MFM Topshot, Pastor ABAYOMI GABRIEL
Two Sundays ago at the Etall Hotels and Halls located on Kudirat Abiola Way, Ikeja, Lagos, Global Excellence Magazine held its annual award for excellence. It was a colourful occasion that saw lots of prominent Nigerians get deserving recognition for their invaluable contributions to their various fields of endeavour. One of the distinguished personalities honoured at the awards ceremony was the General Overseer of the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministry, Dr. DK Olukoya. The highly revered man of God was presented with The Most Iconic General Overseer award. He was represented at the ceremony by Pastor Abayomi Gabriel, Chairman, House fellowship management board, MFM and another senior Pastor of the church, Pastor Bassey Duke and they picked the award on his behalf.
The minute Dr. DK. Olukoya’s name was announced as the recipient of that award category, a resounding applause from the attendees followed. Everyone was pleasantly surprised to hear the name Dr. DK. Olukoya, this is because he is one of the most private men of God in the country. The quiet and extremely spiritual General Overseer is one who is not given to hugging the limelight or courting the slightest opportunity for publicity. He prefers to stay within his small space, without any noise, simply focused only on doing God’s work. That is where he finds his fulfilment. Despite the humongous growth of his ministry, widely regarded as one of the biggest and fastest growing churches on the planet, Dr. DK Olukoya has remained grounded and only focused on delivering more and more souls from the covens of the powers of darkness. He is not excited by the enormous wealth that surrounds him as the General Overseer of one of the fastest expanding ministries in the land, he his only concerned about the enormous task before him, which is breaking the fortress of the wicked and setting their captives free.
City People’s Senior Editor, WALE LAWAL (08037209290) engaged the very intelligent and dedicated Pastor Abayomi Gabriel, moments after he and Pastor Bassey Duke were presented with the award on behalf of their father in the Lord, Dr. Olukoya. He spoke about how the General Overseer raised him up from nothing and how he has saved lots of souls from destruction by the agents of darkness. He also revealed lots of things Dr. Olkukoya is doing for the youths. Here are excerpts.
What would you say this award represents to the General Overseer, Dr. DK Olukoya?
Well, my father in the Lord, the General Overseer, is a man who is very shy when it comes to publicity. And now, we’ve been coming forward to receive awards over the years. So, this is just to tell us that this man, people do recognize what he’s doing. And even the blind man on the street recognizes that, oh, this man of God is really doing something that is worthy of emulation.
What would you say stands out the ministry from the others? It has grown in leaps and bounds in the last few years and continues to grow and expand at an astronomical rate, what would you say has endeared MFM to the people?
The MFM is at the forefront of the ministries that are unveiling the evil powers of the dark kingdom. When it comes to things of deliverance, a lot of people don’t know. Before, if you say territorial demons, they will say what is this fellow talking about? If you say the power of your father’s house, they used to wonder then, what is he talking about? But now, with his teachings and preachings, and with the deliverance, practical demonstration of what it takes to take people out of bondage, a lot of people have been set free. Like myself, Dr. Olukoya took me out of the dustbin of life. I had lost hope. I had lost everything. There was no hope of ever making anything reasonable out of my life. But I thank God for my story today. So, I can never forget who or what I was. Today, look at where I am. I thank God for his life, and God will continue to empower him in the name of Jesus Christ.
You see, any ministry that its core calling is deliverance and prayers like MFM, that ministry is worthy of emulation because a lot of souls have been unburdened. A lot of souls who were in bondage have been taken out of bondage. So, that is a good thing. It impacts the lives of people. In fact, I’ve seen quite a lot of these things happen. I’m a Pastor, a Regional Overseer here in Mountain of Fire. I’m the one in charge of House fellowship in MFM. And I do go everywhere to represent my father in the Lord. What MFM has done over the years, with the leadership of our father in the Lord, is uncountable. As it is, GO is sponsoring a lot of students in the university from his own pocket. MTU, it established MTU for the purpose of helping to educate indigent students. Students who couldn’t afford to pay school fees. And to think this is somebody who came from nowhere and today God is making use of him. So, we thank God for his life. We give glory to God that we have somebody in our generation who has been impacting the lives of people positively.
I remember many years back, the GO would say people were finding the prayer pattern and prayer points of MFM strange and then always predicted that, in a short while, many churches would adopt same prayer patter and that is what we are seeing right now. I even remember a particular sermon where he said he was listening to prayers coming from a church and all the prayer points were lifted from his book. How do you feel seeing that what Dr. Olukoya started back then that people found strange has now become the norm for several other churches?
We thank God, sir. That simply shows that this man called Dr. Dike Olukoya is called by God. He didn’t call himself. He’s called by God. And these are some of the things to show that of the truth, this is a man called by God. If I may tell you, Dr. Olukoya started hearing from God from age 8 audibly. He could discern the voice he was hearing that, ah, this voice is that of God and not of any other voice. This is somebody who has PhD in Molecular genetics, who decided to jettison that and embrace Christ and do the work of God. I mean, it says a lot about him. So, we thank God for his life and we will continue to be praying for him. And we will continue to be supporting him. It’s like I said, sir, God has used him to liberate a lot of souls. Those who were in witches and wizard covens, he has set them free from captivity with the power of God. If you listen to a lot of testimonies, you will be amazed. I can recollect, one of the first four graduates of Petroleum Engineering in this nation. He was donated to the witched and wizards and he became a wretched fellow. It was when he got to MFM that God resuscitated him. And now, today is, he has become very popular and successful. I won’t mention his name for obvious reasons. We really thank God for the life of Dr. Olukoya, that he brought a ministry that it’s core calling is deliverance and people are now being delivered. We thank God for his life, sir.
