“Jim Obazee vowed to oust Adeboye” – RCCG Spokesman

Jim Obazee, the sacked executive secretary of the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria (FRC), “vowed to remove Enoch Adeboye as general overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG)”.

According to Segun Adegbiji, the church’s head of media and public relations, Obazee, who willingly resigned as a pastor in RCCG and was “neither suspended nor sacked”, is on a vendetta mission against the general overseer.

“Obazee was a teacher at the School of Disciples, but he voluntarily resigned. Afterwards, he started attending RCCG Province II Parish on Acme Road, Ogba, Lagos. He was neither suspended nor sacked by the church,” Adegbiji said on Thursday during a media parley with journalists at Redemption Camp, Mowe, Ogun state.

“There was no feud between him and the church that I know of, although I can confirm that I heard the story that he vowed to get Pastor Adeboye out.”

Adeboye recently appointed a new national overseer for the church as a result of the corporate governance code stipulating a term of 20 years for heads of not-for-profit organisations, although he remained the worldwide overseer of the church.

Adegbiji further noted that despite the suspension of the FRC law, Adeboye would not reverse his decision to step down.

“If you know Daddy GO (Adeboye) very well, he does not make such an important decision without consulting the Church Council, and most importantly, God. That decision has been made and it does not in any way affect his position as the General Overseer of the RCCG.

“So, there is no need to reverse the decision after the Federal Government has suspended the implementation of the FRC law.

“The RCCG is a fast-growing church and as of the last count, we are in 192 nations of the world and most of these countries have their national or country overseer. So, there is nothing wrong if Nigeria, which also has the blessing of hosting the world headquarters of the RCCG, has its own national overseer.

“However, this does not, in any way, affect the position of the General Overseer as all other national overseers of the church in other countries report to him.

“He has been and he will continue to perform his role without let or hindrance. So, he (Adeboye) has never stepped down as the General Overseer of the RCCG.”

Joshua Obayemi, the new national overseer, was a deputy in charge of finance and a member of governing council in RCCG before his appointment.

The Cable: What you should know about the FRC code

The decision of Enoch Adeboye, general overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), to name a national overseer for the church hasn’t stopped generating ripples.

In its statement to clarify the move — seeing that Adeboye had been erroneously thought to have quit his position as general overseer — the church said the announcement of a new Nigeria overseer was made in compliance “with the new legal requirements set up by the Financial Regulations Council for all registered churches, mosques, and CSOs, which stipulate that heads of non-profit organisations like churches now have a maximum period of 20 years to lead their organisations while in retirement”.

Since the announcement, the FRC code, which was released in October 2016, has been suspended, while Jim Obazee, the FRC executive secretary, has been sacked.

There have been calls for Adeboye to return to the position, one group even threatening to sue him if he didn’t, while FRC has been pilloried by commentators for targeting the church.

How soon are these claims, and what other things do you need to know about this code?

IT ALL BEGAN IN 2013

The Not-For-Profit Organisations Governance Code 2016, as it is known, is the outcome of an additional directive given to the Steering Committee on the National Code of Corporate Governance, on November 29, 2013 by Olusegun Aganga, the then minister of trade and investment.

The remit of the committee was to extend corporate governance to Not-For-Profit Organisations (NFPOs) in Nigeria. According to FRC, the need for extension was “informed by the fact that corporate governance is currently very high on the economic agenda of many countries and it encompasses three sectors: the private, the public and not-for-profit”.

TERMS OF REFERENCE

The terms of reference given to the committee included the development of a corporate governance code for not-for-profit organisations that will enable the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria (FRC), among other things, to:
(a) promote the highest standards of corporate governance;
(b) promote public awareness about corporate governance principles and practices;
(c) act as the national coordinating body responsible for all matters pertaining to corporate governance in the private, public and not-for-profit sectors of the Nigerian economy;
(d) encourage sound systems of internal control and information systems control to safeguard stakeholders’ investment and assets of public interest entities;
(e) promote sound financial reporting and accountability based on true and fair financial statements duly audited by competent independent Auditors; and
(f) ensure that audit committees of public interest entities keep under review the scope of audit and its cost effectiveness, the independence and objectivity of the auditors.

