PROPHET MICHAEL OJO OLOWERE’S BIOGRAPHY

July 6, 2023 Oluyede Raymond

WHO IS PROPHET MICHAEL OJO OLOWERE?

The notable hero of faith in Nigeria Prophet Michael Ojo Olowere was born on 9th September. He was the third son in the family of Chief Dada Olowere and Mrs Alice Olowere of Ifaki-Ekiti State. His birth could be linked to the 1930 revival at Oke-Ooye in Ilesa as he had just been given birth to. His father was the baba Ijo of Saint Michael Anglican Church, Ona-Oja, Ifaki Ekiti.

His father and mother were traders; his mother traded in sugar cane while his father traded in cocoa produce merchant. His mother had additional three sons apart from him. Though he lost his father when he was seven years old, Michael was exposed by his father to two different religious beliefs; Christianity and the Africa Traditional Religion.

He had no opportunity for formal Education, yet he can read and write in the Yoruba language. He was able to do that because God ministered to him and instructed him to read either in Yoruba or in English. When he was twelve his uncle took him to Egbadoland and several other villages for trading. This trading took him to several other French-speaking territories such as Cotonou in Benin Republic.

He later trained as a bricklayer when he came to Ibadan in 1952, and practice it for two years, he also learns blacksmith for five years and eight months and he practised. He worked with Water Corporation, PZ Company and Kingsway Stores all in Ibadan.

Baba Olowere got married to Evangelist Rachel Olowere and they both have seven children which are; Mrs Toyin Samuel, Pastor Samuel Olowere, Evangelist Samson Olowere, Mrs Sola Ajibade, Mrs Bose Fakeye, Dr Mary Olowere and Mrs Esther.

Baba said when he was five years in his profession, he was attending the CAC Oniyanrin when he received the divine call. Though he struggled with the call for so long, later he went to CAC church in Kano State as God directed him. Unfortunately, he wasn’t accepted by the chairman of the church, which led him to Zaria where he worked for three and half years. He came back to a church around the University of Ibadan area in Oyo State afterwards.

He wants to theological school for two years and ordained him a cleric on December 14,1975. CAC Oke Imole Agbowo was the first church he planted by God’s grace in 1978. He didn’t work directly with Apostle Joseph Ayo Babalola, but he knew him well. Instead, he worked under the tutelage of Prophet Babajide from 1974 to 1975 in Ilesa, and he also witnessed Baba Obadare’s resurrection from death.

Prophet Michael Ojo Olowere is a deep preacher, teacher and gospel evangelist who is anointed for signs and wonders. Popularly known as Baba Olowere, he is one of the few livings Christ Apostolic Church’s (CAC) most respected ministers of the gospel. He is a strange prophet of God and one of the remaining few men who contacted a great measure of the anointing of God from the revered Apostle Joseph Ayodele Babalola. Prophet Michael Ojo Olowere journeyed into ministry over six decades ago.

Prophet Michael Olowere (PMO) is one of the foremost prophets within the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) in Nigeria. Existing works on CAC have focused mainly on its origin and growth, contributions of its alms, other CAC prophets and leadership crises, with little attention paid to the contributions of PMO. The contributions of PMO to the expansion of CAC in Ibadanland, from 1978 to 2015, were examined with a view to determining his ministerial significance.

Prophet Michael Ojo Olowere got the Baba Automatic appellation many years ago when God spoke to him in a dream. In that dream, he was shown the way through which God wanted people to call on Him, and through which their prayers would be answered. He said if they called the name, ‘Jesus’ and responded with ‘Power,’ He would work wonders in the lives of people. God also instructed him in that revelation to start a programme tagged Automatic Prayer. That was how he started and today, the attendance for that programme features more than 35,000 people, who come from within and outside Nigeria.

The contributions of PMO to the expansion of CAC were the establishment of church assemblies and activities, a theological institute, health centres, and socio-economic empowerment. Between 1978 and 2015, PMO established 48 church assemblies in Ibadan land and a bi-weekly interdenominational programme tagged “Automatic Prayer” in November 1995. He advanced ecumenism through his financial contributions towards the mission works in other denominations and counselling of ministers from other churches through counselling.

He promoted theological education through the establishment of Thy Will Theological Institute (1997). He also engaged in ministerial tutelage: a unique concept derived from what existed in other seminaries, and through it, over 2000 ministers were trained between 1997 and 2015 in the art of effective ministering.

He emphasized gender equality in church ministry by engaging 18 prophetesses and 32 lady evangelists in active church ministry. In health, he founded 13 mid-wives centres in Ibadan between 1978 and 2015 and he also established three Divine-based healing centres in Kajola (1989), Ashi (2000) and Olodo (2005).

Baba Olowere’s ministry contributed to infrastructural development: the building of two guest houses at Ashi (2005) and Olodo (2010) which gave job opportunities to people; the Donation of a police post at Olodo (2013); the construction of roads in Agbowo (1989) as well digging of a borehole at Agbowo (2004), organization of Workers’ Cooperative Society at Ashi (2002), supply of electricity at Ashi (2006) and also economic empowerment of 50 youths and 60 widows.

These were achieved in spite of educational constraints, insufficient funds, and heavy local levies. The contributions of Prophet Michael Olowere significantly expanded CAC in Ibadan land by establishing new churches, fostering ecumenism and engaging the female gender.