By Promise Uzoma Okoro
“There are two types of people who will tell you that you cannot make a difference in this world: those who are afraid to try and those who are afraid you will succeed.”– Ray Goforth
Exactly Ten Years ago, God inspired me to write the Book ‘’A Knock Down Is Not a Knock Out’’,not many understood the deep meaning of the Title,but it was a Total Reflection of what I had passed through in the Journey to reach my God-given Destiny.
When we were in the Secondary School,our Teacher will always give us an assignment of writing down what we wanted to be 10years from 2009,many who wished great for their lives that year may currently be far from the World Success, not because they have not tried,but simply that grace has not spoken for them.
On the 8th of December 2008 ,I Left my Sister and returned back to my Village from Ahoada in Rivers State over the kind of treatment meted on me by someone who came out from the same Womb that gave birth to Me.
The Decision of Leaving the home of my Sister and back to the Village was not an easy one but a risky decision because back home in my Village,my Mother great woman of God Mrs Oyidiya Okoro was still struggling to eat with my younger brother in the mud House were she Lived.
After praying,God asked me to return back to the Village and travel back to Ahoada after some Days,I did exactly as God Directed me to and on the 11th of December 2008,I landed back to Ahoada in Rivers State after a brief stop over at my aunt place back then at No 20 Igwillo Street Aba,Abia State.
I had made up my mind and asked God for the grace and strength to sleep in the Ahoada market should people refuse to accommodate me,the day I finally arrived Ahoada was on a market day and there was no place or person that accepted to assist me in passing the night with them,even a Member of our Church in Ahoada refused to help me out not until I went to God in Tears at the corner of the market and reminded him his words before I Left,why I was crying and Praying,God Directed me to move straight to Ahoada Main Town,and immediately I arrived there,I met a Classmate at the Western Ahoada County High School who was the Health Prefect while I served the School as the Library Prefect in the 2008/2009 Academic Session.
When we met, we greeted, I narrated my story to him and the Youngman was moved by the spirit of God,he told me he was serving an Ogoni Man,a Staff at the Ahoada East Local Government Area,he assured me that the Boss,a Practicing Christian will hear of my Painful Story,to God be the Glory same night he presented my case before Mr Joseph Ntor-ue who immediately sent for me the following Day.
When I got to the Ahoada East Local Government Staff quarters in Ahoada town, he asked me to tell him my story again, I corroborated the story by my friend, thereafter God penetrated the man and what I heard him say was ‘’it’s a Pity,I pity For You,come,let me give you one of the rooms at the Boys Quarter to be Staying,Don’t Pay me, only your Character will be Paying For You’’,that was how I got an accommodation free of Charge and started Life as a Bachelor at the age of 17 in 2008.
As a Child,later a Teenager,I do hear about Miracles but never believed, but from that Day,I believed that there is indeed what is known as a Divine Connection.
Although my Sister and the Husband tried everything to intimidate me and emotionally enslave me by reminding me that they were the people that brought me to Ahoada at the first instance,my response was simple, you brought me to Ahoada,but Devil almost succeeded in using you to stop a Man on a Divine Assignment here on Earth.
I was a Popular Seller of Pure Water,Garden Egg,Waterproof and Orange during Ahoada Market Days which I used to take care of some of my Individual Needs and have some for Saving.
People mocked me,Friends took me as Nothing because of the condition I was at that time.
Few of the People I owe gratitude for allowing God use them in my case at that time were Deacon Longinus Amadi the current Church Secretary of Assemblies of God Church 1 Ahoada in Rivers Sate,Mr Joseph Ntorue,My Friend Lucky Clifford,My Aunty Chikaodiri Okereke and my prayer warrior mother Deaconess Mrs Oyidiya Okoro,not everyone at that time believed in my Vision and Story,but these people stood by me at a critical time in the History of My Life.
Prior to December 2009,I Published and Launched my Book Titled’’ A KNOCK DOWN IS NOT A KNOCK OUT’’,God inspired me through that book to tell my generation that no matter the condition of Life,God Is still on the throne and will never abandone his own.
In 2011 I wrote another Book captioned’’ YOU AE BORN WITH A VISION’’ many people were surprised and queried what was motivating that youngman to be writing books,I was focused, pushed and got the Book Launched at our Church in December 2011.after that book Launch, few people started believing on my God given Destiny.
My Motivating factor was the story of Joseph in the Bible,God was hitting that portion on my mind each time am depressed, that same 2011 I finally passed my WAEC after writing it for three Consecutive Times, registered for JAMB,scored 227 and same year got admission to study Mass Communication at the Rivers State University of Science and Technology now Rivers State University with matric number DE.2011/1937.
In Ahoada I had stopped the hawking after working as a Staff of SENACOM COMMUNICATIONS LIMITED owned by my late Boss Late Mr Nnamdi Nwobodo Popularly known as Senator,I opened my own little shop with the assistance of my aunty CHI GOLD,was dealing with Handset Charger, Batteries Earphone,phone casing e.t.c
MY SOJOURN TO INTERNET JOURNALISM
Before even thinking of going to School,I was very good at Configuration of Handset for Free Internet Browsing,through the help and tutelage of ADMNS at Naijaloaded where I was a News Reporter,I was able to configure peoples phone to enable them browse,there at Naija Loaded was where I met great Internet gurus including my web Manager Mr BADMUS SHAMSHUDEEN who has been a trusted ally from 2012 till Date.
