Biography, Age of Prophet Michael Ojo Olowere AKA Baba Automatic
Prophet Michael Ojo Olowere, who was born on September 9th, is anointed for signs and wonders and is a profound preacher, teacher, and gospel evangelist. He is one of the few remaining Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) pastors of the gospel who is often referred to as Baba Olowere. He is a peculiar prophet of God and one of the last few people to have received a significant amount of the Holy Spirit through the famed Apostle Joseph Ayodele Babalola.
He has led the planting of various churches within the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) mission during the course of his career in ministry, starting with the CAC Oke-Imole, Agbowo, in 1978. Currently, Prophet Michael Olowere is the pastor of a church in Ibadan, Nigeria.
There are numerous tales about Baba Olowere’s life and the wonders that God performed through him. Apostle Femi Lazarus shared a significant one. He claimed to have attended a vigil at Prophet Olowere’s church in Ibadan with his covenant companions and spiritual brothers, Pastor Daniel Olawande and Evangelist Lawrence Oyor Gomba. He was deep in prayer throughout the meeting when he abruptly turned to face the congregation gathered around the minister’s pulpit seat. As soon as he turned to face them, he abruptly became aware of a thick fog covering the entire congregation. He then realized that someone had entered the cathedral while carrying the old mantle. Baba Olowere was just a few seats away when he turned to his right and spotted him there.
According to Apostle Femi Lazarus, Baba made prophecies about the last days revival when it was his turn to minister. Then he continued by discussing the vision God had given him of a rainstorm in which everyone was overcome by the Holy Spirit. I had a gut feeling that his vision was divided into two parts: 1) He discussed the latter rain that would come in the final days. He also discussed the latter rain Conference. The three of us who will be ministering there were present at this meeting, and this was a wonderful confirmation for us. Since we met him, I haven’t stopped reflecting on his humility, kindness, and youthful fervor for prayer.
When I stood in front of him to talk with him, I suddenly felt the burden of prayer. Indeed, a man’s secret life is communicable.
A tale about Baba Olowere’s unadulterated faith was also told by Prophet A.T. Joel. Prophet Joel told how Baba Olowere, also known as Baba Automatic, doesn’t take “NO” for an answer and was described as a man who was unstoppable. According to him, Baba Olowere is not the type of person who would let Jesus go before he can properly hear Him. He is a man who will continue to pray until something occurs. Despite the incredible things God has done through this man of God, I have never met a man who is more humble. Since he is quiet and unobtrusive, he cannot be stopped.
Another account of Baba Olowere describes how some police officers stopped his car as he was driving to Osogbo, Osun state, for a crusade. Even when he provided them with every paperwork they asked for, they refused to let him leave. After that, he exited the vehicle, took off one shoe, and flung it into a bush. Time was already against him, so he ordered the policeman to seek for it until he returned from the show.
The officers immediately hurried into the jungle to search for the shoes. Baba didn’t return until the following day, and when he did, he exclaimed, “My friends, I have come ooo!” as he approached that area.
The officers came out of the bushes squabbling over who would give Baba the shoes. Baba escorted them away, prayed for them, and warned them never to bother a man of God again.
Because most of us lack the force of humility that gives rise to authority in the manner of old, people no longer revere men of God.
The Prophet Olowere has frequently lectured on the key to a fruitful ministry. “Omo ni irele, ani ni irele, o gbodo ni irele,” he said in his own words. It means “son, be humble, you need to be humble, you must be humble” in the English translation.
Prophet Olowere is still alive today, a legend that knows God and whom God knows.
Despite being in his late 80s, he is still in high demand for special prayers at the C.A.C. Oke-Agbara Oluwatedo Ashi neighborhood in Ibadan, where participants go from far and wide to participate in his “Prayer with Automatic Answer” program every alternate Monday.