NOT JUST THE CHURCHES

FRC listed the not-for-profit organisations bound by the code to include:

Charitable: Homeless shelter, Disability, Youth empowerment, Hospital, Healthcare clinic, Animals’ right group, Human rights group, Para-military (scout, brigade, etc), Emergency relief group, Philanthropic organisation, Any other charitable organisation

Educational: Schools (primary, post primary, tertiary, vocational, etc), Child care centre, Adult education centre, Conservation group, Wildlife, Museum, Library, Any other educational organisation

Professional and Scientific: Research centre, group or foundation, Professional group (environmental, engineering, medical, etc)

Religious: Temple, Church, Mosque, Synagogue, Seminary/Bible College etc, Relief or charitable group with religious base/principles, Any other religious body, mission or society

Literary/Artistic: Concert centre, Theatre group, Art gallery, Music group and orchestra, Artists, writers, poetry etc organisations, Art theatre, Any other literary/artistic organisation

Political/Administrative Grouping: Political parties, Political observers, Political pollsters, Lobbying Groups, Trade groups (Chambers of Commerce, Business Councils, etc.),

Social and recreational clubs and Associations

Trade Unions

Others: This encompasses organisations with similar missions but not deemed classifiable under any of the above categories by the Founders or Governing Bodies.

NO WAY TO ‘TRINITY’ FOUNDERS/LEADERS 

The code reasons that although the founder or leader of a NFPO occupies a special position in the organisation and is committed to the success and longevity of the NFPO, such people “should not take on too many responsibilities in the organisation or have an indefinite term in the running of the organisation”.

Therefore, in Section 9 Subsection 2, it says: “Where for any reason, a Founder or Leader of NFPO also occupies any of the three governance positions of Chairmanship of the Board of Trustees, the Governing Board or Council, and the Headship of the Executive Management (or their governance equivalents), the following provisions shall apply before the end of the organization’s financial year in which this Code takes effect.

“The Founder or Leader shall cease to occupy these three governance positions simultaneously. This is to ensure the separation of powers and avoid possible concentration of powers in one individual.

“The Founder or Leader may however choose – subject to the agreement of the organization’s apex authority as expressed in the Annual General Assembly, Annual Meeting, Annual Stakeholder Engagement, Annual Conference, Annual Synod, Annual Fellowship Assembly or their equivalents – only one of these three governance positions subject to his current tenure. This is to ensure a clear division of responsibilities at the head of the organization between the running of the governing body and the executive responsibility for the management and fulfilment of the organization’s mission.”

THE 20-YEAR LEADERSHIP LIMIT

The code says: “Where the Founder or Leader has occupied all or any of these three governance positions for more than twenty years, or is aged seventy years or above, the choice in section 9.2.2 9 of which position to let go of] above should only relate to the Board of Trustees as in section 9.4(c) below, except the constitution of the organisation otherwise provides.”

ON CAVEAT: ‘THIS WON’T CHANGE THE ROLE OF GENERAL OVERSEERS’

“In the case of religious or cultural organisations,” the code states, “nothing in this code is intended to change the spiritual leadership and responsibilities of Founders, General Overseers, Pastors, Imams and Muslim Clerics, Presidents, Bishops, Apostles, Prophets, etc. which are distinguishable from purely corporate governance and management responsibilities and accountabilities of the entities.

This caveat explains why Adeboye — after naming Joshua Obayemi as the new national overseer of the RCCG — maintained that he remained “the general overseer of RCCG Worldwide.”

FOUNDERS HAVE NO SPECIAL PLACE IN LAW

In its sixth section, the code noted that NFPOs usually had conflicts with their founders due to “structural growth problems, which small organisations worldwide face when replacing one-person management (or family management) with a more institutionalised structure”.

“Founders usually have absolute or pioneering control over these organisations, hence the trauma of transition to an independent management structure involving expert roles or the authority and autonomy of professional and independent managers,” it said.

It urged founders to view formalised structures as inevitable to a successful pioneering work.

“They should therefore not view associated governance and internal control framework as the ‘suspicion of the founder’ now being institutionalised.

