BIOGRAPHY
ABOUT CHIOMA JESUS
Long before gospel music became a financially rewarding genre, people like Amaka Okwuoha, popularly known as Chioma Jesus, controlled the airwaves with worship songs that inspired anyone listening to sing along. It did not matter whether you understood what she was saying since she mostly sang in her native Igbo dialect.
Still, her voice had a special way of touching and getting you to understand that higher power and being were being revered at that moment.
To accommodate people of other tribes and regions, Chioma learned other Nigerian languages and has incorporated them into her music. This has served her well in her career as she is now one of Nigeria’s most well-known gospel music singers. Her music has helped her travel far and wide and won her a myriad of awards.
EARLY LIFE & CAREER
Chioma Jesus is a member of the Igbo ethnic group of eastern Nigeria. On the 12th of February 1972, she was born to Lolo Dorathy and late Nze Euzebius Chukwumaeze Ebizie of Ogboza Autonomous Community, Amanator clan, Ideato South Local Government Area, Imo State. Her parents, however, resided in the industrious town of Aba, Abia State, which is where she was born and raised. At birth, the gospel singer was christened Amaka Ebizie by her parents. She is the first of their seven children.
Life was reported to have been good for the Ebizie family while Chioma was growing up. But Things got bad after the young girl lost both her parents. This left her to try to cater to the needs of her younger siblings. While doing the best she possibly can, a teenage Chioma fell in love with singing at her local church. She would later become a born-again Christian and joined scripture union.
Chioma’s life subsequently became dictated by her faith, something that she reported to have made life uneasy for her at the time. One such instance was in her final year of secondary school when she was slated to write her WAEC exams. All the students in her school, excluding herself, agreed to contribute money to bribe invigilators for exam malpractice. Because of her decision to not join them on the stance that it was a sin against God, students threatened and bullied her. However, she was able to come out of it unscathed.
As already mentioned, Chioma Jesus fell in love with Christ as a young girl when she became involved in the church choir. After becoming a member of the Scripture Union, she carried on singing and was motivated by her pastor, who helped spread how good the young girl was.
Later, Chioma started getting invited to sing at various church programs, fellowships, and crusades. Sometime between the late 1990s and early 2000s, Chioma Jesus was invited to perform at St. Andrews Anglican Church, Mile 1 Diobu, Port Harcourt, Rivers State. Word had gone around that she could touch souls with her voice, so she was invited to perform at the church by Venerable Azubuike Ugoha. Chioma did not disappoint with her performances as she immediately became a resident member. She would settle in the city, where she later launched her music career in 2002/2003.
Before becoming a full-time gospel music singer, Chioma was a petty food trader. She abandoned all of that to focus on music and has become a
household name, particularly to those that understand the Igbo language. She has incorporated English among other Nigerian languages in her music to meet a wider audience.
MINISTRY OF CHIOMA JESUS
As Chioma Jesus rose to prominence, many people began to know her by one of her songs instead of her birth name of Amaka. The 51-year-old singer did not mind as long as she could continue her ministry through music. She has since shared the stage with other renowned gospel music artists like Sinach, Don Moen, Lionel Peterson, Ron Kenoly, and many others.
Below is a list of her most popular songs.
- Chioma Jesus
- Aga’m abu
- Miracle God
- I have never seen any
- God like you
- Chineye Nwa
- Gini kam ge me
- Onye ukwu
- Okemmuo
- Bulldozer
- Na God I Dey
- Praise(Nobi say I Dey craze) and many more
Chioma Jesus’ music has touched lives around Nigeria. As a result, she has won several awards and received recognition’s including the “World Ambassador for Peace Award by United Nations-pol-ac peace Nigeria, in collaboration with platinum standard publications limited Lagos”
While in her line of work, Chioma Jesus met and married her husband, Evangelist Callistus Okwuoha. The duo has been blessed with two beautiful kids. While there isn’t so much available information about the Okwuoha family, it is public knowledge that Chioma struggled with getting pregnant a second time after welcoming her first child, a son, to the world.
The singer says her daughter, whom she named Miracle Chioma Okwuoha, opened her womb after 15 years of looking for the fruit of the womb.
