Bonny Okolo

The Church of God

Box 9589

Enugu, Nigeria 400009

E-mail: bisenus@yahoo.com

 

I am Boniface O. Okolo, born into Roman Catholic Church by Mr. Kevin Okolo and Mrs. Theresa Okolo on 19th July 1949.  In 1954, I lost my father.

While doing Nursery 2, otherwise called infant 2 then, my elder sister was stopped schooling since my mother could not take care of both of us in the school.  By God's grace, I finished primary education in 1963.  Since there was no one to help me to further into secondary education, my mother sent me to one remote farm settlement to learn farming. When my mother saw me after one and half years on that farmland, she noticed that I was emaciating terribly. As a result, in 1965, she made arrangement that I should come to Enugu city and learn wood furniture making for four years. Although the Nigeria-Biafran civil war interrupted it, in 1971, I graduated.  Early in March 1972, one British man came from Kano in Northern Nigeria looking for craftsman to work in their factory, and I happened to be among the lucky ones.

We moved to Kano on railway Train.  By October 1973, I got born again through the Scripture union — house-to-house preaching.  Around April 1974, I received the teaching of the Church of God through late Elder J.O. Nwokeafor.  On February 1, 1975, I left Kano in northern Nigeria and came back home to Enugu.  After one whole year of applying, I miraculously got a rented one room apartment at No. 17 Isuochi Street, Uwani, Enugu.  There and then I started my business as wood furniture maker and the Church of God began there right away.

In 1978 I married my beautiful wife Ngozi, and the wedding was officiated by late J. O Nwokeafor.

By 1983, the pressure from the Evangelical field work became unbearable to me, and I had to opt for a full time pastoral work.  After 19 years of our marriage, God graciously visited us and on 28th of Nov. 1997, at about 2pm, my beloved wife Ngozi put to bed a bouncing baby born right in our bed room.  Within two years latter on Oct. 9th 1999, she gave birth to our daughter.  Herein is enclosed picture I took with the two kids. After the death of Elder Nwokeafor, it came to pass after the Feast of Unleavened Bread in 1995, that Elder Peter Anyaneji (now late) called all the factions of the church under Nwokeafor for a total healing of the church.  Elder J.O. Aboh was choosen as the overseer, while Anyaneji assisted him, and Jude Anyanwu continued as the secretary of the church.  In 1998, Elder Anyaneji voluntarily retired, and I Bonny Okolo was appointed as the next assistant to the Overseer.

Unfortunately, on August 19th 2002, our overseer Elder J.O. Aboh denounced some of our faith by declaring that from now hence forth, he and his home church will no longer observe the Bible festivals.  As a result, during the 2002 Feast of Tabernacles held at Okporo Orlu in Imo State, the brethren advised that I should continue from where Aboh stopped till they should decide otherwise.