“Instead, it should be viewed as an acknowledgement of the success of the founders’ legacy that is being institutionalised. The unwillingness of a respected founder to view the need for formal structure as success may inadvertently fuel the suspicion of members, beneficiary and donors.

“Founders have no special place in law. A founder should realise that once the organisation adopts a formal structure, he is bound by the charter or enabling document just like anyone else.”

OPINION: Daddy GO and the “Coded” Controversy – By Yinka Ogunnubi

Preamble: It was somewhat difficult for me to do a thread on the governance code because I share the sentiments of the community of faith concerning some of their grievances on the subject of the governance code for Non-For-Profit Organisations (NFPO). However, I have learnt that in the public square, facts/objectivity matters more than sentiments.

I had the premonition that a controversy will be stirred once we had that famous breaking news on the 7th of Jan that our favorite “Daddy” had “stepped aside” and appointed a “National Overseer” (GO) while still retaining the global leadership of the church as the GO. The news headlines and chatter on social media that followed within the next 24 – 48 hours confirmed my fears. Allow me to start by listing some of what was being said and implied.

  1. That President Buhari’s FG is “dabbling” into Church leadership.
  2. That the Governance Code had been suspended therefore there was no need to comply with it.
  3. That the “law” is targeted at weakening the church and make it vulnerable to attack
  4. That certain provisions of the code conflicts with provisions of the FRC Act and CAMA

First, let’s go to the origin of the controversy. In 2011 the Senate passed the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria Bill which created the Financial Reporting Council replacing the defunct Nigeria Accounting Standard Board. The then Executive Secretary of the NASB (Jim Osayande Obazee) subsequently became the Executive Secretary of the FRCN. Under the Act, the FRC among its other objectives was expected to  – “ensure good corporate governance practices in the public and private sectors of the Nigerian economy”. It was in this light that it set out in 2013 to put together a governance code for Public, Private and NFGO. It subsequently published a draft in 2015 after much consultation with major stakeholders. As expected, many stakeholders had issues with some provisions within the code and they (including churches) were given the opportunity to make submissions on their reservations with the code. The FRC was consequently sued by some Pastors and Lawyers purportedly representing Pentecostal churches in July of 2015.  They sought 6 reliefs among which were:

  • a declaration that the purported Not-for-Profit Sections Codes 2015 is illegal and unconstitutional because it amounts to duplication of the functions of the CAC saddled with the responsibility of registration and monitoring of compliance of charitable organizations/groups;
  • that the term of reference in section 1.1 of the 2015 Code as well as sections 8,9,10 and 37 are illegal and unconstitutional being inconsistent with section 7 and 8 of the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria Act Cap F42

As things turned out, the plaintiffs who claimed to be representing Pentecostals lost the case as the court ruled in favor of FRC. In light of the court order, the FRC went ahead to release the codes effective from 17 Oct  2016 with mandatory compliance for Private Sector and “Comply or Justify non compliance” for NFPO. The Public Sector codes were put on hold. Not long after the release, the Minister of Trade and investment was reported to have written or issued a query (depending on who you believe) to the FRC to suspend the code until all issues it had raised concerning it were resolved. The Minister’s main queries were:

  1. Was the Governance Code in line with the FRC 2011 Act?:  Section 2(1) and 10(d) of the FRCN Act suggests that the Board will be responsible for the overall control of the Council. The Executive Secretary of the FRCN was therefore asked to explain how the Code passes the compliance test given that the FRCN Board is yet to be constituted.
  2. Does the Code supersede any legislation or any other Code?: It is a well known fact that a subsidiary legislation cannot supersede a principal enactment. The Minister then requested that the Executive Secretary explains the clear conflict(s) between the Code and various legislation inclusive of the FRCN Act as well as any other legislation. A case in point is that of the Central Bank of Nigeria where it was implied that it will have to take on the burden of implementing the Code in the financial sector while the Code itself take’s precedence over the CBN’s Code.

I know that many have tried to link the fact that the Minister of Trade and Investment is also a Pastor in RCCG to this whole suspension issue, but to be fair to him there was nothing in his letter to the Executive Secretary of the FRCN that suggested he was pushing the church or RCCG agenda. In fact his letter was more in line with concerns of the private sector than it was about concerns of leadership and succession in the church.