One of the Christ Apostolic Church’s most esteemed gospel preachers is Prophet M.O. Olowere. At CAC Oke-Imole, Agbowo, Baba Automatic, as he is affectionately known, began planting churches inside the CAC circle in 1978. Prophet Olowere, who arrived in Ibadan in 1952 when he was still fairly young, likes to refer to himself as an Ibadan man. He was born in Ilesa, although his father is from Ifaki, Ekiti. He was attending CAC in Oniyanrin when he heard the heavenly call.
He repaired cocoa scales in numerous locations throughout Oyo State and generally dealt with anything involving iron, metal, bolts, and nuts. His boss at the time congratulated him for his talent because he was so committed to his work and had perfected the craft. He also contributed to the team of experts that built the iron rods at the Oyo Water Corporation.
Prophet Olowere spent two years learning the craft of bricklaying in order to expand his construction knowledge. The call to the ministry came again just as he was about to complete his bricklaying training. He was unable to ignore the call any longer at this point. He followed God’s guidance and traveled to the CAC church in Kano State. When he arrived in Kano, the chairman there informed him that he couldn’t be there since the gospel’s work had not been as he had anticipated. He visited Zaria as well and had the same answer. Before being transferred to a church near the University of Ibadan, he served for three and a half years at other CAC churches. Before becoming an evangelist, he eventually worked in a few other places and has since continued in the ministry.
He spent two years in theological school. He was ordained a cleric on December 14, 1975, despite the fact that he had been in the ministry for a long time before then. By God’s mercy, he planted his first church in 1978, the CAC, Oke Imole, Agbowo. The CAC Oke-Imole has given rise to numerous branches.
Baba Olowere was a student of many well-known CAC prophets. Despite not working with Prophet Ayo Babalola, he was familiar with him. Between 1974 and 1975, he was employed by Prophet Babajide in Ilesa. He also saw Baba Obadare rise from the dead.
Prophet Michael Olowere received the moniker “Baba Automatic” many years ago after hearing from God in a dream. In that dream, he saw the channel via which people should approach God and the means by which their prayers would be heard. He said that if they uttered the name “Jesus” and answered with “Power,” He would perform miracles in people’s lives. In that revelation, God also gave him the command to launch a program called Automatic Prayer. That was how he began, and today, more than 35,000 individuals from both inside and outside of Nigeria attend that program.
One of the most esteemed gospel ministers in the Christ Apostolic Church is Prophet M.O. Olowere. He has led the planting of various churches within the CAC mission throughout the course of his six-decade preaching career, starting with the CAC Oke-Imole, Agbowo, in 1978.
The establishment of church gatherings and activities, a theological institute, health facilities, and socio-economic empowerment were the contributions of PMO to the growth of CAC. PMO conducted 48 church gatherings in Ibadanland between 1978 and 2015, as well as a biweekly interdenominational program known as “Automatic Prayer” in November 1995. Through his financial contributions to mission projects in other denominations and his mentoring of ministers from other churches, he fostered ecumenism. By founding Thy Will Theological Institute in 1997, he supported theological study. In addition, he engaged in ministerial tutelage, a novel idea developed from what was taught in other seminaries, and through it, almost 2000 ministers received training in the practice of successful ministry between 1997 and 2015. By involving 32 female evangelists and 18 prophetesses in active church ministry, he emphasized the importance of gender equality in the ministry. Between 1978 and 2015, he developed 13 midwifery centers in Ibadan and three cura divina-based treatment centers in Kajola (1989), Ashi (2000), and Olodo (2005). Construction of two guest houses in Ashi (2005) and Olodo (2010) that provided employment opportunities, the donation of a police station in Olodo (2013), the laying of roads in Agbowo (1989), the drilling of a borehole in Agbowo (2004), the formation of a workers’ cooperative society in Ashi (2002), the provision of electricity in Ashi (2006), and the empowerment of 50 youths and 60 widows financially were all results of Prophet Olowere’s ministry. These were accomplished despite his educational limitations, a lack of funding, and high local taxes.
