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| Prince Emmanuel Benson(M.O.G) and his parents |
The intriguing life
of Prince Emmanuel Benson a.k.a Man of God (MOG) who was born with disability
remains a miracle to behold. This gospel artiste, writer and a motivational
speaker recently opened up on his life, dreams and visions. In this interview
with OREDOLA ADEOLA , excerpt.
WHO IS MAN OF GOD
My name is Prince Emmanuel Benson Okungae, I was born 33
years ago into the family of Engr. Benson Okungae, a retired Senior Officer in
the Nigeria Airforce, from Edo State. The challenges of birth which I refused
giving up on made me who I am today. I have lived to prove skeptics wrong as I
have been doubted in a number of occasions especially from birth over my
ability to survive this condition. For almost seventeen years I was deaf and
dumb, my parents informed me that one of the medical doctor in Ahmadu Bello
University Teaching Hospital, confided in them that I will be useless for the
rest of my life and he advised them to go and throw me out or abandon me in the
village, against all odds they stood by me with the believe that I can change,
because they have the fear of God. I was reduced to an object of pity and
sometimes cruel mockery.
HOW DID YOU WITNESS THE TRANSFORMATION IN YOU
It was God’s grace
and intervention that I am talking and sitting today, surprisingly one day, I
just discovered that I could talk and could also hear, on a fateful day when my
father was returning home from a course in Germany, my brothers and sisters
were welcoming him and shouting in excitement ‘ Daddy O yo yo ! , everybody was
surprised that I could talk too as I joined them in rejoicing the arrival of my
daddy. Since then I gained that strength to do what I am today doing as I could
move from places to place without being helped, I have also been witnessing
major changes in my body. My desire for education made my parents to register
me in a primary school which I attended. I attended Air Force Primary School ,
Kaduna, where I was born, but upon my arrival to Lagos I made efforts to return
to school but most schools I approached rejected me on the ground that I am far
more intelligent than other children and some said they couldn’t cope with my
condition.
Later my parents
made effort at registering me into a special school, but after several attempts
and interviews which I passed , the
school authority rejected me also as they claimed that they would find it so
difficult taking me from one place to the other on staircases most times. Since
then I took to learning personally at home, after I discovered that if care was
not taken I will end up not being educated I personally trained myself
academically by reading books and studying very hard, though it was difficult
but I had to do it as I had no choice.
HOW DID YOU DISCOVER YOUR TALENTS
Today I am happy and fulfilled, because I can write and read
through self-help. It is this passion that ignited the talent in me, as I
started writing books myself, I have written three books. It was after this
venture that I discovered the urge to express myself further in singing, as I
have the feelings that if I could put what I write down into songs, I could be
better fulfilled by expressing my views to my target audience who may not have
gotten the opportunity to see my books.
“ I remembered vividly when I told my daddy, that I wanted
to release an album, he asked me to go and sit down, noting that who would like
to listen to a crocodile voice like mine? I got fired up and I decided to make
that dream happen. After a successful attempt at recording my first album, I
asked my father to take me to the studio this I never informed him of where we
were going to but when he got to the studio, the studio engineer played the
song for him, he couldn’t believe it so he started weeping, ever since then, he
has been my backbone in all i do. Musically,
I have composed over hundred songs with three albums to my credit which
include, THE SYMBOL OF LOVE, MY DESTINY AND CHRIST IN ME THE HOPE OF GLORY.
Today, I have moved my talent further by ministering in different places,
especially in the church that I attend; The Redeem Christian Church of God, I
have the support of my Provincial Pastor, who gave me a note to all the
churches under the province where I was allowed to minister”.
WHAT ARE YOUR CHALLENGES IN LIFE
Being where I am today has been tasking going by my
transformational story, I have been faced with so many challenges especially in
the music career, as quite a lot of people did not believe in me at first, but
I later learnt to forge ahead as I have always been challenged whenever I got
discouraged. I recount the challenge I faced when I was planning to record my
first album, I was able to raise N100,000
for the project which was later stolen by my personal assistant, he was asked to go to the bank and pay the sum
into my bank account, because the bank
would not allow wheel-chair into the banking halls. I also had lot of
challenge in mobility as I don’t have a car to move me around for major outings,
since my father’s Jalopy 504 car broke down. I have also been looking for
marketers who would assist in the distribution and marketing of my works.
WHAT BRINGS YOU JOY
I am always full of joy each time people walk up to me that
they have been blessed by my ministrations, both in books and songs as well as
the churches I go to for presentation. I have received a lot of testimonies of
life encounters and blessing in my mail account telling me how people got
blessed by my ministrations and I am always praying to God to give me more
grace to continue this mission.
WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST WISH IN LIFE
Hmm , they are numerous but I want the love of my life to
come back, I mean my fiancé who left me on the condition that her parents are
against our union as they can’t afford giving her to a man on a wheel-chair,
although, It was obvious this is against her wish but there was nothing she
could do about that, we actually met in an eatery , where she picked interest
in me and ever since she has been a source of inspiration to me as she
monitored most my financial transactions and infact she is instrumental to the
completion of my sound studio , I knew she loves me but the pressure from her
parent was so unbearable for her, I strongly have a feelings that she would
come back to me someday.
My other wish is the desire to see Pastor E.A Adeboye, I
required two things from him if given the opportunity, a blessing and touch for
the special grace to continue on my ministry and the need to help endorse my
albums. This I believe would go a long way to fulfill my purpose in life. I
have made several attempts to reach Baba Adeboye but all effort proved abortive
those who would have helped in this capacity usually end up promising me and
never do.
HOW DO YOU RELAX
Each time I am bored
I will come down to the studio and start listening to music, and this the
studio which I built with the loan I got from someone, and at every point in
time I tried paying back, because I can’t afford to keep begging people who
owns studio for job as often time they discourage me, whenever I want to do
production, i also relax in the company of some of my friends who would come
around to spend time with me, so I want to say I really don’t get easily bored.
SO WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS
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