HIS BACKGROUND NEVER KEPT HIM ON THE GROUND.

Good morning family, today I want to take a break from the usual motivational life stories of international or western stars to Celebrate a living legend.

He is Pastor Barr. Simon O. Oweazim.
A a pastor, a practising Barrister, a one time lecturer at the university of Abuja, a public speaker,an Author of books, gifted in the married and singles ministry, a dedicated father of three wonderful kids, loving husband, a true mentor and a whole lot of good things time might not permit me to list now.

What you don't know about my mentor is that he was born on January 30, 1970 to a humble family somewhere in Onisha Olona, Delta State. He had the same primary and secondary education every other normal village child had, his stay in the village was not just for western education but also for matrimonial issues. He became a pro in settling matrimonial disputes at a very early age because it was almost part of the daily routine of his parents. And the experience gave birth to one of his books, Conflict in Marriage... Taming the ugly monster.

He left the village after his secondary education and moved to Benin City with hopes that he could get a higher education. He picked up some part time jobs to keep him busy while he was awaiting admission. He learnt his first lesson that life isn't a bed of roses after he missed out of his first admission despite having done wonderfully well in both his GCE and Jamb and his uncle's connection.

One of his greatest challenge growing up was fear, fear of failure majorly because of his background but his major breakthrough came in when he realised that his background was not a reason for his back to be on the ground and from that moment he decided to settle for nothing but the best.

A year past and he enrolled for another Jamb and this time he chose Law against the previous Business Admin despite the advice from friends and family that Law was a difficult course to study and expensive too. He studied hard for his exams and ofcus was crowned with success when he gained admission to Ambrose Ali University, Ekpoma.

He was popular in school because of his athleticism and his funny and friendly nature "Owemz" (Oweasim for short) as he was fondly called. Graduated amongst the best in his department and went to Lagos for his Law school.

Despite all this achiements he was still not satisfied within as he always felt an emptiness inside. These filling became worse when those fear of his early years came back, "The fear of not succeeding ". Because he was struggling to understand his cases.  It went on for a while until one day he made a life changing deal with his life.

That faithful day he entered one of the branches of RCCG in Lagos and he felt the deepest conviction that the hour had come and he went on his kneel and made the deal in this simple words, "Lord, if you will make me come out among the best in Law school, I will forever serve you". He gave his life to God and his desire to know the Lord more grew and God being a faithful God granted him his request. His name was published in the national newspapers as one of the best that year.

He was later posted to Abuja for his youth service and he secured employment in one of the best Law firms in Abuja. Somehow he started filling lonely and the need to settle down but how could this be when he was living in a single room then and his salary could not provide for his immediate needs.

Despite the odds he launched out for the ultimate search for his missing rib and destiny lead him to his old time friend, Miss Bridget. A graduate of fine and creative Arts. (Mummy B)
He lost his job as preparation for his wedding was in top gear but God being a faithful God made it come to pass.
Here he was with a new wife in a single room and no job,as resilient as he was he never gave up but this time decided to start off on his own and with the help of his old time friend they decided to start up Inedia,Oweazim and Co chambers.
Today he is an employer of labour and owner of several landed properties and he owes this success to God almighty and to God be the glory he is a year older today. Happy birthday to a rare gem,
PASTOR BARR. SIMON O. OWEAZIM.

FROM THE STREETS TO STARDOM STOrY OF TYLER PERRY

Tyler Perry’s inspirational journey from the hard streets of New Orleans to the heights of Hollywood’s A-list is the stuff of American legend. Born into poverty and raised in a household scarred by abuse, Tyler fought from a young age to find the strength, faith and perseverance that would later form the foundations of his much-acclaimed plays, films, books and shows.

It was a simple piece of advice from Oprah Winfrey that set Tyler’s career in motion. Encouraged to keep a diary of his daily thoughts and experiences, he began writing a series of soul-searching letters to himself. The letters, full of pain and in time, forgiveness, became a healing catharsis. His writing inspired a musical, I Know I’ve Been Changed, and in 1992, Tyler gathered his life’s savings and set off for Atlanta in hopes of staging it for sold out crowds. He spent all the money but the people never came, and Tyler once again came face to face with the poverty that had plagued his youth. He spent months sleeping in seedy motels and his car but his faith – in God and, in turn, himself – only got stronger. He forged a powerful relationship with the church, and kept writing. In 1998 his perseverance paid off and a promoter booked I Know I’ve Been Changed for a limited run at a local church-turned-theatre. This time, the community came out in droves, and soon the musical moved to Atlanta’s prestigious Fox Theatre. Tyler Perry never looked back.