Prophet Michael Olowere’s services to the Christ Apostolic Church in Ibadanland led to its tremendous growth by starting new congregations, promoting ecumenism, and involving women. Other Church leaders could adopt this evangelizing strategy to grow their congregations.
In the family of Chief Dada Olowere and Mrs. Alice Olowere of Ifaki-Ekiti, in the current Ido-Osi local government area of Ekiti State, Nigeria, Prophet Michael Olowere is the third son. There was no documented record of his birth in the family, and the then-colonial government-controlled Province did not register it either. John Adeyemi Olowere claims that his birth can be connected to the Oke-Ooye revival in Ilesa in 1930 since his mother had just given birth to Michael Olowere when word of the wonders and healings at Oke-Ooye reached Ifaki. The Baba Ijo of Saint Michael Anglican Church, Ona-Oja, IfakiEkiti in Ekiti State was Chief Dada Olowere. At the time, his maternal grandfather (Borode) served as the patron of the Ifaki-Ekiti Church Missionary Society. Both his mother and father were traders; although his mother dealt in sugarcane, his father, like his grandfather, dealt in cocoa produce. It is significant to note that Chief Dada Olowere had three wives, the first of whom was Mrs. Alice Olowere, the mother of Prophet Michael Olowere. Prophet Michael Olowere was just one of her three sons. These are Mr. John Adeyemi Olowere, Mr. Adebisi Dada, and Mr. Oke Ogunsakin.
The parents of Prophet Olowere practiced syncretic religion. His father, Chief Dada, used to take his kids to herbalists who cut them with razor blades and then robbed them of their possessions with charms after reciting incantations. The cause of this was the kids’ dread of being attacked by witches and wizards. Chief Dada and other church elders and members were also frequently discovered drinking palm wine to the point of intoxication. Prophet Michael Olowere claimed that the church in his hometown at the time did not provide a complete teaching of the Bible. This facilitated the syncretism that was pervasive among Christians. Prophet Michael Olowere’s mother survived until she passed away in 1981, but he lost his father when he was just seven years old. Before she passed away, she moved from Ifaki, Ekiti, to Prophet Michael Olowere’s home in Ibadan, Oyo State. After his father passed away, he moved in with his uncle, Mr. Samuel Ogunmoroti, who had raised him since he was a young child.
Childhood and Educational Training
Prophet Olowere’s father passed away right before he was scheduled to enter school, and his uncle, who might have sent him, was not willing to do so. He therefore never got the chance to have a formal education, yet he is still able to read the Yoruba Bible and write in it107. This indicates that he acquired his knowledge of the alphabet and pronunciation formally. Prophet M. Olowere described his educational background. He claimed that God frequently used His words to minister to him and gave him the command to read, whether it was in English or Yoruba. God is so amazing, he continued, that He ministered to him anytime he opens the Bible and sometimes points him to specific passages. Prophet Olowere’s trader uncle, Mr. Samuel Ogunmoroti, led him when he was twelve years old to Egbadoland and numerous other towns and villages where they engaged in the sale of their commodities. He and his uncle initially resided in Idogo for five years, followed by four years in Ilaro, both in the Yorubaland region of Egbado. Before returning to Ibadan, where he subsequently settled, the trading expedition took him and his uncle to numerous French-speaking regions, including Coutonue in the current Republic of Benin. He also conducted small-scale business in Ajilete, Ojaodan, and Ebute Igboora.
