PROPHET PAUL HILDA MAFUAH CELEBRATES HIS #BIRTHDAY WITH A LAUNCH OF BOOK:::
PROPHET PAUL HILDA MAFUAH arresting message of hope and deliverance through the years the ministry has grown into a big church had lots to feel good about leaving an indelible imprint that has towered beyond unmatchable grace. The down to earth man of God who is the G.O of God’s Preparatory Ministry recently in total obedience to his calling rolled out drums to mark his 40th birthday. In this interview he opened up on his experiences and what life means to him after four decades on earth with chinedu Michael…
How do you feel celebrating your 40th birthday?
I am very excited celebrating my birthday this beautiful day of my life. There is no year come by that I don’t celebrate my birthday. But this one is a prophet one. I normal call friends, well wishers and pastor friends to mark my birthday. Interestingly most of the time, I either go to orphanage homes or with friends to the beach.
What we saw here
today is more appealing, what would you say made it unique?
It was designed to
give God his due glory. When I was 37 years old, the Lord spoke to me that I should
not mark my birthday until
I’m 40.The Lord told me
specifically that at my 40th birthday a house and other
goodies of life would be given to me. And I remember sharing it with the
congregation that the Lord says I
should not make my birthday until
am 40.To my greatest surprise it came to
past in march 2013. A house and other good gifts were given to me .Over the
years the Lord has continue to surprise me. Actually my birthday suppose to be
celebrated on 26 December, 2013 but
because of planning and logistics it was lifted till this day.
When your birthday
was shifted to this day, do you have a strong believe it will be this splendid?
Well, I did not. It is just like a dream. Because we have serious
challenge of how our property we are planning to get would be successful issue.
The people gave us time to pay up and have our property. It was challenging. As
a leader one need to be reasonable to have as a reasonable followership. Their was
no way I would have preferred a social gathering to the things of God. We deposited
several millions of naira to have that property. It was a wonderful project and
the differences we have so far made is as a result of what makes a good
team under my care, pull
together to effectively fulfill it
even to the extent we have gone. With all these, I thought my birthday could no come to past
because everything has to done before last year December.
You seem to have
established a fashion style that is not a mere pattern. Is it actually a
surprise?
Oh my God, (laughs) I can hear you thinking. You mean that I’m looking extremely beautiful
in this attire, it is a believe that God is on my side. I see it as a sign and
enhance of beauty from people whom God
has used as a blessing to me. This is courtesy of my elder in the church in the
person of Elder Dangwa. He contracted a fashion expert from India who is here
today to celebrate with me. He has made the clothe since last year but was kept
for today to instill an atmosphere of happiness and God’s faithfulness.
Can you share what
you know more importantly and what you imagine that made this birthday
fantastic?
It is a self-reinforcing of the prophetic word of God that
came to me many years ago. I’m over whelmed the way people overstepped to give
me this wonderful treats. I know before
then that we have the issue of money. A son of mine who is also a partner in
the ministry was able to make a difference. A ten man committee was inaugurated
and the joy or it all is what we see today .We have to lead, to inspire, to
motivate, to guide, to shape, with a
difference. It is a great role and I delight in it.
Was it expected as a
tall order or the committee sharing God’s faithfulness?
Well, I would say from the onset that the committee started
working on their own and I wasn’t part of it. I did not know the countless efforts they were
making until everything became very
impromptu. Yes it was to me. I only joined
them the last Sunday to my birthday at least to know how far
they have gone so that I
don’t become loss in my day.
Can you tell us when
you started your ministry?
I started God’s
Preparatory Ministry when I was 24 years old. It was a long time ago precisely
1998. I can’t get very wordy and complex because God is faithful. Without God
it is not worth taking a moment.
God knows you need
the skills, strength, and grace to deal with difficulties. How has it been in your
ministry life?
We must come to a point in life where we decide and believe
what the bible says. Do we believe that Jesus Christ took away our sin. If you
have that at the back of your mind challenges will come and go the way they
came. I believe the right to do well is when you take what God put in your hand
seriously. Our crawling, standing and walking period wasn’t easy. God is faith.
I wasn’t a pastor before but was worshipping in a church as a prayer warrior
when the message came and immediately I did not make excuse. People have
already started calling me pastor before I became one.
When was God’s
Preparatory Ministry inaugurated?
The church was inaugurated 14th February 1998.
What was your major
challenge then?
My problem then was space. I tried to get a space at one
hotel but their was no chair. I begged
one Sunday like that to get a rented chair and to my greatest surprise all of
them settled my request without collecting a kobo because God is at work.
At 40, what are we
expecting?
Life has just begun at 40.
This is the age of great commitment it also signify strength. I am also
trusting God to do more exceeding things on what He has trusted into my hands.
I wrote a book that is been lunched today. I am starting an outreach ministry
that will drive the world to keep on pressing for our Lord Jesus Christ
What is your advice to Christians?
Praying without ceasing for our leadership. And I want tell all true Christian that 2014
will be a beautiful and wonderful tear. God have never failed any generation
that put their trust in Him. I pray that youth of this great nation be sold out
to the King of Kings. He that has spoken will confirm it.
A GOOD PR FIRM MOST
GO BEYOUND BRAND APPEAL ----- PR EXPERT
Lekan Ishola is the Managing Director of PRREDline. His PR
outfit is a stakeholder communications company. In an interview with classic
magazine, the renowned PR expert uncovers every area leaving no stone unturned
on what make a good PR practitioner among other business aspect…
What makes a good PR practitioner?
