By Paschal Nwako
Evangelist Chukwuebuka Anozie Obi is the Spiritual Director of Zion Prayer Ministry Lagos, a no-denominational but Catholic-oriented ministry. First, I must state that I am one of those who don’t believe in anything about prophecies.
In fact, my upbringing made me stand firm against false prophets and prophecies. I have a solid ethical and liturgical background and a strong foundation against false church teachings and prophecies, because there are a lot of fakes out there all over the world.
There are many people who believe that God called them even though they called themselves to their ministries. That’s why I find it odd that I am writing this piece to set the record straight about the Evangelist, or Prophet Chukwuebuka Anozie Obi, as many call him. I didn’t want to write until I attended an event at his Zion Prayer Ministry ground in Lagos.
I attended the recently concluded Foundational Prayer, a two-day event on February 10–11, 2024. I arrived in Lagos in the afternoon of February 9th, and when I arrived at Zion ground, it was difficult to secure a seat around the main arena. People were trooping in and out of the Zion around from Friday evening nonstop until Saturday morning. The whole atmosphere was serene, just as you could see in most Catholic pilgrimage centers around the world. People were standing in front of the grotto of the Virgin Mary and the giant crucifix of Jesus Christ, praying throughout the night. Many people slept at the arena, and more people arrived in the morning, sitting at the various overflow sites next to the main Zion arena.
Many people have been speaking negatively about the ministry simply because the Zion Prayer Ministry took everyone by surprise with the miracles, prophecies, raw anointing, outspoken teachings, social welfare programs, and, above all, simplicity of the Zion Prayer Ministry. No one can understand this fact, including myself. Is this a mystery? How was I introduced to Zion? On December 26th, I visited a cousin, and when it was 11:00 p.m. Naija time, she informed my family about Zion and shared the YouTube link for the Night of Open Heaven program for that day.
My family decided to watch the live streaming on our way back to our abode. At first, I was surprised but skeptical about Evangelist Ebuka lying on rocks, showing pain and agony, but still praying for others and prophesying about people he had not met before. He mentioned people’s names and dates of birth and declared them either healed or relieved of their yokes.
My wife and I started watching daily, and the degree of my doubts went down. As a human being, I continued to have my doubts, but the testimonies are too many to ignore, and statistically, there is no way all the testimonies are staged or arranged. It is simply impossible to manipulate these prophecies, counting into millions, from the beginning of the ministry.
As I followed Zion, I have continued to realize that I am not alone in my quest for the true servant of God who will help make sense of what is happening in our lives, and indeed in the world today. Since I started following Zion on YouTube, I have seen people I know that have testified on Zion ground, and each time I reached out to check the authenticity and accuracy of their testimonies. In each case, I found out that they were for real.
My wife, on the other side, bought into the Ministry from day one. As a scientist and third- generation Catholic, I need to have a certain level of specificity and validity for my doubts to go from a higher level to negligible or no doubt. Still, some doubts existed until I saw the hospital administrator in the US, who testified about going blind and crippled. I made inquiries, and they were true.
She was healed not by the Evangelist locating her by calling her name but by keying into the programs and using the sacramentals (Seraphic oil, water, and sand from THE Zion ground). A member of my Igbo Catholic community in New Jersey gave testimonies about his son and family at the Zion Ground. This is the same family that we worship together. This is indeed hitting home.
Also, the university professors—one from the University of Lagos (UNILAG) and the other from Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Awka (Prof Chinwuba Arinze, the acclaimed youngest professor east of the Niger), and millions of other testimonies—confirmed the authenticity of the testimonies. The ones I’ve mentioned above must have moved me because they are the foundation of my credibility. How could this be even possible? Evangelist Ebuka must be simply half human and half spirit!
I grew up understanding that some people are born fortune tellers, and many are good at it. However, Evangelist Ebuka’s anointing is quite different. He prophesies and provides instant solutions through prayers and fasting. He can see the plate numbers of vehicles that are bound to be involved in an accident. Call the plate numbers, and the vehicles need not be on Zion Ground, but the owner is definitely related to Zion Prayer Ministry on the day of the prophecy.
Ebuka can tell you so many things about your life by looking at your palms. Many people have been relieved of many satanic manipulations tormenting them or even family members when they come in contact with Evangelist Ebuka. My family and relatives have many testimonies, but they are not the center of my discussion today.
The ‘ODIESHI’ Program of the Zion Ministry
Many families in diaspora who have either divorced or separated have been reunited because of the teachings of Evangelist Ebuka. He emphasizes the essence of family as the nucleus of society. It is very important to note that most of the Evangelist teachings are geared towards peace in relationships and family, not violence, and definitely not family separation, except when a man uses his wife as a punching bag or vice versa.
WHAT ARE THE TOOLS HE USES FOR HIS EVANGELIZATION?
There is a saying that if you want to hear the truth about scripture and human society today, listen to his preaching. He is so raw with words that it is not advisable to have children around, especially during the Tuesday Parents and Waiting Mothers program. The anointing is indeed overwhelming and radiates from the Zion Prayer Ministry.
Following Zion Ministry and Evangelist Ebuka’s raw and outspoken teachings, I came to realize that many things he says cannot be said by other men and women of God. Simply put, it’s not possible. He is so raw about life that the common man understands his teaching. He dresses very simply, sometimes in a T-shirt and track suits. It’s unbelievable how he approaches his teaching.
A section of the crowd at the ‘Last Month’ Program
In the middle of events, he calls out someone’s name, date of birth, and where the person comes from. Low and behold, even if people come out thinking that he calls them, eventually he will pinpoint the actual person that the prophecy is meant for. Multiple people can come out with the same name, but he will eventually identify the right person owns the prophecy. Who else does it the same way all over the world? This anointing is indeed incredible!
One person told me that Nigerians attend his Ministry because they need hope. This is so wrong because the number of followers in the diaspora is greater than the ones in Nigeria, judging from what I am seeing, and the evangelist himself has confirmed this many times. This is simply unbelievable. I heard that in one of the Igbo Catholic communities in the US, the mass time was moved to accommodate members who vowed to watch the Zion Sunday programs first before coming to the Igbo Mass. The priest had no other option than to change the mass time because the voice of the people is the voice of God.
I quite understand why many men of God, even priests, are jealous of the sudden popularity of the Zion Ministry. It is just unbelievable, and a person who doesn’t know how he started will not understand the phenomenon going on.
A typical ‘crowd beyond measure’ is a common scene in the Zion Ministry program
In the United States, Zion is a movement, simply put. It is no longer a ministry, and of course, it is not a church. The irony of this statement is that Zion has surpassed Ebuka Obi, has grown past his imagination, and will continue that way beyond his call to eternity.
There are Zion Prayer Ministry outlets literally all over the globe. People are coming from every part of the world to Zion to attend all its programs. Many non-Nigerians, non-Africans, and other nationalities are coming to Zion Prayer Ministry to be part of this movement. I don’t want to discuss what happened in Abuja on February 24th, 2024, when Zion Abuja hosted the Evangelist in an open arena. Many can attest that the crowd was overwhelming but peaceful, and many could not believe the number of people that attended the event.
...to be continued tomorrow
Dr. Nwako, a servant who comes to serve and not to be served, can be reached via the Zion USA Zone 6 Administrator.