He occasionally worked odd jobs for his uncle as well. When he arrived in Ibadan in 1952, he received bricklaying training. He was a skilled bricklayer who worked as one for nearly two years. He said he could lay roughly a hundred blocks in a day. Prophet M. Olowere also acquired skills in other trades outside bricklaying. He spent around five years, eight months as a blacksmith apprentice. Mr. Samson, who was from Ayede Ekiti, was his master.109 He was an expert blacksmith and could create various plumbing materials thanks to his skills. Based on his studies, he was able to create any form of bolt, nut, radiator, cacao scale, and other steel-based item that might have been produced at the time. Many tasks were carried out manually because modern technology was uncommon at the time, yet he nonetheless distinguished himself as a talented craftsman of his era. In his field of expertise, Prophet M. Olowere utilised his knowledge to the advantage of everyone who came into contact with him. For instance, he worked for Ibadan-based companies Kingsway Stores, PZ Company, and Water Corporation. Some construction organizations described him as being exceedingly obedient to the point that he had roughly fifty-four (54) apprentices who were trained and worked under his direct supervision. He was also regarded as being trustworthy, obedient, and honest; these traits helped him gain a good reputation in the eyes of everyone, great and small, as neither his superiors nor the apprentices who worked for him ever accused him of wrongdoing.110
Religious Influence on Prophet Michael Olowere
The religious experience of Prophet Michael Olowere from his early life was that of syncretism. According to a reliable source, he was exposed by his father to two religions – Christianity and African Traditional Religion. His father, Chief Dada Olowere did not allow his children to see anything wrong in combining the two in the area of religious practices. He led his children from the church to herbalists’ homes. On the other hand, Prophet Michael Olowere revealed that his parents did not approve of his socialising with other children so that they would not be corrupted. He also stated that his father did not teach them to know the efficacy of prayer and the word of God for their lives instead; his father exposed them to seeking the assistance of traditional priests for protection from any possible attack from the enemies. While commenting on the religiousity of his parents, Prophet M.Olowere said that, it was amazing, once in a blue moon while coming from the Church, his father would take them to herbalists who made incisions on them with razor blades and robbed the places with some powdery substance after some incantations. He also reported that, the reason his father was doing that was, according to him, to protect them from witches and wizards that might want to kill them. He went further to say that, there was no thorough teaching of the Bible at that time and that it was not uncommon for
When I was five years in the profession, I was attending the CAC, Oniyanrin, at the time I received the divine call. I worked in many parts of Oyo State. We repaired scales for cocoa, and generally, worked with as many things that had to do with iron, metal, bolts, and nuts. I was very dedicated to my work and mastered the art, such that my boss at the time praised my skill. We even worked on the iron rods erected at the Oyo Water Corporation at the time. I learnt bricklaying for two years as well. When it was almost eight months that I would have finished my service as it related to learning the ropes of the business, the call into the ministry came again. However, it got to a point that I couldn’t evade the call anymore. So, I went to the CAC church in Kano State, as God directed me. When I got to Kano, the chairman there said I couldn’t be there because, according to him, the work of the gospel was not what I imagined. I also went to Zaria and got the same response.
However, I worked for three and a half years in other CAC churches, before I was brought to UI area, a church around there. With time, I worked in some other places before I became an evangelist, and continued in the ministry, till where God has brought me to today.
I went to theological school for two years. Although, I had been in the ministry long before then, I was ordained a cleric on December 14, 1975. The CAC, Oke Imole, Agbowo was the first church which I planted, through God’s grace in 1978. There are many branches that the CAC Oke-Imole has birthed. I worked under a lot of renowned CAC prophets. Although, I didn’t work with Prophet Ayo Babalola, I knew him. To mention one or two examples, I worked under the tutelage of Prophet Babajide between 1974 and 1975 in Ilesa. I also witnessed Baba Obadare’s resurrection. There have been challenges, but God has been faithful. The challenges have been many, in many regions of Nigeria. It’s one of the reasons I’m thanking God for clocking 60 years in the ministry.
You have been in the ministry for 60 years now. How would you compare Christianity of the time when you embraced the ministry and what obtains now?