Sir, as a journalist, I’m aware of a lot of attacks against the MFM that appear to have been sponsored, especially in the last two years or so. These attacks and allegations have been coming one after the other from different quarters, even from outside the country, leading to several court cases. But somehow, the ministry continues to be vindicated, getting several court victories at the end of the day. What would you say is responsible for this? Why would MFM, a ministry that many say strictly minds its own business, be getting these attacks from different individuals?
Sir, I told you earlier on that the core calling of MFM is prayer and deliverance and any ministry that its core calling is deliverance, you are bound to have attacks because this ministry is liberating souls. This ministry has turned a lot of witch doctors powerless and thrown them into the labor market. And when you have a ministry like MFM that is well known in the kingdom of darkness, definitely you are bound to see attacks on the leadership and on the members. But when you know your background, when you know where you are coming from, you stand your ground. All these attacks are nothing as far as our father in the Lord is concerned. They are nothing because you know, honestly, if you are a Christian who is worthy of his salt, you know that when you are praying, attacks will come. But when you stand your ground, consistently and you persist in your prayers, definitely you will have victory. You will be victorious. So, for Dr. Olukoya, he tells us, let them be saying whatever they like, it has nothing to do with him. Because we all know this man called DK Olukoya. We all know him, you understand me? So, those who are being sponsored, I pity them. Honestly, I do pity them. I pray for them. I say father Lord, open their spiritual eyes so that they will know that what they are doing is against the word of God. When you are attacking the man of God that has called by God….oh my, my, my, it is well, sir.
Finally, sir, I have been impressed over the years with what the ministry is doing in terms of supporting the youths, empowering them, taking them off the streets through sports, offering them scholarships and so on. There’s a whole lot that Dr. Olukoya and MFM have been doing to help the youth realise their dreams and aspirations and many don’t know about these things, can you take us through some of them?
There are so many things the GO has done for the youths that many do not know about. For instance, to mention a few, he equipped the music department of a number of Nigerian universities, he funded the construction of the gate of Joseph Ayo Babalola University (JABU) in Ekiti, the GO’s annual First Class Awards remains unequalled. Members of MFM who graduate with first class are celebrated and rewarded in ways no other church or organisation has done. He gives out laptops to the youth, both graduates and undergraduates and provides hostel accommodations for indigent students and those whose parent members live outside Lagos.
Dr. Daniel Kolawole Olukoya has demonstrated a deep and unwavering commitment to the growth and transformation of the youth through various spiritual and developmental initiatives. His corporate social responsibility (CSR) to the Youth Church is both visionary and impactful, combining spiritual empowerment with practical development.
Dr. Olukoya’s foremost contribution is in building a spiritually vibrant youth church. Through teachings, books, fasting programs like Gen218, and deliverance sessions, he has equipped youth to live victorious Christian lives. He promotes holiness, prayer, and scriptural knowledge as foundational to fulfilling divine purpose.
Many don’t know he is a strong advocate for excellence. Dr. Olukoya has funded and continues to fund scholarships, science competitions, and academic sponsorships for youth. His personal background in molecular genetics drives his passion for raising intellectually sound and spiritually grounded youth. Through MFM’s educational arm, many young people have accessed higher education and skill development programs.
Under his leadership, the Youth Church has become a training ground for young leaders in ministry and society. Through conferences, seminars, and mentorship programs, he raises youth with integrity, courage, and purpose—equipping them for leadership roles both in the church and beyond.
Dr. Olukoya has supported several youth empowerment schemes, including vocational training, business grants, and career mentorship. These initiatives help youth become self-reliant and kingdom-minded entrepreneurs and professionals.
Understanding the digital era youth live in, Dr. Olukoya has supported the digitization of youth ministry materials and the launch of youth-focused online platforms. These include livestream teachings, social media engagement, virtual prayer programs, and mobile-accessible discipleship tools. His CSR extends globally, connecting MFM youth across continents with a shared purpose and spiritual rhythm.
In times of social crisis or national hardship, Dr. Olukoya has provided financial aid, food relief, and emotional support programs through the youth ministry. These efforts help cushion vulnerable young people and reinforce the church’s role as a refuge and source of hope.
Dr. D.K. Olukoya’s CSR toward the Youth Church is not limited to monetary or material support; it is a lifelong investment in the destinies of young men and women. His approach is holistic—developing spirit, soul, and body. Through his leadership, MFM Youth Ministries have grown into dynamic centers of revival, excellence, and innovation.
His legacy is evident in the thousands of transformed lives, empowered leaders, and godly influencers emerging from the youth church. As he continues to model integrity, vision, and spiritual passion, he challenges youth to live with purpose and leave a godly mark on their generation.
