BY GEORGE ALUO
Soccer loving General Overseer of Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries, Dr Daniel Kolawole Olukoya is still basking in the euphoria of his church’s victory at the maiden edition of the Church World Cup in India.
The well read man of God who holds a first class Honors degree in Microbiology from the University of Lagos, Nigeria and a PH.D in Molecular Genetics from the University of Reading, United Kingdom believes its time for the world champions, MFM FC of Lagos to join the elite class of the nation’s domestic league-the Glo Premier League. MFM is presently campaigning in the National league.
Olukoya who presides over the Best Football playing church in the world, a feat achieved at the just concluded Church World Cup in Goa, India where MFM FC defeated The United Church of Colombia says given the club’s global feat, it has no business remaining in the less fancied national league here at home.
Olukoya who spoke on his passion for soccer and sports general told Saturday Sunsports that he wants, more importantly, to use sports to win souls for Christ.
Hear him: “Just like most kids, I played football on the streets of Akure, the capital of Ondo state and in the Yaba area of Lagos, although I wasn’t very good at it. But I was always useful when it came to the goal keeping position. On one occasion, I conceded loads of goals and that was the end.”
The Epe, Lagos state born clergyman disclosed that The Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries Football Club was given birth as a result of divine instruction from God to him to reposition youths of this generation for Christ Jesus, using sport as one out of his 70 points agenda.
Expectedly, the man whose best Nigerian football player was the late Haruna Ilerika embraced football and in 2007, the first edition of the Dr D K Olukoya Youth Football Competition kick started with only teams from Lagos regions participating. MFM Headquarters beat MFM Ejigbo to win the maiden event at the Unilag sports complex.
Dr Olukoya explained why he choose the round leather game to kick off his Youth Repositioning Agenda.
“We found out that with a bible in one hand and football on the other, the youths will be attracted and that will provide us the opportunity to preach the gospel to them and deliver them from the stranglehold of satan. I’m very happy that we are making steady progress in this direction”, said the man whose love for former Lagos glamour team, Stationery Stores is legendary.
In 2008, the Dr Olukoya Youth Football Competition became a pan Nigeria event with youths from MFM regions across nigeria converging on MFM Prayer City situated along the Lagos/ Ibadan Express for weeks to battle for the ultimate prize. MFM Calabar and MFM Ilorin made it to the final played at the national stadium, Surelere, Lagos and the Ilorin side won the trophy.
MFM Oshogbo were edged out on penalties by MFM Headquarters in the 2009 final played at the lush green Yabatech pitch, same year that MFM teams from African attended the event, fulfilling the promise made by the G O that the 2009 event will become international. MFM Ghana, Burkina Faso, Chad, Cameroun, Mali and Togo were in Nigeria.
In 2010, Nduka Ugbade who is the present first assistant coach of the Flying Eagles led MFM IKeja to beat the defending champions, MFM Headquarters 2-1 in Yabatech. The event was attended by top sports personalities in the country, one of them was the former chairman of the NFF Technical Committee, Barrister Christopher Green who was impressed by the performance of MFM IKeja and the story of how Nduka Ugbade became a national team coach is history.
In no time, MFM FC needed to move to the next level and this came to fruition in 2013 when Dr Olukoya graciously accepted the offer from Toyin Gafar to rescue his pet club, Bolowotan Fc of Ikorodu from going under. And so, MFM FC took over Bolowotan FC’s position in the Nigeria National Division One League. Before now, MFM FC have been playing in the Amateur Division One League.
Its on record that MFM FC have dominated the local scene since 2008, wining the Tinubu Cup, The Church League in Nigeria organized by America based Ambassadors In Sport, the Boska Cup, the Lagos International Football Tournament (LIFT) as Nigeria’s representatives, with a 2-1 win over Dragons of Benin Republic, won the Believers Cup organized by the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), and represented Lagos State in the national finals of the FA Cup.
What many didn’t know is that with the unrelenting support of its sports loving General Overseer, MFM FC produced four players who had played for them at some point as part of the Golden Eaglets team that went on to win the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Abu Dhabi. They are Wilfred Ndidi, Jide Idowu, Itowho David and Okon Samuel alongside MFM FC Coach, Nduka Ugbade who assisted Manu Garba and Emmanuel Amuneke during the competition. The present Flying Eagles team has two of her players, aside coach Nduka Ugbade in goalkeeper Joshua Enaholo and Ifeanyi Ifeanyi.
