Oyakhilome announces birth of first grandchild

Chris Oyakhilome, pastor and founder of Christ Embassy Church, has announced the birth of Arielle Rachelle-Marise, his first grandchild.

The 57-year-old televangelist took to KingsChat, a social media app owned by Christ Embassy, to welcome the arrival of the baby girl on Thursday.

“So thrilled with boundless joy to welcome my new baby grand daughter, Arielle Rachelle-Marise,” he wrote.

“We’re full of praise to the Lord for His priceless gift and grace through Sharon and Phil, parents of the newborn. Glory to God.”

Carissa Sharon Oyakhilome and Philip Frimpong — the parents of the baby girl — got married on October 6, 2018, in the absence of Anita Odegwa, the baby’s grandmother.

Sharon is the first child of the two children between the cleric and Anita, his ex-wife.

Anita had divorced the cleric in February 2016 after accusing him of “unreasonable behaviour” and “inappropriate relationships with members of staff”.

In August 2014, TheCable reported Anita’s allegations against Chris, but the pastor kept mum for more than a week before finally branding the allegations “crazy” and “stupid”.

“I heard that some media houses – especially in Nigeria – are writing some things against me. All sorts of frivolous charges, that’s crazy,” he had said at that time during the monthly global communion service of the church.

“If a man of God is married, it doesn’t automatically mean that the wife of a man of God is therefore a woman of God. That’s not the way it is in the Bible. That’s why you don’t really find the wives of men of God mentioned in the Bible.

“How many of them? Who was Peter’s wife, did you ever know her name? You never find that out. Who was John’s wife? Did you ever read the name? What about all the other Apostles? How many of their names are written in the Bible. You never find their names.”