Pastor Jerry Eze was born on August 22, 1982, in Item, Bende Local Government Area, Abia State. He grew up in Umuahia, raised by a single mother who, by his own public account, could have nothing and still find something to give. That upbringing is not biographical filler. It is the direct origin of everything the Jerry Eze Foundation has become — and he has said so explicitly, at a ceremony attended by the EFCC Chairman, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, and over a thousand witnesses.

He attended Ibeku High School, Umuahia, before proceeding to Abia State University. After graduation, he worked in broadcasting and later joined the United Nations and World Bank Project. In 2009, he resigned that position to pursue ministry. Two years later, he founded Streams of Joy International. The church held its formal inauguration at Kilometre 4, Ikot-Ekpene Road, Umuahia in December 2013 and grew steadily across Abia State before the pandemic changed the trajectory of the ministry entirely.

When the COVID-19 lockdown shut down physical gatherings in 2020, Pastor Jerry launched what began as a small daily prayer session for his church members — the New Season Prophetic Prayers and Declarations, now known as NSPPD. Within months it became the most-watched live stream in Nigeria. By 2022, CNN had taken notice. By 2024 and 2025, the platform was averaging 282,451 live viewers daily, ranking second globally in YouTube Super Chat earnings and making Pastor Jerry the first African creator to dominate YouTube’s highest-earning rankings for two consecutive years. A billboard of his platform appeared in New York’s Times Square. Nigeria’s five highest-earning YouTube channels are all faith-based — NSPPD is one of them.

The Jerry Eze Foundation was announced with no advance notice, at the close of an NSPPD prayer session on August 22, 2024 — his 42nd birthday. No press conference. No pre-event. Keys to 18 fully furnished houses were handed to widows across every geopolitical zone in Nigeria. On the same day, over ₦100 million in business grants were distributed to more than 100 young entrepreneurs. The ministry’s social impact record, from that point, has been continuous, documented, and independently verified.

Documented Contributions

HOUSING — WIDOWS

18 Fully Furnished Houses for Widows Across Nigeria — No Strings Attached (August 2024)

On August 22, 2024, Pastor Jerry Eze handed over keys to 18 fully furnished houses to widows across Nigeria, covering all six geopolitical zones without exception: Calabar, Abeokuta, Warri (2), Minna (2), Maiduguri (2), Aba (2), Umuahia (2), Owerri (2), Uyo (2), Akure, and Ado Ekiti. Every house was free, with no conditions attached. The widows who received them had, in the documented accounts of journalists who covered the handover, nothing to offer in return. Additional houses were subsequently delivered in Maiduguri and Ado Ekiti in the months that followed. The announcement was made live at the end of an NSPPD prayer session, without a press conference, without pre-event publicity, and without a media team positioned for it.

Source: Pulse Nigeria, August 2024 — pulse.ng · Linda Ikeji Blog, August 2024 · ThisDay Live, September 2024 · Ghanamma.com, August 2024

ENTREPRENEURSHIP

₦100 Million in Business Grants to 100-Plus Young Entrepreneurs (August 2024)

On the same birthday on which the 18 houses were distributed, Pastor Eze awarded over ₦100 million in business grants to more than 100 young Nigerian entrepreneurs. The grants were designed to provide the capital needed to scale existing ventures and create jobs. This event preceded the formal launch of the Foundation’s structured grant programme and stands as a distinct act from it.

Source: Linda Ikeji Blog, August 2024 · ThisDay Live, September 2024 — lindaikejisblog.com/2024/8/in-celebration-of-his-42nd-birthday-pastor-jerry-eze-builds-18-houses-for-widows-and-awards-100-million-naira-in-business-grants-to-over-100-young-entrepreneurs-2.html

ENTREPRENEURSHIP

$720,000 Disbursed to 240 Entrepreneurs at Transcorp Hilton Abuja — KPMG-Managed, EFCC-Endorsed (April 2026)

What began as a $300,000 grant fund announced in January 2026 targeting 100 entrepreneurs was formally scaled up and executed as a $720,000 disbursement to 240 small and micro business owners, each receiving $3,000, at a Grant Award Ceremony held at Transcorp Hilton, Abuja. The total disbursed in Nigerian naira exceeded ₦1 billion.

The selection process was independently managed by KPMG, one of the world’s largest professional services firms. Over 16,000 applicants registered on the Foundation’s grant portal. Nine thousand, six hundred and sixty-eight completed the process and met eligibility criteria. Two hundred and forty were selected across Nigeria, with priority given to Agriculture and Agribusiness, Manufacturing, and Technology and Digital Services.

The ceremony drew an exceptional gathering: Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, former World Bank Vice President for Africa and former Federal Minister of Education, delivered the keynote address. Ibukun Awosika, former First Bank Chairman, addressed recipients. The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu, attended. The Chairman of the EFCC, Ola Olukoyede, was present — and used the occasion to publicly announce that the Commission had investigated Pastor Jerry for six months over suspicions of money laundering and found no evidence of financial crime. “EFCC is not just about investigating and prosecuting fraudsters,” Olukoyede stated. “It is also appreciating and commending Nigerians who are not involved in any form of economic and financial crimes.” That public clearance, at a government level, in front of a national audience, is itself a documented institutional endorsement of the Foundation’s integrity.

Pastor Jerry Eze said the initiative was inspired by lessons from his upbringing: “My late mum was the one who taught me that you can give everything. So everything I know about giving I learned from my mother. She could have nothing, and still find something to give.”

Source: The Punch, April 2026 — punchng.com/foundation-funds-240-businesses-with-3000-each/ · ThisDay Live, May 2026 — thisdaylive.com/2026/05/01/jerry-eze-foundation-distributes-n1bn-grants-to-entrepreneurs/ · Legit.ng, April 2026 — legit.ng · West African Pilot News, April 2026 — westafricanpilotnews.com · GmusicPlus — gmusicplus.com

INCOME ASSETS

100-Plus Tricycles Gifted for 18th Wedding Anniversary — Distributed to Charities and Individuals (March 2025)

For his 18th wedding anniversary in March 2025, Pastor Eze gifted over 100 tricycles (keke napeps) to charities and individuals across Nigeria. Tricycles function as primary income-generating assets in Nigerian cities, enabling recipients to start transportation businesses and generate a daily income. The gift was targeted at those for whom a single asset could meaningfully change their economic situation.

Source: ThrillNG, October 2025 — thrillng.com/pastor-jerry-uchechukwu/