And the icing on the cake for MFM FC came on December 15, 2014 in far away Goa, India where the Nigerian representatives made history as the first Church to win the maiden edition of the Unity Church World Cup. The event which was put together by the Pope John Paul 11 Foundation For Sports, Goa, attracted Eight churches from the host nation, India, Uzbekistan, Brazil, Portugal, Colombia, Egypt, Nigeria and Ghana.
MFM FC’s journey to victory wasn’t a bed of roses. After getting the nod of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to represent Nigeria, they faced loads of challenges that included late issuance of visas by the Indian High Commission in Lagos. The team left Nigeria on Friday, 5th of December, 2014, same day they were scheduled to play their opening game against Uzbekistan. Even though tickets have been sold, the organizers didn’t have a choice but to move the game by 48 hours. It was a long and tortuous two days journey from Nigeria to Dubai, Bombay and Bangalore. The players and officials didn’t have their bath for two days and had to play their first game less than two hours after arriving India, and despite parading a fatigued team, MFM FC beat The United Church of Colombia 3-0. Egypt fell to the superior power of their African brothers 2-0 and Uzbekistan were battered 7-0 in the last group game.
However, MFM FC met their first true test in the host, India and despite losing a man to a red card early in the second half, they marched on to a 1-0 win to zoom into the finals where they met yet again, Colombia, and at the final whistle, result stood at MFM FC of Nigeria 7 The United Church of Colombia 0. MFM FC, a church football team from Nigeria had just made history in far away Goa, wining the maiden edition of the Church World Cup.
It was a clean sweep for MFM FC as striker Adekunle Adegboyega emerged tournament top scorer with 8 goals while diminutive midfielder, Emmanuel Omuwa won the MVP award. Enroute the finals, MFM FC played five games, scored 20 goals and conceded non.
It was no surprise when thousands of MFM members trooped out in their hundreds to welcome the team on arrival at the Muritala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos on Wednesday, December 17, 2014. The boys were driven through major streets of Lagos on the instructions of the G O. This was followed by a befitting welcome party next day which was attended by the media.
In a congratulatory letter to MFM General Overseer, Dr Olukoya, the NFF President, Amaju Pinnick thanked him and the church for bringing honour to Nigeria and Africa and charged him not to relent in his effort of investing in the youths of Nigeria.
An elated Dr Olukoya, still basking in the euphoria of a momentous achievement by MFM FC has described the feat as a thing of joy and a confirmation of the fact that the Youth Repositioning Agenda is yielding dividends on and off the football pitch.
Meanwhile, the G O has set targets for MFM FC for next year. He has asked them to gain promotion to the Nigeria Premier League, win the FA Cup in Lagos state and go as far as possible in the national finals.
Although the players have accepted what they call the G O’s challenge, they are appealing for improved officiating in the league which they blamed for their inability to gain promotion to the Nigeria Premier League last season.
One thing is certain, with MFM FC’s feat in India, the club faces a very difficult task of parading a crack side next season because majority of the boys are obviously leaving for greener pastures, this will be within and outside the country, and they can’t be stopped because that has been the prayer of the church for them.
MFM has a first class hostel located in the Shomolu area Lagos for the players. And the G O in his magnanimity, feeds them daily in their camp, there’s also an official hospital for them, this is aside prompt payment of salaries, there are indoor and outdoor games for recreation within the camp. To make sure that the spiritual aspect of the players and officials life’s are not neglected, there are regular prayers and deliverance sessions for them.
Fact is, MFM is not all about football. The G O sponsors the annual Dr D K Olukoya National U-18 Athletics Competition in collaboration with the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), which is in its 4th year. There is the annual private secondary schools basketball championship which holds in Unilag annually.
It is on record that Odunayo Adekuoroye, a gold medalist in the wrestling event at the last Commonwealth Games is a member of MFM. She gave her testimony recently at the MFM international Headquarters in Yaba where she revealed to the congregation how the G O helped her spiritually to win gold. She aid the G O told her in a dream to relax that God has won the gold for her, this was after she dreamt she won a bronze.
It is also on record that the G O gave coach Nduka Ugbade a Mercedes Benz for his role in helping Nigeria win the FIFA U -17 World Cup in 2013.
There’s no discrimination when it comes to joining MFM FC, it doesn’t matter your religious belief, the door is always opened to non MFM members and non Christians alike. It’s soul wining for Jesus.
The good news is, hardly would you find a football club in Nigeria that does not have a player from MFM in their books.
All credit must go to Dr Olukoya for Repositioning Nigerian Youths For Jesus.
http://sunnewsonline.com
The post Olukoya wants MFM FC in Glo Premier League appeared first on Total Family Life || Africa’s biggest and best website for Couples, Singles, Teenagers and Parents..