And so began an incredible run of 13 plays in as many years, including Woman Thou Art Loosed!, a celebrated collaboration with the prominent Dallas pastor T.D. Jakes. In the year 2000, I Can Do Bad All By Myself marked the first appearance of the now-legendary Madea. The God-fearing, gun-toting, pot-smoking, loud-mouthed grandmother, Madea, was played by Perry himself. Madea was such a resounding success, she soon spawned a series of plays – Madea’s Family Reunion (2002), Madea’s Class Reunion (2003), Madea Goes To Jail (2005) – and set the stage for Tyler’s jump to the big screen.


In early 2005, Tyler’s first feature film, Diary of a Mad Black Woman, debuted at number one nationwide. His ensuing films, Madea’s Family Reunion, Daddy’s Little Girls, Why Did I Get Married?, Meet The Browns, The Family That Preys, I Can Do Bad All by Myself, Why Did I Get Married Too?, For Colored Girls, Madea’s Big Happy Family, Good Deeds and Madea’s Witness Protection have all met with massive critical and commercial success, delighting audiences across America and around the world. Perry also helped release Academy Award-nominated Precious, a movie based on the novel Push by Sapphire, in conjunction with his 34th Street Films banner, Oprah Winfrey’s Harpo Films and Lionsgate.


2006 saw the publication of Tyler’s first book, Don’t Make A Black Woman Take Off Her Earrings: Madea’s Uninhibited Commentaries On Life And Love, which shot to the top of the New York Times nonfiction bestseller list and remained there for eight weeks. It went on to claim Quill Book Awards for both “Humor” and “Book of the Year” (an unheard-of feat for a first-time author), and spread Tyler Perry’s unique brand of inspirational entertainment to a devoted new audience.



It is a brand that quickly became an empire. In 2007, Tyler expanded his reach to television with the TBS series House of Payne, the highest-rated first-run syndicated cable show of all time, which went into syndication after only a year. His follow up effort, Meet the Browns, was the second highest debut ever on cable – after House of Payne. In late 2012, Perry teamed up with Oprah Winfrey in an exclusive deal to bring scripted programming to her cable network, OWN. The hour-long drama, The Haves and The Have Nots and the half hour sitcom, Love Thy Neighbor, will debut on the network in May 2013.




Not one to rest on success, Tyler Perry and his 350 Atlanta-based employees have been hard at work. His latest film, Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor was released in March 2013 and will be followed by a production from his 34th Street Films banner, Peeples. Tyler was most recently seen in the title role in the Rob Cohen-directed Alex Cross, and will next be seen in A Madea Christmas, adapted from his stage play by the same name, in late 2013. In 2014, he will star in Single Moms Club, which he also wrote and directed.

In the fall of 2008, Perry opened his 200,000 square foot Studio in Atlanta, situated on the former Delta Airlines campus of more than 30 acres. The Studio consists of five sound stages, a post-production facility, a pond, a back lot, a 400-seat theater, a private screening room, and designated areas for entertaining and hosting events.


But listen to Tyler Perry and you’ll hear a man who hasn’t forgotten about the people that have helped him reach the top of a mountain he could once only dream of climbing. He has been intimately involved in civil rights cases, including the trial of the Jena 6 in his home state of Louisiana. He has donated generously to charities that focus on helping the homeless, such as Feeding America, Covenant House, Hosea Feed the Hungry, Project Adventure, and Perry Place – a 20-home community that Tyler built for survivors of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. In July 2009, Tyler sponsored a trip to Walt Disney World for 65 children after learning that a suburban swim club had turned them away because of the color of their skin. Tyler Perry has also built two churches and has donated generously to the NAACP.



In January 2010, Perry pledged $1,000,000 via The Tyler Perry Foundation to help rebuild the lives of those affected by the recent earthquakes in Haiti.



Tyler Perry practices what he preaches, and what he preaches has endeared him to millions of fans drawn by that unique blend of spiritual hope and down-home humor that continues to shape his inspiring life story and extraordinary body of work.

