquarters in Abuja recently.
The company’s Chief Executive Officer and Founder, Cornelius Ugwunwa, presented the company’s case at the three-day event. The awards was part of an ECOWAS initiative to help West African businesses and startups scale through digital transformation, regional integration and sustainable value chains, with the aim of widening access to global markets.
Temitope Kareem, founder of Nigerian healthtech firm HubPharm Africa, won the top prize of $30,000. Senegal’s Gaynako took home $20,000 as first runner-up, while Steve Bah Blesson’s MyOpinion from Côte d’Ivoire won $15,000 as second runner-up.
Speaking during his pitch, Ugwunwa said Africa needs a new system for business travel. He cited a market with $75 billion in inbound travel spending and a strong business travel component in 2025, while travel and tourism as a whole contributed $228 billion to the regional economy.
“When a company sends its employees across Africa for a business engagement, we at Kardinal noticed the challenges of countless inboxes, spreadsheets and emails, mostly after the trip.
Businesses keep asking: How much did we spend? Who did we spend it on? Was it above or below budget? Can we reconcile everything on one platform?” he said.
He described African business travel as a $30 billion market that is largely fragmented and overly dependent on manual processes.
According to him, many businesses lose over $1 billion to manual travel processing and cannot track spending in real time. “That is why Kardinal exists: to solve this entrenched problem,” he said.
Ugwunwa said GoKardinal is an artificial intelligence-driven platform built to track expenses for African businesses. It brings the entire business travel lifecycle (planning, budgeting, booking, financing and expense tracking) onto one platform, in real time.
“GoKardinal is not another travel platform. It is an infrastructure for business travel, powered by AI for expense management,” he said, adding that the idea is to help businesses move without delay from one location to another to do their best work, expand and make profit.
On the company’s performance, he said the platform serves over 51 businesses in Nigeria and across Africa, with estimated weekly profit of $10,000 and gross merchandise value of over $1 million, growing at 65 per cent annually. he added.
He noted that about 80 per cent of African businesses still run their business travel manually, without any form of expense tracking, in a market worth over $30 billion annually. “African business travel is not just travelling for the fun of it.
It is an ecosystem with the potential to generate over $70 billion when digitalised,” Ugwunwa said.
The President of Security Resources & Risk Management Academy, Lagos, Mr. Matthew Ibadin, has charged officers of the Nigerian Armed Forces and allied nations to practice emotional discipline, warning that unmanaged anger remains a greater threat to a Staff Officer than the enemy.
Ibadin, who is also a doctoral researcher at the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) and University of Abuja, stated this on Monday while delivering a lecture on “Emotional Discipline Under Pressure and Anger Management for Staff Officers” to participants of Senior Course 48 at the Armed Forces Command and Staff College (AFCSC), Jaji, Kaduna.
The lecture was attended by 436 officers comprising the Nigerian Army, Nigerian Navy, Nigerian Air Force and officers from eight friendly nations.
Describing anger as “a temporary madness that leaves a permanent record,” Ibadin warned officers that “the line between a respected officer and an inmate is thinner than you can imagine.”
“Anger may enter the room, but must never take command,” he said.
The Lion Principle
Illustrating his point with the parable of the lions, Ibadin noted that while both male and female lions roar, the female roars only when necessary and lives 15-18 years compared to 10-12 years for the male.
“She lives longer not because she is weaker, but because she is more disciplined. Many of us have become male lions in uniform – fighting juniors, spouses, traffic, minor disagreements even when no real threat exists. That constant agitation slowly destroys what you have built,” he said.
He therefore charged officers to “be a female lion in strategy and a male lion only when tactically necessary.”
Five Battlefields Where Anger Destroys
Ibadin identified five battlefields where undisciplined anger destroys officers: Health, Home Front, Office and Command, Career and Prison, and Relationships.
On health, he described anger as a silent killer that triggers hypertension, stroke and cardiac arrest, noting that many officers survive the war front but do not survive peacetime.
“At Jaji, your rank commands respect, but at home your rank is irrelevant. If you win at the office and lose at home, you have lost. An officer whose home is under emotional fire cannot think clearly at the command post,” he cautioned.
He warned that signatures appended in anger to operational orders, procurement papers and personnel assessments could lead to Boards of Inquiry, career ruin and mission failure.
He added that 70 percent of inmates in correctional centres for murder never planned to kill, but acted in a moment of unmanaged anger.
Practical Tools
Ibadin introduced practical tools including the 90-Second Rule and the S.T.O.P Protocol – Stop, Take a Breath (4-4-4), Observe, and Proceed with Discipline – for decisions under pressure.
He adopted Aristotle’s five tests for disciplining anger: Right Person, Right Reason, Right Time, Right Degree, and Right Manner.
