The Rivers State Government
has been advised to enact a law that will make it mandatory for mission schools that are running as commercial enterprises to pay taxes to the government to boost internally generated revenue, and help revive the economy.
The General Overseer of Omega Power Ministries (OPM), Apostle Chibuzor Gift Chinyere, gave the advice at the OPM headquarters in Port Harcourt, while presenting school kits and study materials to the Headmistress of OPM Free Nursery/Primary School, Ohanku in Abia State, Mrs Basil Chidera, for the pupils of the school.
He decried a situation where churches build schools with the tithes and offerings collected from their rich and poor members, only to make the school fees unaffordable for the poor ones among them.
According to him, “Government should make law that any church that does not convert its expensive school of N.5million fees to free church schools for the less privileged in the society to attend should pay normal taxes as they have turned church into business ventures.”
He admonished pastors to desist from turning God’s house into business centres aimed at enriching themselves and their families, stressing that they should be pre-occupied with winning souls for God.
“My action is a revolutionary one, and as long as you stand for what is right and the truth, there would always be attacks from some of the selfish and greedy ones.
“They launch full-scale attacks on me, but I have been used to it from childhood. I have always stood for the truth, and would continue to conquer as light would always conquer darkness”, he added.
The cleric stated that the church’s Free Nursery/Primary School commenced academic activities in 2009 in Abia State, and later expanded to Bayelsa and Rivers states, adding that pupils in the OPM schools in Bayelsa and Rivers had earlier received their school kits and study materials.
He urged other churches to borrow a leaf from OPM to rid the streets of Port Harcourt of child hawkers and destitute, so as to reduce the burden on the state government in making life more meaningful for the generality of the people.
In her speech, the Welfare Director of OPM, Mrs Maureen Chukwu, expressed gratitude to God for sustaining the vision of the general overseer to help alleviate the plight of the less-privileged in the society.
According to her, the general overseer had made a vow that at the beginning of every new session, the pupils in all the schools across the three states must be given new school uniforms, sandals, provisions, sweaters, writing materials and textbooks, among others adding that for the last seven years, the vow has been fulfilled.
Receiving the books and writing materials on behalf of the pupils, the Headmistress of OPM Free Nursery/Primary School, Ohanku, Mrs Basil Chidera, thanked the general overseer for keeping hope life for the pupils of the school, and assured that he would never regret the huge investment the church has made on the pupils.
Earlier, the headmistress of OPM Free Nursery/Primary School, Port Harcourt, revealed the church’s opening of three more schools in Obio/Akpor, Ikwerre and Eleme local government areas of Rivers State, and hoped that more LGAs would soon get theirs.

Susan Serekara-Nwikhana