The expectation within the financial sector was that based on the Ministers’ letter to the Executive Secretary, the code was indeed suspended. Wrong! It turns out that the Exe Sec disagreed. The FRC refused to honor the suspension request on the basis that there is no gazette to back it up. We certainly would not have known of this had Pastor Adeboye’s not made that announcement.

With this evidence alone, we can perish the notion of “PMB admin is “Dabbling in Church Leadership to weaken it”.  It is clearly not true. If anything, the evidence available to us points to the PMB admin trying to ensure that the code in its present form is not implemented. In fact, it appears that the FG might be under intense pressure to sack Jim Obazee because of his many excesses and some “EFCC troubles of his own”.

Now, let’s go to the corporate governance codes itself. By and large what the code tries to do is to first enforce the minimum requirements of Part C of the CAC registration under which religious organizations are registered. For instance, religious bodies are supposed to make Annual Returns of its Financial Statements to CAC after the audit of its books by external auditors. It is also expected to organize yearly Annual General Meetings (AGMs) where it would present the financial statement to its members. The code reinforces the legal fact that any entity that collects money must “render accounts”, whether you are a bank, a business owner or a religious body. There seem to be no dispute about this requirement even among religious organisations. However, there is the small issue of Tax. Should religious organisations be taxed when they engage in “For Profit” activities even if those activities is for the benefit of the organization? Jim Obazee and his team says Yes! – They must be taxed if they engaged in any activities designed to extract financial benefit. He put it this way “if they pursue non-charitable activities like running schools, hospitals etc, they are to account for them separately as profit-making entities”. This is one of the areas of conflict as many Churches have subsidiaries under them that have blurred the lines between charity and profitability.

The second and obviously most contentious issue has to do with Tenure of the Founder or Leader. Now this is exactly what the section 9 of the code says.

  1. Position of the Founder or Leader

9.1. The Founder or Leader of a NFPO occupies a special position in the Organisation and is committed to the success and longevity of the NFPO. Accordingly, a Founder or Leader should not take on too many responsibilities in the organisation or have an indefinite term in the running of the organisation.

9.2. Where for any reason, a Founder or Leader of NFPO also occupies any of the three governance positions of Chairmanship of the Board of Trustees, the Governing Board or Council, and the Headship of the Executive Management (or their governance equivalents), the following provisions shall apply before the end of the organization’s financial year in which this Code takes effect.

9.2.1. The Founder or Leader shall cease to occupy these three governance positions simultaneously. This is to ensure the separation of powers and avoid possible concentration of powers in one individual.

9.2.2. The Founder or Leader may however choose – subject to the agreement of the organization’s apex authority as expressed in the Annual General Assembly, Annual Meeting, Annual Stakeholder Engagement, Annual Conference, Annual Synod, Annual Fellowship Assembly or their equivalents – only one of these three governance positions subject to his current tenure. This is to ensure a clear division of responsibilities at the head of the organization between the running of the governing body and the executive responsibility for the management and fulfilment of the organization’s mission.

9.3. Where the Founder or Leader has occupied all or any of these three governance positions for more than twenty years, or is aged seventy years or above, the choice in section 9.2.2 above should only relate to the Board of Trustees as in section 9.4(c) below, except the constitution of the organization otherwise provides.

In the case of religious or cultural organizations, nothing in this code is intended to change the spiritual leadership and responsibilities of Founders, General Overseers, Pastors, Imams and Muslim Clerics, Presidents, Bishops, Apostles, Prophets, etc. which are distinguishable from purely corporate governance and management responsibilities and accountabilities of the entities.

It is important to understand that for an NGO, there are 3 governance bodies: The Board of Trustees, The Governing Board and The Management Committee. Now typically, the founder/leader usually occupies the position of the head of these 3 bodies at the same time. So what the code prescribe is that 1. The founder can only occupy only one of these position as head. 2. If he already heads all of them, he needs to relinquish two and 3. If he has served as head for more than 20 years in any of those organs and is more than 70 year of age, he must resign his position and his choice limited to the board of trustees. Even with these provisions, the code recognize the unique position of founders as the “Spiritual Leader” of the organization. Meaning the code does not in any way invalidate the spiritual authority which these organizations subscribe to and to which they derive their relevance.