I was a very active Youth of Assemblies of God Church Ahoada,glowing in God’s Glory,infact we were known in Church as OSHE GROUP due to the simple fact that people got interested in the spirit behind the youngmen’s ingenuity.
After our Youth Day in 2012,on Monday as I Left Ahoada to Emeka Offor Plaza where I buy goods displayed in my little Shop,I had an encounter with a man whom God asked me to assist,I suffered with him with two other people,at a time devil set a trap to kill me at River Niger there in Onitsha Anambra State,but the charm got shattered before I arrived the DEEP River.
The Problem of that Stranger led me into Borrowing money from people in 2012,as a Young Promising Man,people trusted me and borrowed money to me,all the money I borrowed were all used to cater for this stranger God had asked me to ensure I Helped,Men of the Nigerian Customs Service were paid over 6Million just to ensure they release the Goods of that Stranger, the battle to get the goods Released lasted to early 2014,by that time those who borrowed me Money were already demanding for the re-payment, I pleaded with some of them, but the news went into AHOADA town that I had turned myself into a 419,some called me to come out clean and tell people that I had been duped by Fraudsters,despite all these pressure,the spirit of the Lord asked me not to respond,and I never did,rather I allowed everyone to say what ever they feel about Me.
At that time, Friends ran very far away from me, brothers and sisters were no were to be Found, back home in the Village,my mother was turned into a laughing stock because to them,the worst had happened to her Son.
My Activism in the Internet Introduced me to my Former Boss Maria Ude known as AFIKPO CHIC,at a point I lived with her in Abuja with some other Youngmen who were also doing well in the Blogosphere.
It was through AFIKPO CHIC that I got to know about blogging,for years I had been a FACEBOOK Writter,when I returned back to Rivers State in September 2014,I started making attempts into establishing my own Blogs.
First I Tried with THE PREVAILED BLOG,SUPREME NEWS and Finally Promise Uzoma Okoro’s Blog,through Promised Uzoma Okoro’s Blog,I carved a niche for myself in the Blogosphere, during the 2015 General Elections in Rivers State,my blog became the most popular Political Blog in Rivers State due its breaking and timely updates of the Rivers State Election Tribunal cases which were being heard at the High Court in Abuja.
In that same 2015,I encountered with Media goddess Oby Ndukwe who started Introducing me to Powerful Politicians in Rivers State, specifically the day the Tribunal nullified the 2015 Rivers State Governorship election was the day Chief Oby Introduced me to the Former Governor of Rivers State Chief Rotimi Amaechi,that day I also joined in eating at the same table with the current Nigerian’s Minister of Transportation and topmost Politicians from Rivers State.
While these were happening, I had in mind that I was still indebted to people, I called on God until I narrated my Story to Papa Uma Ukpai who directed me to embark on a 30 Days Fasting and Prayer,he revealed to me in 2014 that God was about announcing me before the World and that people will be marvelled at my emergence.
I called my Mother and asked her to join me in the Fasting,during these trying period, those I trusted so much ran very far away from me,some of the people I was indebted to visited the native Doctors to harm me,some I was seeing while in that Spiritual Exercise of fasting, but I prayed and asked God to sustain them till the end of the Temptation.
In November 5 2015,I Debutted PUO REPORTS after making name with Promise Uzoma Okoro’s BLOG and by the grace of God,through this PUO REPORTS I raised the Money to clear all the Debts and that was the turning Point of my Life till Date.
I have always made it known to people that I have paid my dues as far as Success and my Destiny is Concerned, Nobody should envy me now,not everyone will gather the courage to face the little temptation I faced on my way to reach my God-given Destiny.
At a Point I Slept outside in Elele,Rivers Nigeria because there was no place nor person that accepted to accommodate me.
I did all manner of menial Jobs including selling Motor oil where I was being paid 6000 between 2013/2014 to washing plates so I could be given Free Food by owners of C SPRING Fastfood Elele,all these I did but never abandoned God.
Today,the same people that laughed at Me,the Same people that mocked me to skull, the same that Propagated fake Stories with my name,the same that abused my mother are jumping up in Celebration of my feat in Life.(Just Keep Hope Alive)
One may begin to Wonder while I feel Comfortable brandishing my age every 15th of April on Facebook in a World where people don’t want their real age to be noticed, it is simple’ ’IF I CAN MAKE IT this Young, you Can Make It Also’’
Don’t be Discouraged, Down Fall of a Man is not and will Never be the End of his Life.
My Happiness today is that everyone is ALIVE to see the Hand and Grace of God Upon My Life,I Feel Very Happy Today because there was a time I contemplated Suicide due to the shame and negative stories with my name,but If I had killed myself…………… My Life is a Great Testimony to People.
Let me Concluded with this Quote “It doesn’t matter who you are, where you come from. The ability to triumph begins with you. Always.” –Oprah Winfrey
