Akaiso Eyo-Akaiso, Uyo
The founder of Solid Rock Kingdom Church, Apostle Dr John Okoriko is a man of parts. But what many people know him for is a prolific preacher and radio evangelist, noted for hilarious revelations like “Satan has a human face” and many others which have endeared him to hundreds of thousands of adherents the world over.
But on Friday while making a brief remark at the opening of a two day seminar on ultra modern cultivation of oil palm, cocoa, pepper, cassava and snail farming in Uyo, he declared himself as an astute farmer and a born preacher, saying “when I am preaching I am talking to human beings but when I am farming I am talking to trees.”
Even though Okoriko’s revelations used to evoke applause, they are nonetheless laden with references in the Bible. This makes him a household name to all listeners without comparison. According to him, in Bible human beings are referred to as trees and fruits as illustrated by Jesus in the parable of the fig tree.
To this end, he advised participants at the seminar to return to their respective villages and fell at least 10 to 25 spent trees that are no longer useful and plant “Tenera” species of oil palm tree which he described as a solution to financial freedom and see a change in their fortune.
“Go back to your villages and kill those spent trees still standing on your grand fathers’ plots of land, and plant at least 10 to 25 stands of modern palm trees in the right way and see, after maturity, if you will not notice a change in your net worth for the next 25 to 50 years.”
Asked why the seminar, Apostle Okoriko who owns Genevito Farms, a division of Genevito Limited with headquarters in Mkpat Enin, sponsor of the seminar thumped up Governor Eno for beginning his administration blueprint tagged ARISE AGENDA, with “A” for agriculture, adding that this has distinguished him from other governors across the country as people oriented governor.
“His Excellency Pastor Umo Bassey Eno has declared the first and third Friday of each month as work free days to enable the civil servants to return to farming . Since the Governor can’t do everything, I am organizing the seminar to complement his efforts,” he said.
Therefore I urge all residents of Akwa Ibom State, both indigenes and non indigenes alike, irrespective of what they are doing to embrace farming for food sufficiency.
“Every human being is naturally a farmer. Because every human being eats, morning, afternoon and evening and every food comes from the farm.
“Moreover, God created human being and put him in the garden of Eden and farming was man’s preoccupation. That’s the reason we must all farm.”