The notion that these codes should not be applicable to churches as their matters are ecclesiastical, celestial and not terrestrial as said by a SAN as utterly ridiculous. If they are celestial, then why seek registration under Part C of the CAC laws? Why not just go to heaven and get registered. These organizations are legal entities known to law. They can sue and be sued. They can exist or cease to exist. They are very terrestrial. They are charitable organizations that survive on gifts and donations. They need to be transparent and accountable. This must be emphasized.

Let me conclude by saying that one issue that should concern us is whether or not a minister has the power to suspend the activities of an agency known to law in the exercise of its functions. My take is that there are legal grounds to challenge the powers the FRC seems to be flexing. Recall that this was the same agency used to illegally suspend a sitting CBN Governor. So the FRC as presently constituted is not without freckles.

My final take is that these codes are in the interest of the church and we should embrace it rather than fight it. It will help to separate the wheat from the chaff. It will also help bring transparency to the church and make them accountable not only to God but to the people they serve.

Yinka Ogunnubi

Economist and Author writes from Lagos, Nigeria

Follow him on twitter on @yinkanubi

Group urges Pastor Adeboye to rescind resignation.

The Citizens Advocacy for Social and Economic Rights (CASER) has called on Pastor Enoch Adeboye to rescind his resignation as the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG).

 

The call came in a statement issued by the Executive Director of the Abuja-based human rights group, Mr Frank Tietie, on Tuesday.

 

Tietie said CASER would seek a court order to compel Adeboye to reverse his decision should the “holy man of God’’ refuse to voluntarily do so.

 

Adeboye stepped down as the General Overseer of the RCCG in Nigeria on Saturday on the basis of the controversial Corporate Governance Code of the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria (FRCN).

 

The code, which stipulates a 20-year maximum tenure for heads of religious groups and civil rights organisations, among other provisions, was suspended by the Federal Government on Monday.

 

But for the suspension, the regulation could have also seen the exit of other affected men of God from the headship of their churches.

 

They include Bishop David Oyedepo (Living Faith Church Worldwide aka Winners’ Chapel); Pastor William Kumuyi (Deeper Christian Life Ministry) and Bishop Mike Okonkwo (The Redeemed Evangelical Mission).

 

Tietie said: “CASER urges the highly revered Pastor Adeboye to change his mind and rescind his resignation as the General Overseer of RCCG.

 

“Where, therefore, the holy man of God refuses to review his decision to resign, CASER shall seek an order of court to compel him to remain as the general overseer.’’

 

He said the group was acting, not only in the interest of members of the RCCG who respect Adeboye, but also in the interest the Church generally.

10 things you probably don’t know about the new Redeemed Church’s Nigeria overseer.

Joseph Obayemi on Saturday assumed an exalted position in one of the world’s fastest growing churches: The Redeemed Christian Church of God, which has its presence in 190 countries of the world.

Mr. Obayemi was named national overseer for the church in Nigeria.

Since August 2014, when Pastor Adeboye announced changes in RCCG’s hierarchy and promoted some of the church’s senior ministers to cope with the challenges of growth, no one saw him stepping aside as general overseer in Nigeria, anytime soon.

Here are 10 things you must know about RCCG’s overseer in Nigeria, Mr. Obayemi

1. He was the Special Assistant to the General Overseer (Finance) PICR Region II

2. He was the pastor in charge of the church’s Region 2.

3. He was also the national chairman of the newly-formed Redeemer’s Men Fellowship.

4. He was a member of the church’s governing council and was admitted into the board in August 2014.

5. Mr. Obayemi was once the pastor of Green Pastures Arena, Lagos Province 8 Hqtrs, 33, Market Street, Somolu.

6. He was one of the seven new Assistant General Overseers appointed in August 2016.

7. He also headed the board of governors, House fellowship of the RCCG body.

8. He is a close confidant of Pastor Adeboye and always represents him at various official occasions.

9. Mr. Obayemi represented General Overseer of the church, Enoch Adeboye, at a church service organised in honour of the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, on May 30, 2015 at the National Christian Centre, Abuja.

