Chibuzor Gift Chinyere Biography, Early Life, OPM Ministry, Charity Works, Controversies and Legacy

Chibuzor Gift Chinyere

Chibuzor Gift Chinyere is a Nigerian pastor, televangelist, and philanthropist best known as the founder and General Overseer of Omega Power Ministries, OPM. He became widely known not only for preaching, but also for his large charity projects, scholarship programs, free schools, hospitals, and welfare support for poor and vulnerable people.

Early Life and Background

According to OPM’s official biography, Chibuzor Gift Chinyere was born on 22 October 1973 into the family of late Mr. and Mrs. Chinyere Nwankwo of Ohanku village in Ndoki, Ukwa East Local Government Area of Abia State. Public records also identify his birth year and date the same way.

He grew up in Port Harcourt and attended Seabird Nursery School and later Army Children School for his early education. OPM also says that life became difficult for him at a young age, and in search of survival he moved to Lagos, where he reportedly slept under a bridge before finding work.

Education

OPM’s official profile says he attended Government Technical College for his secondary education. Public biographical summaries also repeat that schooling background, though detailed higher education records are not widely documented in the sources I found.

Life Before Ministry

Before becoming a well known pastor, Chinyere had a difficult survival story. OPM says he worked as a cleaner with the Nigeria airport authority, and also worked as a security guard and sold GSM recharge cards to survive. In a later interview with Punch, he also spoke about hardship in his childhood and early years.

Beginning of Ministry

The official OPM biography says he was originally from the Jehovah’s Witness background, later embraced Pentecostalism, became a house fellowship teacher in Mountain of Fire, then left to become a freelance preacher. OPM says he later founded Omega Power Ministries and became its Apostle and General Overseer.

Humanitarian Work and Public Image

A big part of Chibuzor Chinyere’s public image comes from charity. OPM says he created the OPM Foundation, which runs projects such as free schools, a free specialist hospital, free estates, a free restaurant, skills acquisition centers, rehabilitation programs, scholarships, and autism and down syndrome support programs.

ThisDay reported in 2023 that he said over 3,000 indigent children were on OPM sponsored scholarships in countries including Cyprus, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Holland, Poland, Turkey, and Benin Republic. The same report said the church had built about 20 free schools, two free hospitals, and 18 free estates for vulnerable people and former offenders.

His public charity work also drew wide attention for helping individuals in distress. For example, TheCable reported in 2022 that he offered homeless actor Kenneth Aguba accommodation and medical treatment, while Punch noted his support for the family of the late Deborah Samuel. These acts strengthened his image as a pastor strongly associated with public charity.

Traditional Leadership

In 2024, he also became a traditional ruler. Reports said Abia State Governor Alex Otti presented him with a staff of office as the traditional ruler of Ikwu Orie Ohanku Ndoki Autonomous Community in Ukwa East.

Personal Life

OPM’s official biography says he is married to Evangelist Dr. Nkechi Juliet Chinyere and that they are blessed with a daughter, Princess Chibuzor Juliet Chinyere.

Public Criticism and Controversies

Like many high profile pastors, Chinyere’s public life has also attracted controversy. One of the biggest involved the Happie Boys, the former security guards he sponsored to study in Cyprus. In 2023, the dispute became public after the boys said they had been abandoned, while Daily Trust reported that leaked exchanges later turned the issue into a major public feud. Punch also linked the controversy to the period when he later slumped at an airport, though the cause of his illness was not publicly established.

He also faced another public controversy in 2023 when a woman alleged that he had impregnated her. TheCable reported the allegation, while church officials described it as blackmail. Because the matter was reported as an allegation and I did not find a final court ruling in the sources I checked, it is best described as a public accusation he and his church denied.

Legacy

Chibuzor Gift Chinyere’s story is one of hardship, survival, religion, charity, and influence. He is remembered as a pastor who rose from difficult beginnings into national visibility, and whose name became strongly tied to free education, welfare support, scholarships, and public humanitarian work. At the same time, his legacy also includes the controversies that followed his growing fame.

Sources: OPM official biography, ThisDay, Punch, TheCable, and public reference records.