Handsome preacher and founder of the Liberation City, with headquarters in Ojodu, Lagos, Dr. Chris Okafor, has literally been going around doing good.
Amidst the lockdown, necessitated by the coronavirus pandemic, and well aware that many indigent people now live from hand to mouth, Dr. Okafor has chosen to show love to them – especially in these difficult times.
Every day, and since the commencement of the sit-at-home order by both the Federal Government of Nigeria and Lagos State Government, those who have nothing to eat converge on his church premises. These people who usually turn up looking sad and dejected have smiles plastered on their faces as they leave – rejoicing and at the same time praying for Pastor Chris Okafor for epitomising true christianity.
Made possible by his Dr. Chris Okafor Humanity Foundation, we gathered that 500 bags of rice, 500 bags of beans, 500 bags of garri, 3000 tubers of yam and some money for condiments have continued to be doled out since Lagos, Ogun and Abuja were ordered lockdown by President Muhammadu Buhari.
One of the beneficiaries said that the most beautiful thing about what Dr. Chris Okafor is doing is that it cuts across. ‘Whether you are a church member, Christian, Muslim or even pagan, he doesn’t care about that. He just gives to everybody. And he does this monthly and not necessarily because of COVID-19 which is now ravaging the whole world.
‘I have always benefitted from his largesse because I stay not too far from the church. Beyond the foodstuff, those of us around here are also grateful to him for providing our community with road, water and a transformer. Our prayer for him is that God will continue to provide for him so that he too can continue to support us. We also advise other pastors to learn from him and support the poor around them.’
Contacted on phone, Dr. Okafor confirmed that he had indeed been doing this every month prior to the outbreak of COVID-19. ‘Only that we don’t publicise it.’ ‘The truth’, he added, ‘is that outside of preaching the word of God, the other thing that gives me so much joy is helping the poor. But being a good christian, we just do it and we don’t make noise about it.
‘Sincerely, I wish I could do more. Nonetheless, I thank the Lord for the little He’s using us to do, both here and also in other places.’