Sadly, unlike when we joined the ministry during that time, now, it would seem people want to run faster than God; there is impatience when it comes to waiting for God’s time. And if a person refuses to wait for God’s time, you won’t reach your desired destination, because God will not go faster than you, just to please you. Many people nowadays are very impatient. For 20 years after I came into the ministry, I washed with caustic soda. How many clerics today can take that? Instead, clerics nowadays want to tour around the world in luxury in the shortest time as possible after they come into the ministry. They are anxious to become popular and rich. That is not how it should be. You come into the ministry expecting trials and hardship, especially at the beginning. However, when God wills, He will bless you through that ministry. Being a cleric demands perseverance and endurance. If a cleric is impatient, wanting to be successful, before God’s appointed time, you will miss it and, instead, become labelled a false prophet. I would advise clerics to be truthful to their calling in totality. They should also be humble, whatever the gift God has blessed them with. Even if you have been blessed with the gift of raising the dead, you must be humble. They should follow the dictates of the Bible. They should also learn from the biblical examples of prophets.
You’re in your eighties, yet you don’t seem to be slowing down. You even do dry fasting. What’s the secret?
It has been by the grace of God. My life has been dedicated to spreading the gospel and serving God and He has remained faithful in giving me strength for this race. Even at my age, I fast a lot. Fasting and prayers are part of what God requires of us as clerics, and as Christians. A Christian must learn how not to eat too much, lest he/she opens up the passage for the devil to take hold. Fasting and prayers build discipline, resilience and helps a Christian stand ready at all times. Also, I relax well. When I want to relax, I don’t receive visitors. I sleep, pray, and I also use that time to hear from God.
You are quite older than your wife. How did you express your interest to marry her?
That she would be my wife was through divine revelation. In fact, three times, an angel showed her to me as my wife. Initially, I refused the revelation. Then God told me if I didn’t want what He wanted for me, I should go ahead and do what pleased me. You know when God tells you that, you have no choice but to follow divine leading. I had known her since when she was young and was even friends with her elder brother, who is also a cleric. One day, I invited her to see me. When we met, I didn’t mince words, and asked her if she would be interested in marrying me. She was very shocked. After we parted that day, I told her not to tell her parents. However, when she got home, she told her mother and interestingly, her mother told her it had also been revealed to her that we would get married. Three months later, her brother, who is also a cleric, came to my house on a visit. He said God had repeatedly revealed to him that I would marry his sister.
Next year would make it 40 years you got married. How has the experience been?
In all the years we have been married, I have never raised my voice at her in anger. As a prophet, I have to be very careful with my utterances and it has never happened that I have been angry with her. Even my children have wondered how we never argue. We read the Bible, follow its dictates, and my wife is a person who fears God.
The CAC is known for prayer mountains; is it compulsory a person visits a prayer mountain before his/her prayers can be answered?
It’s not required. On the other hand, praying on a mountain encourages concentration. Since I’ve been going to prayer mountains for more than 60 years, I can state that various people experience different methods of having their prayers answered. Even Jesus Christ journeyed to mountains of prayer.
It is not uncommon for prophets to, sometimes, demand monetary compensation for revelations. Is this supposed to be?
Such prophets are not Bible-inclined, and are simply criminals. In fact, sometimes, when people come to see me, I give them money. It is insensitive to ask a person who comes to you with problems for compensation to do a divine duty.
What is your advice for the CAC on unity?
The devil is responsible for the disunity but before long, there shall be unity. We have been praying and by God’s grace, we will experience unity soonest.
Prophets come across all sorts of people, seeking answers to life’s questions. Take, for instance, some persons come to seek revelations regarding future spouses, some coming with as many as ten names. Is this right?
Bringing ten names is greed. Two, three names are enough. In fact, single people need to be very careful about people who come to seek their hands in marriage.
Do you think Nigeria would do better if the country disintegrates?
If God wills it, Nigeria will disintegrate. It’s not in the hands of man for Nigeria to break up. If God wills it and sees that our being together or apart will be for our good, it will be so.
How would you advise government on insecurity?
They should ensure that perpetrators of violence are brought to justice. Even the Bible preaches against all these vices, so it behoves on government to ensure that the law takes its due course as it relates to insecurity.