10. He is married to Victoria Obayemi, also a pastor.

PRESS RELEASE: I remain General Overseer of RCCG Worldwide – Pastor Adeboye

Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye remains the General Overseer, Worldwide of The Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG.

 

A statement signed by  Leke Adeboye, the clergyman’s last son and Personal Assistant said the clarification is coming on the heels of misrepresentation of Pastor E. A  Adeboye’s announcement at the Annual Ministers Thanksgiving held at the redemption camp today that the Church Nigeria is now to be led by Pastor Joseph Obayemi.

 

The statement clarified that the latest development is sequel to the new legal requirements set up by the Financial Regulations Council, guiding all registered churches, mosques, and CSOs.

 

The regulation stipulates that heads of non profit organisations like churches now have a maximum period of twenty years to lead their organizations while  in retirement, they are not permitted to hand over to their families.

 

Leke Adeboye reiterated that Pastor Funsho Odesola, will now serve as the new Church Secretary while Pastor Joseph Adeyokunu, is the new Church Treasurer.?

 

He advised  all members of RCCG to understand this new structure and go about their service to God and humanity in holiness and soul winning.

 

He also appealed to members to educate people around them and not spread inaccurate information stressing that Pastor E.A Adeboye remains the General Overseer of RCCG Worldwide.

Pastor Adeboye’s Endorsement Of Fayose And Its Contradictions – By Pastor Julius Oluwafemi

On December 24, 2016,  the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) Pastor Enoch Adeboye paid a visit to Ekiti State. Since it was supposed to be a religious program the man of God held religious rallies at Ado Ekiti, Ilawe Ekiti, and Ogotun Ekiti. He also called on Governor Ayo Fayose who entertained him and gave him a “gift” on behalf of the government and people of Ekiti State. In appreciation of the gift, Pastor Adeboye prayed for the governor.  The governor later accompanied the Pastor to the palace of Ewi of Ado Ekiti, Oba Rufus Adejugbe. In his brief political remarks at the palace, Pastor Adeboye eulogized Governor Ayo Fayose for his “courage and boldness” and recommended his model of governance to other governors in the country.

Turning to Mr. Fayose the RCCG leader said, “We thank God for your courage, for your boldness. We are grateful to God for your being willing to take risks so that your people can be protected. You have been a governor who knows when to say enough is enough in defense of his people. And I am sure you know what I am talking about and I am sure the world knows. I don’t want to say more than that but be assured that we are praying for you and you will succeed in Jesus name. We wish all other governors who stand for their people, defend their people and know when to say enough is enough and we thank God for their lives.”

In his reply, the obviously elated Governor Fayose thanked the priest for pouring encomiums on him.  The governor was full of praise for Pastor Adeboye. While thanking the man of God for coming to Ekiti state to endorse his governance style Governor Fayose told the priest that “We need prayers that The Lord would make our year 2017 a meaningful one. We believe in God. We believe in you.” The governor had forgotten that he had predicted that 2017 would be a year of agony and disaster for Nigeria.

Since the politico-religious rally was concluded the Ekiti state radio and television stations have been airing the political endorsement of Governor Fayose by Pastor Adeboye. However, many of the workers who have not been paid salaries for six months have questioned Pastor Adeboye for not asking Governor Fayose to protect their interests. They wonder whether Pastor Adeboye is interpreting the insults daily heaped on President Muhammadu Buhari by Governor Fayose as evidence of “courage and boldness.” They also wonder why Pastor Adeboye did not join President Buhari in asking Governor Fayose to use the refund of the London/Paris Club debt to pay the arrears of salaries of workers in Ekiti state.

Instead of paying millions of naira to purchase political endorsement of religious leaders, Governor Fayose should realize that Pastor Adeboye is an inconsistent politician. Even though he supported and prayed in vain for the reelection of  President Goodluck Jonathan he has since switched his alliance and loyalty to President Buhari. After all, he prays for the success of the Buhari regime on the ground that Professor Yemi Osinbajo, the Vice-President is a pastor within the RCCG fold. These days, he goes in and out of the presidential villa at Abuja to pray for President Buhari.

