For three days, members, especially men, of Mountain of Fire and Miracles (MFM) across the country converged at the church’s International Headquarters in Wuye, Abuja, for the inauguration of the church’s men’s deliverance and economic empowerment conference.
Organised by God’s Men of Valour (GMOV), a group in the church, the three-day event with theme, Challenge: Fear Not, Stand Firm, was designed to empower men with different business skills to excel in life.
With the General Overseer of MFM Ministries, Dr. Daniel Olukoya, presiding over events, the summit featured some of the works of MFM men in the Northern Region, Eagle Hour Fellowship and seminars whose topics included, “Entrepreneurship, Key To Sustainable Economic Growth; Business Planning: Development, Growth Methodologies And Benefits; The Rules And Preparations For A Successful Businessman; and Data Protection —Vehicle For Sustaining Businesses.”
Added to this, were symposia organised for pre-and post-retirement public and civil servants, consultants, contractors, service providers, business owners, the unemployed, among others.
In his welcome address, GMOV National Coordinator, Northern Region, Dr. Michael Bayo Akinola, described the conference as a vehicle of unending economic prosperity and a platform for men to discover themselves and impact others.
Akinola disclosed that the maiden edition is to empower participants, especially men, to learn new skills, be self-sufficient in their chosen careers and to overcome poverty.
“The conference will boost men’s organisational effectiveness and growth, positively impact their economy and, in turn, teach them how to access markets for their products and services, and to also have control over their resources,” he said.
Speaking on the topic, “The Eagle Man,” the General Overseer, Dr. Daniel Olukoya described man as the central figure in God’s plan, stressing that God is looking for real men to partner with.
He said: “Unfortunately many men are pursuing their selfish agenda at the detriment of God’s agenda for their lives. Men need to have intimate relationship with God, have godly character and be willing to possess God’s power. You must be spiritually alive, refuse to be overwhelmed by any problem, and embrace discipline. Men need to embrace their families, turn a good leaf, and make a good investment of their time, talent, and treasures.”
With his homily based on the theme: ‘My Siege Is Over,’ taken from the Jeremiah 52: 1-13, Dr. Olukoya disclosed that when the life of an individual, community or a nation is under siege, there will be desolation, emptiness, total elimination, poverty, waste, hardship, loss of good things and benefits, hunger, pains and death among other negative situations.
He called on the people and nation to repent and accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour for God to turn the nation’s ugly situations around for good.
In his exhortation titled, ‘Who is a man?’ the Assistant General Overseer in charge of Mission and Evangelism, Pastor Abiodun Ladejola, warned men against evil addiction, sexual immorality and Get-Rich-Quick syndrome, among others, which according to him, are major vices pulling down men from the top position God has destined them to be permanently.
Throwing light on the successes and challenges of GMOV, the Global Chairman of the group, Pastor Kunle Adesanya, said the group is focusing on men’s personal growth as such, hopes to see regular job training sessions to enhance members’ economic situations, adding that the group is partnering with a cooperative society to provide houses for the men, organise vocational training and skill acquisition programmes.
Highlighting some of the group’s successes and Corporate Social Responsibility programmes embarked on, the GMOV National Coordinator, North Central, Thompson Douglas, said the programmes, which included the distribution of food items, cash gifts to widows and orphans, employment opportunities for members, training in different skills and giving out of starter packs for new business owners were created for the benefit of members, non-members, the church and host communities.
He revealed that the group has completed plans to acquire oil blocks, shares in blue chip companies, apply for land in the FCDA for estate development, to go into outdoor advertising (bill boards), registration of GMOV North cooperative society, among others to generate fund for its various programmes and welfare packages.
Accentuating the goals of GMOV Global, the group’s Deputy Chairman, Johnson Olusetire, noted that members have been uplifted economically through policy financing, zero-to-low interest loans, grants, mobilisation of the private sector investment, and provision of political risk insurance.
A business expert and MFM Senior Pastor, Dr. Moses Adebowale, noted that every would-be successful man must know about business planning, goals development and growth methodologies.
He said: “For healthy methodologies for outstanding success in business every businessman or woman must have a positive disposition with a good attitude, identify their target audience, and focus on value distribution that is making one’s products valuable to the immediate society. They need to find a better way to penetrate the market, create value and making one’s product too important and relevant to the needs of the people, repackaging products to compete with the current market trends as well as for diversification.”
The high point of the event was the presentation of awards to the International Patron and Coach, God’s Men of Valour, as well as the General Overseer of MFM, Dr. Daniel Olukoya; Global Chairman, GMOV, Pastor Kunle Adesanya; GMOV National Coordinator, Northern Region, Dr. Michael Bayo Akinola; GMOV Wuye Coordinator, Dr. Elijah Tokunbo Daniel; the Chairman of Eagles Fellowship, Air Vice Marshal Ade Adekunle; the Chairman of Kingdom Builders, MFM Wuye, Dr. Olasupo Agbaje, among others for their various contributions to the group.
