Top 5 Nigerian celebrities turned pastors

Some perhaps may not have played the most comely and Godly roles in their movies, but this celebrities now seem to have found a calling in the vineyard of God. Whether this is genuine or not, that is between them and God. So here is a list of the Top 5 Celebrities-turned-Pastors.

5. Zack Orji

Ex-President of the Actors Guild of Nigeria,AGN, Zack Orji can be described as “a gentleman without blemish.”  This, no doubt informed his decision to become a worker in the Vineyard of God. Zack Orji ordained a full-time evangelist by Bishop Emma Isong of Christian Central Chapel International (CCCI).

He is said to have dedicated his time to preaching the gospel of good tidings across the nations of the world. The veteran actor has been spotted in such cities as Abuja, Nasarawa and Makurdi where he is engaged in various evangelical activities. But this, however, has not stopped him from storming the celebrity hangout, in Surulere to fraternize with his friends and colleagues in the movie industry.

4. Pat Attah

Pat Attah? That play boy actor who broke the hearts of many ‘Nollywood babes’ during his time, and left as soon as the ovation was loud. The once-upon-a-dreadlock-turned clean cut actor, is currently based in Hamburg, Germany where he’s winning souls for Christ. Those in the know said, he does not preach in churches, rather he is now very much a born-again.

Many knew him before he left the shores of the country  as one who was close to the ladies and in love with the bottle. Today, reading his posts online, one would acknowledge the fact that Pat is a new creature in Christ. He often uses social network sites including Facebook to deliver his sermon and messages to those who care to read them. But what we don’t know is how he has been faring over there.

3. Pastor West

Capped 41 times for Nigeria, Taribo had an illustrious spell as a player, plying his trade for Inter Milan, AC Milan, Auxerre, Derby County, Kaiserslautern, Partisan Belgrade and Plymouth Argyle among others. He went to two World Cups with Nigeria in 1998 and 2002 and was a member of the 1996 Olympic gold medal winning team.

A man of deep religious convictions, Taribo spent the twilight of his playing career preparing to be a full-time man of God. He said he received the original calling to become an pastor in Atlanta in 1996 when a female Nigerian evangelist in the US called Patience Ikemefuna approached him with a message from God.

He then went back to Milan where he was based and opened a church called Shelter From the Storm Ministry, that catered after African migrants. Since retiring, Taribo has been working as a pastor in Nigeria preaching up and down the country.

Nigerian elections are due in 2015 when the term of current President Goodluck Jonathan expires. Taribo, who is from the Niger Delta like the president, is yet to announce on what platform he will run, but what we do know is that he intends to run.

2. Patience Ozokwor

This is perhaps the most shocking of turnarounds. Patience Ozokwor, popularly known as Mama Gee, is one of the Nollywood superstars with a flair for “HARDNESS”. The veteran actress very rarely plays the role of a nice woman or the good mother(in-law) in her movies and very often it’s been said that her attitude towards fellow acts especially the junior acts, on set, can be describes as “not-so-good”. (that’s to put it mildly). Well this hardballing African was spotted on a Dominion City advert bill sometime in 2013 as one of the ministers to minister at the programme as she was introduced as “Evangelist Patience Ozokwor”. Wow!!! Could this mean that she has received the call of God to be a minister too, or was this just a one-off thing? That we’ll know in the very near future we hope.

1. Eucharia Anunobi

In fact, Eucheria Anunobi’s conversion was the most talked about conversion to Christ in recent times. The actress who ruled the screen in the early 90s with her role in the film “Glamour Girls” has been trailed with many controversies and scandals, most of which bothered on her relationships and crashed marriage. But after many years of being in the news for the wrong reasons, Eucheria shocked her fans when she announced she had given her life to Christ. Few months after the announcement, UK was ordained at the Fresh Oil Ministry, Egbeda, Lagos, as an evangelist.

Interestingly, with her ordination which was performed by Pastor Psalm Okpe, Eucharia willed the power to preach as a pastor and she’s doing so, without looking back. Those in the know said, she already counsels youths in the church and travels at random to spread the gospel of salvation.

This, however, has not taken away some of the traits that made her fans term her “a bad girl” before her transformation. She is still flashy and daring. Just weeks after the ordination, Eucheria bought a brand new  BMW X5. Severally, she has refuted reports that she has abandoned her acting career for the work of God. Instead, she pointed out that she would be choosier in accepting roles in movies.

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