In asking other governors to emulate Governor is Pastor Adeboye asking them to loot the treasury of their states to purchase choice properties in Abuja, Lagos, and Dubai like Governor Fayose? In asking other governors to be “bold and courageous” like Governor Fayose, is Pastor Adeboye asking them to kill their political opponents? Or is Pastor Adeboye not aware that Fayose’s current spokesperson, Lere Olayinka once accused Mr. Fayose of killing the likes of Tunji Omojola, Ayo Daramola, Kehinde Fasuba, etc? Is Pastor Adeboye asking other governors to hire and fund thugs? Is Pastor Adeboye asking other governors to travel to China to execute fake projects like the poultry scam?

Pastor Adeboye should please set out those aspects of Governor Fayose’s governance style that should be copied by other governors. Otherwise, the other governors should ignore Pastor Adeboye and other prosperity pastors who have become defenders of the status quo and criminal politics. Very soon, he will join the likes of Bishop Hassan Kukah had asked President Buhari to stop the war against corruption because President Jonathan conceded victory when he lost the presidential election in 2015. Why are these fortune seeking pastors pretending to be winning souls for Christ when they are selfish  traders who are busy  exploiting the ignorance of worshippers?

Instead of visiting the poor in prisons, our fake pastors visit corrupt politicians who have stolen billions. Instead of identifying with the unemployed and the poor they pay courtesy calls on goverrnors who normally entertain them at public expence. Let the fake pastors go around deceiving the people. Did Pastor Ayo Ortsajefor not adopt President Jonathan as a model  of good governance? Pastor Adeboye’s endorsement of Governor Fayose will not save him when he will stand trial for stealing billions of naira from the office of the National Security Adviser and  the treasury  of Ekiti State.

 

Source: Sahara Reporters

My Cooking Message Is Not For Everybody – Adeboye

Against the background of the criticisms that greeted one of his sermons at the yearly convention of the Redeem Christian Church of God, its General Overseer, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, has said his messages are not for everybody.

 

The social media was awash a couple of weeks ago on the sermon of Adeboye to the youth members of the church at the Redemption Camp where the message bordered on the choice of marriage partners.

 

The widely circulated footage had shown Adeboye telling the men not to marry a woman who could not cook or pray for a minimum of an hour.

 

In the same video, he warned the spinsters not to marry a man who had no job or who could not show concrete evidence of his means of livelihood.

 

But the world renowned preacher on his Facebook page on Tuesday , in apparent reaction to the criticisms, said his messages were not for everybody.

 

Adeboye said, “My message are not for everybody. So, I plead with you, ask God to speak to you specifically.”

“Don’t Marry A Woman Who Cannot Cook” – Pastor Adeboye On Marriage [Video]

Pastor Adeboye On Marriage – The issue of cooking in marital homes is a common debate on social media, with arguments for and against whose duty it is

 

The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor E.A. Adeboye, has his own opinion on the topic, and he’s certainly very traditional.

 

According to the Vanguard, Adeboye, while speaking to his congregation, advised his young male congregation not to marry lazy woman and women who can’t cook.

 

Don’t ever marry outside the church and you have no reason to marry outside RCCG,” Adeboye is quoted as saying to his congregation.

 

“The reason is that if you are both from the same church even when trouble comes it is easier for the pastors to handle it! “Don’t marry a girl simply because she can sing! In the choir there are some people that can sing but they are fallen angels!

 

Marry a prayer warrior! If a girl cannot pray for one hour, don’t marry her. Don’t marry a girl who is lazy! Don’t marry a girl who cannot cook, she needs to know how to do chores and cook because you cannot afford to be eating out all the time.”

 

Don’t marry a girl who is worldly! If you do, you have carried what you’ll worship for the rest of your life!” he advised.

Click The Link Below To Watch The Video:

http://pic.twitter.com/3xsNcEdyv5

Ogun State Government Denies That RCCG Carried Out Repairs On Lagos-Ibadan Expressway

Ogun state government has released a statement debunking claims that the Redeemed Christian Church of God is responsible for some repairs being carried out on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway.