Awards

2013

Awarded 2 NAACP Image Awards

House of Payne
Cassi Davis – Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series
Lance Gross – Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Received 5 NAACP Image Award Nominations

Alex Cross
Tyler Perry – Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture
Good Deeds
Outstanding Motion Picture
Phylicia Rashad – Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture
House of Payne
Cassi Davis – Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series
Lance Gross – Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
2012

Awarded 2 NAACP Image Awards

House of Payne
Outstanding Comedy Series
Keshia Knight Pulliam – Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
2011

Received “Best Movie” BET Award for For Colored Girls.

Awarded CinemaCon’s inaugural “Visionary Award.”

Awarded 5 NAACP Image Awards

For Colored Girls
Outstanding Motion Picture
Tyler Perry – Outstanding Director
Kimberly Elise – Outstanding Supporting Actress
Meet the Browns
David Mann – Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series
House of Payne
Outstanding Comedy Series
Received 19 NAACP Image Award Nominations

For Colored Girls
Outstanding Motion Picture
Tyler Perry – Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture
Michael Ealy – Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture
Anika Noni Rose – Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture
Kimberly Elise – Outstanding Supporting Actress
Phylicia Rashad – Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture
Whoopi Goldberg – Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture
Why Did I Get Married Too?
Outstanding Motion Picture
Tyler Perry – Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture
Janet Jackson – Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture
Jill Scott – Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture
House of Payne
Outstanding Comedy Series
LaVan Davis – Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series
Cassi Davis – Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series
Lance Gross – Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Keshia Knight Pulliam – Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Meet the Browns
David Mann – Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series
Lamman Rucker – Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Myra J – Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series
2010

Awarded the NAACP Chairman’s Award selected by NAACP Board Chairman Julian Bond.

Received NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture for Tyler Perry’s I Can Do Bad All by Myself (2009).

Received NAACP Image Award for “Outstanding Comedy Series” for Tyler Perry’s House of Payne.

Received Kid’s Choice Blimp Award nomination for Favorite Movie Actor in Tyler Perry’s Madea Goes to Jail (2009).

2009

Tyler Perry’s Madea Goes to Jail debuted at #1 in the United States.

Honored by BET for his accomplishments in his career at the 2009 Second Annual “BET Honors”.

Honored by the National Association of Television Program Executives (NATPE) with the Brandon Tartikoff Legacy Award. The Brandon Tartikoff Legacy Award was created to recognize a select group of television professionals who exhibit extraordinary passion, leadership, independence and vision in the process of creating television programming.

Received NAACP Image Awards for “Outstanding Comedy Series” for Tyler Perry’s House of Payne

Received NAACP Image Award Nomination for Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture (Theatrical or Television) for Tyler Perry’s The Family That Preys.

2008

Received NAACP Image Award nominations in both television and film categories for Outstanding Comedy Series Tyler Perry’s House of Payne. Nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture and Outstanding Motion Picture for Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married?.

Nominated for Black Reel Award Best Screenplay for his films Meet the Browns and The Family That Preys.

Received Movieguild Award for “Most Inspirational Film” for Tyler Perry’s The Family the Preys.

2007

Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married? debuted at #1 in the United States.

Two 2007 Image Award nominations for Outstanding Direction in a Feature Film and Outstanding Writing in a Feature Film (Comedy or Drama) for Madea’s Family Reunion.

Honored at BET’s Celebration of Gospel.

Nominated for a Black Reel Award for Best Screenplay for Madea’s Family Reunion.

2006

Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Family Reunion – The Movie debuted at #1 in the United States.

Black Movie Award nominations for Outstanding Achievement in Screenwriting and Outstanding Motion Picture for Madea’s Family Reunion.

MTV Movie Award nomination for Best Comedic Performance for Madea’s Family Reunion.

Recipient of the Quill Award for Best in Humor and Book of the Year for his book “Don’t Make a Black Woman Take off Her Earrings”

2005

Tyler Perry’s Diary of a Mad Black Woman – The Movie debuted at #1 in the United States.

Winner of the BET Comedy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Theatrical Film and Outstanding Writing for a Theatrical Film for Diary of a Mad Black Woman.

Winner of the Black Movie Award for Outstanding Achievement in Writing for Diary of a Mad Black Woman. Also nomination for Outstanding Motion Picture for Diary of a Mad Black Woman.

MTV Movie Award for Breakthrough Male for his performance in Diary of a Mad Black Woman.

Nominated for Black Reel Award(s) Best Breakthrough Performance and Best Screen Play for his film Diary of a Mad Black Woman.

2004

Recipient of the Black Business Professionals Entrepreneur of the Year.

2001

Helen Hayes Award for Excellence in Theater.