Tribute
By Chukwudi George Ozalla
“Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his faithful servants.” – Psalm 116:15
The news of the passing of Rev. Dr. William Uzochukwu Okoye, founder and General Overseer of All Christians Fellowship Mission (ACFM), came to me with a deep sense of loss. A good soldier of Christ has gone home. I remember him not only as the respected founder of a Christian ministry, but as a gentleman whose path crossed mine many years ago at the Christian Ecumenical Centre in Abuja, a minister whose radio preaching I took delight in listening to and a man whose personal conduct earned my respect.
I once received an invitation to attend a programme in his church, and I was glad I did. That experience also became part of my personal memories of him. Rev. Okoye was a perfect gentleman. He carried himself with dignity and humility, and I never knew him for the scandals that have sometimes followed public figures in the Christian ministry. What I knew was a forthright minister of God who appeared genuinely patriotic and committed to the faith he preached. He was not the kind of preacher who needed theatrics to command attention. His message and the sincerity with which he delivered it were enough.
His journey into the ministry was strengthened by a clear encounter with Christ. Rev. Dr. Okoye gave his life to Christ in 1971 and answered the call to full-time ministry in 1974. He later travelled to the United States for theological training at the Morris Cerullo World Evangelism School of Ministry in San Diego, California. From those beginnings came the All Christians Fellowship Mission, which he founded and patiently built into a Christian ministry with a presence in different parts of Nigeria and beyond.
Rev. Okoye’s ministry also took him beyond the church. He served as Chaplain of the Aso Villa Chapel during the administrations of Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan between 1999 and 2007. He participated in national assignments and spoke on matters concerning the country. He believed that a Christian could not remain indifferent to the condition of the society in which he lived. His preaching and public interventions often connected faith with responsible citizenship, unity, truth and the need to build a better Nigeria.
Rev. Okoye was detribalised. He related with people beyond ethnic and sectional considerations and showed a genuine interest in the unity and progress of Nigeria. He aimed at the truth and was deeply concerned about nation building. He understood that Christianity was not simply about what happens inside the church; it should also be seen in the character of the believer, in the way people treat one another and in the contribution they make to society.
His was a simple life, but simplicity should not be mistaken for a life without impact. His years were filled with compassion and practical interventions in the lives of people. He did not merely preach about helping others; he was involved in helping people. That compassion was part of the attraction of his ministry and one of the things that made his service meaningful to those who encountered him.
He also experienced personal pain. Rev. Okoye lost his first wife, Evangelist Helen Titilayo Okoye, on May 2, 2019. Helen was his wife and partner in family life and Christian service, and her death was undoubtedly a painful period in his life. He later remarried Pastor Toyin and continued with the work to which he had devoted so much of his life.
It is difficult to speak about Rev. Okoye without speaking about the church he founded. He did not build ACFM around himself alone. He laid a solid succession foundation in the ministry, preparing the church to continue after his departure. That is particularly significant because the true test of what a founder has built is whether the work can continue when the founder is no longer there to lead it. Rev. Okoye made seamless provision for that continuity.
I also hope that those who loved and cherished Rev. Okoye will identify with the William and Helen Okoye Foundation and continue to support the vision that the departed couple stood for. Their names should not only be remembered in tributes and funeral ceremonies. The compassion, interventions and concern for people that characterised their lives should live on through the foundation and through those who believe in what they stood for.
My memories of Rev. Okoye are personal. I am consoled by still listening to his past preachings on radio, even though he has departed. I remember the man I encountered at the Christian Ecumenical Centre in Abuja. He lived quietly, served faithfully and gave his voice to matters he believed could make Nigeria better.
Rev. Okoye will be committed to mother earth this Friday, October 9, 2026, in Agulu, Anaocha Local Government Area of Anambra State. As his family, relatives, friends, associates, church members, sympathisers and admirers gather to say their final farewell, many will certainly have their own stories about the man they knew. Mine is that of a gentleman, a preacher and a Nigerian who believed that faith should produce truth, compassion, service and love for country.
Rev. Dr. William Okoye has completed his earthly assignment. The church he founded is standing, the people he touched are still here, the family foundation carries his name, and the message he preached lives on. His voice may no longer be heard on the radio, but the work he started and the lives he influenced will speak for him.
“I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness.” – 2 Timothy 4:7–8
Go home, faithful soldier. Rest in the peace of your Lord, Rev. Dr. William Okoye. You have fought the good fight, finished your course and kept the faith. May the crown of righteousness be yours in eternity.
