The General Overseer of the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries (MFM), Dr. Daniel Olukoya, has highlighted the challenges religious bodies face in running tertiary institutions, particularly the high operational costs that make it difficult for members to afford tuition. He pointed out that the soaring expenses have made it increasingly challenging for families to send their children and wards to faith-based universities.
Speaking at the weekend during his conferment of an honorary doctoral degree in management by the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA), Olukoya disclosed that a significant portion of the revenue generated by Mountain Top University, located in Ogun State and owned by MFM, is allocated to energy generation. He explained that much of the institution’s funds are spent on purchasing diesel to power its operations, although the university is now in the process of installing solar power as a more sustainable solution.
“To run a university on a generator is a lot of money,” Olukoya said, emphasizing the financial strain this imposes on the institution. “In our university, most of the money goes to diesel.”
Olukoya, who shared his personal experience of overcoming financial hurdles to access higher education, expressed deep concern for the challenges faced by students and parents in Nigeria. He reiterated his commitment to supporting the less privileged, stating, “I am always at the back of the poor because I know how difficult it was for me to get to the university.”
In his address, Olukoya also stressed the importance of divine intervention, urging that prayer and God’s intervention could help overcome the systemic challenges in the country’s educational sector. “Prayer can dismantle any problem. What we need in Nigeria is divine intervention. Let God intervene in what we are doing. Divine intervention is greater than your brain or what your brain can do,” he added.