A good PR practitioner must be first and foremost a
qualified practitioner. The truth is that PR is a profession. When we talk
about the evolution of PR you will agree with me that PR have gone through some
stages. It used to be the media department
of government establishment in the past which evolves to become its own
practice but significantly associated with the media practice, particularly
electronic media. Then as time goes on it become a practice and a profession
that there is certain expected qualification whether academics or
professional. Also there is
specification and qualification of PROs. People from the outside would say PR
is this and that without actually stating the obvious. However, people that
practice the job know we have different aspects of PR practice. For you to be
thinking PR, you most have undergone academics and practical of professional
training in different aspects or specific aspects that you choose as the case
may be. A good PR person must have integrity. Gone are the days when you talk
about PR as a form of giving people bribe, organizing protocols or placing
things in the media gone are those days. You need integrity first and foremost,
you need to be somebody that will say yes and it is yes. Not only to your colleagues
or clients but faithfulness upon yourself and to the practice it self
What do you mean by
different aspects of PR that you are talking about?
PR is a vast
profession. Be it strategy development, media relations, advocacy, consumer’s
engagement, stakeholder engagement and other platform that we have. For you to
be a professional as a respected professional or a respectable professional you
must have a full in any of these over a given period of time. A step which has
to do with academic qualification, professional qualification and also
specification and specialization is the character or personality aspect of the
practice.
What does it take to run a good PR outfit?
You need to get down
and ask yourself what role you want to play just like any other business. The
truth is that the business can be a small business and it is thriving or it is
a big business and it is not performing.
Do you want to play big, medium or small scale? That choice determines
the number of people you need to work with you. It determines the capital
outlay and the type of business you want to do. Their some business that if you
don’t plan to play big you would not succeed even if you use what ever means to
get there you cannot perform. And then your integrity will be faulted. Also
there are a business that attracts certain type of package like cars and other
things depending on how you want to play. For maintenance if you want to play
small your salary scale will be affected, the number of staff you have will be
affected, the office type would be affected. So it depends on the conscious
choice on how you want to play. It also depends on the level of trust that you
have been able to build as a brand. For you to run PR business as a brand you
must know certain things and be known for something. It is a conscious thing
and you have find links. Do you want to be known as someone who is doing a PR
or someone who have contributed to the growth of the company or business? Do
you want to be known as a brand or someone who want to just come and razzmatazz
and go? But for the business to be very
successful it must run over a period of time.
Are you saying that a
PR organization must have a long time engagement?
There are
organization that you hear their names that have run
for over 15 to 20 years. There
are organizations that still play small for over 15-20years. What is important
is confidence and what people know you for. People should be able to say, if
you are talking about PR practice then
go to XYZ, so to say. For instance if you are talking about a PR firm that are
good in
stakeholders engagement go to so
so and so firm. If you are looking for a
PR firm who is very good at financial PR a direction would be given. That is
the kind of PR firm one should look out for that has confidence and skill
before you can talk about profitability.
What do you mean by
profitability?
Yes the figure does not count but profitability. If you run
a business and you revenue is 100 to 200 million, what in matters is profitability. Because that
is how you are able to deliver to owners of the business. You must work at the
two aspect of the business which are income generation and the expenditure
aspect. You must be able to balance the two. But people feel that PR is all
about razzmatazz, all about showing up, all about wearing good shoes, things
you will say when you go out, driving the best car, staying in the best hotel
and all that. All these remember must come at a cost. If you do all these things, is there means you biting more than you can
grind. Business is different from show up. Those things are not important but
depending on how you want to play. You must consistently do things for over a
period of time for people to indentify your professionalizing.
What is your opinion
on your PR firm and others?
For us, you need to understand first and foremost we
are not a stand alone firm. In other words we did not come and to be a PR
firm. We are a subsidiary of a group and
that is a centre spread group. It has an advertisement agency for over 30 years
ago and along the line. The centre
spread group had an opportunity as they were doing some things. The saw an
opportunity of PR and they started doing it regularly. So what that means is that we were able to
build integrity that made it easy to unveil a PR firm. We have integrity, we have professionalism and that gave us the
opportunity of dabbling into areas that are PR and to help PR. We understand the whole essence of marketing
communication and integrated marketing communication. There is no way you will
do integrated marketing communication you will not go into other aspect that
goes PR. So PR is part of it and
advertizing is also one of them among other aspects. We are on ground and that
is what made us thick. Now we lucky to come from group that has other
subsidiary In the integrated market communication. We are able to draw from
other of our subsidiary in making up our own PR outfit. And at that is why our
offerings are always robust. We also have commitment on the area of financial accounts
and when those accounts have more you will never have any course to include any
other guide because their is performance. Integrity to the business and
commitment to the clients is a good deal. We have everything nationally and
internationally which is an advantage to us. We don’t work with you because we
want to make money, we work with you because we want to grow your business from
one point to another. As you are growing we become an integrated part of your
business that you find it difficult to tell us to go. The reason is that you
know we are adding value to you and also cost conscious.
What do you think you
like most about yourself?
Challenges. When I
started I was limited to media communication but along the line I started
seeing the strategic aspect of PR and that is where the real challenges are. It
is not what you do with the media but the brainwork plotting a good PR outing.
It also mean going beyond what you are told. I see PR as more of something that
requires intelligence and aspect keeps me happy.
Your PR firm handles
big brands in Nigeria. What is it like?
Yes we have been working for money gram for years and they
have been growing. Money gram is the only money transfer firm that has their
office in Nigeria. Western union doesn’t have any office in Nigeria. Money gram
has done a lot not only in Lagos but outside Lagos. They have grown beyond
brand appeal, relevance and commitment. You can’t do such a business with
companies like that if you don’t have integrity. We work with different PR
communication team to get things done. You should also study the public very
well that your client want to reach.
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