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Archbishop Idahosa rekindled my faith in God — Rev. Amu

Rev. Ezim Giwa Amu is wife of the pioneer Solicitor-General of the then Mid-Western state, Mr. S.I.O Giwa Amu and recently clocked 75 years. In this interview, she recounts her mid-life experiences, when she became born-again. What does this landmark mean to you? I WAS raised a Catholic, got married to a protestant and because of…

Giwa Amu

Rev. Ezim Giwa Amu is wife of the pioneer Solicitor-General of the then Mid-Western state, Mr. S.I.O Giwa Amu and recently clocked 75 years. In this interview, she recounts her mid-life experiences, when she became born-again.

What does this landmark mean to you?

I WAS raised a Catholic, got married to a protestant and because of that, the Catholic Church dis-fellowshipped me.

So, I had an encounter with the Lord through the ministration of Rev. Bishop A. Idahosa. I had this passion for the work of God and for Christ.

I wanted to learn more about whom I was going to follow because in the Catholic Church, it was just about hail Mary, and Christ kind of opened doors for me to learn and God through His grace brought me to the Church of God Mission.

At his crusade, I had an encounter with the Lord and I gave my life there in April 1972.

And as far as I am concerned, it was my date of birth because that was when I was reborned and the grace of God gave me favour because I was one of those who sat at his feet to learn. I had the same privilege that Mary had, which made me to go to a Bible College.

The Oxbournes just established a Bible College with the help of the Oxbournes. The Church of God Mission established the Bible College and I was among the third batch of students that had their training there. At the end, I was ordained a deaconess. I served in the Church of God Mission for a long time, until I left Benin.

Not satisfied with the fellowship that I saw here in Nigeria, I started looking for one to belong, and that made me go from one fellowship to another until I left for America, where I had an encounter with the Inspiration Ministry.

So, I joined them. It was just a fellowship and not a big church.

We fellowshipped just like Paul, Peter, James, Steven and others did and I was very satisfied. A young man, whom God equipped with His Word, wanted me to minister at the church, but I said no. I said I wanted to sit at his feet and learn.

At that time, he was about the age of my son. In the process, some things that I had read about became practical in my life.

Before I left, the Lord opened my eyes that He needed somebody to trust to commit Nigeria spiritually into his/her hand. He said He would open my eyes and I said Lord, “To your glory use me.”

So, the Lord made me call upon some pastors and we started praying for the country and we still do this till today.

We had a lot of prophetic projects around and wherever He sends us, we go and whomever He sent us to we reach out to. God manifested Himself through that ministry in a big way. We don’t have a name.

It is just a group but my associate pastors call it New Dawn. New dawn has taken us to quite a number of countries like Nigeria and Liberia, among others.

And because I know that God still loves Nigeria in a special way, I have a passion for it and the people who have passion for the country also surround me and we keep praying for the country.

When did you become a Reverend?

In 1972, the wife of Rev. Idahosa ordained me a Reverend in Texas, America, and that is where we have one of the best Pentecostal Bible schools. Then, Robert was one of the most solid Pentecostal Bible colleges in America. Many have sprung up since then and the foundational Robert College gave me a scholarship to study there.

What was your growing up like?

As I said, I was raised in the Catholic Church. I was born with a silver spoon. My mother passed on when I was 13 years, so I had to take care of my siblings, which is why they don’t consider me a sister. They look at me as their mother and I think the experience of my mother’s death pushed me into early marriage at 19.

At that age, I was married, pregnant and I didn’t have any experience. I was crying over the phone, when I was asking my grandmother some questions on how to handle the situation and she would say, ‘you know I am old and I cannot do anything. I can’t come but anytime you have problem, call me and I would tell you what to do.’

And when the baby finally arrived, a few times while bathing him, he would fall onto my feet and into the basin and I would pick him up and cried to my grandmother on phone and asked, what do I do about this? She would tell me the position I should take and that was how we went on and on and the children started arriving.

I grew up with them and it was not easy, but because I also was growing up I knew a lot of tricks they played. So, I told them that there is absolutely nothing we couldn’t talk about. I told them to feel free to talk to me about anything, as I would only correct them and would not kill them.

So, they knew there was absolutely nothing that mummy couldn’t fix and with God’s grace, I was able to sail through. One thing I concentrated on was bringing them up.

My friends would say they were building houses here and there, but I would tell them that God had built six houses for me and those houses I would learn to keep.

They would ask me, where are the six houses? I would tell them I have a house in my six children and so many other children that God promised to give me.

He said He would give me many children, some of them would be bad and others would be good, but that He would teach me and give me the spirit of discernment to be able to know and discern each one of them.

So, I have many who call me mother and yet they are not my biological children. But I enjoyed one of the prophecies Rev. Idahosa gave me. He said: ‘I saw you sitting down on an easy chair and surrounded by many children.

While some were rubbing your legs, others were picking the grey hair on your head. A lot of them were laughing and playing with you’ and I have that in mind all the time.

I usually tell people that if there is a dustbin where you throw bad children, give it to me because I have many that I want to throw there. That was how my early childhood looked like.

Was your marriage a mistake?

No, it was not a mistake. My mother’s death put a lot of responsibilities on me. As my grandmother was too old, I had to become a mother to my siblings. So, I had to get married and I didn’t have the privilege of dating like young people do today.

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