According to the statement which was posted on the state governor, Ibikunle Amosun’s Facebook wall, the governor said his administration is responsible for the ongoing repairs on the road despite the fact that it is a Federal government road and is meant to be repaired by the FG. The statement and photos of Governor Amosun inspecting repairs on the road below…

Our attention has been drawn to a report titled, Gridlock: RCCG Repairs Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, published on page 5 of the Punch newspapers of Thursday, November 5, 2015. The report, quoting an unnamed source at the Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG, had claimed that the ongoing palliative work being done on some bad portions of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway was being handled by the revered church.

Contrary to that claim however, I will like to state that the ongoing palliative work on the Lagos Ibadan expressway is being handled by the Ogun State Ministry of Works and Infrastructure. Concerned about the plight of commuters on the ever busy Lagos-Ibadan expressway, the Ogun State Government, on Tuesday, embarked on palliative work on some bad portions of the expressway.

Not minding the fact that it is a federal road, Governor Ibikunle Amosun, worried about the plight of commuters who spend hours in traffic gridlock on the road, directed the state Ministry of Works and infrastructure to immediately fix the bad portions of the road and also construct drainages.

In giving the directive, the governor was particularly concerned about the need to immediately bring relieve to the road users especially as the Redeemed Christian Church of God and other churches on the ever busy road are also billed to hold events that will attract millions of worshippers this weekend.

Speaking during an inspection tour of the ongoing palliative work being carried out by the Ogun State Ministry of Works and Infrastructure on the federal road at about 1 am on Wednesday, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, Ogun State Governor said, “In the real sense of it and for me there are no federal people, the people plying this road and other affected Federal roads within our axis are our people.

We are all Nigerians and we are already collaborating with the Federal government to contribute our own quota to ensure that this road is fixed.” It is surprising, therefore, for any journalist to claim that the multi-million naira job being carried out by the Ogun State government is being done by a religious organisation.

The intervention job on the ever busy expressway is an initiative of the Ogun State government to rescue millions of Nigerians who spend hours in the gridlock occasioned by some bad portions of the road. It is also on record that the Ogun State government had carried out similar palliative measures on the Lagos-Abeokuta expressway, Sagamu-Ogijo-Ikorodu road and other federal roads within the state, because the state is strategically located in such a way that goods and passengers going to all other parts of the country have to pass through the gateway state.

RCCG Not Repairing Lagos-Ibadan Expressway – Ogun

The Ogun State Government has said the Redeemed Christian Church of God is not responsible for the palliative work being done on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

Yesterday, some online media outlets had reported that some workers employed by the church were seen filling some potholes on the road.

However, the state government in a statement on Thursday by the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Media, Adejuwon Soyinka, stated that the state Ministry of Works and Infrastructure was already spending millions of naira in putting the road in a good condition for motorists.

He said, “The ongoing palliative work on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway is being handled by the Ogun State Ministry of Works and Infrastructure.

“Concerned about the plight of commuters on the ever busy Lagos-Ibadan expressway, the Ogun State Government, on Tuesday, embarked on palliative work on some bad portions of the expressway.

“Not minding the fact that it is a federal road, Governor Ibikunle Amosun, who was worried about the plight of commuters that spend hours in traffic gridlock on the road, directed the state Ministry of Works and Infrastructure to immediately fix the bad portions of the road and also construct drainages.

“In giving the directive, the governor was particularly concerned about the need to immediately bring relief to the road users especially as the Redeemed Christian Church of God and other churches on the ever busy road are also billed to hold events that will attract millions of worshippers this weekend.”

Soyinka quoted the state governor as saying that the efforts made at rehabilitating the road were to complement the work of the Federal Government.

Amosun was quoted to have said the state would not neglect federal highways in the state since all roads were being plied by Nigerians.

He said, “The intervention job on the ever busy expressway is an initiative of the Ogun State government to rescue millions of Nigerians who spend hours in the gridlock occasioned by some bad portions of the road.

“It is also on record that the Ogun State Government had carried out similar palliative measures on the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway, Sagamu-Ogijo-Ikorodu road and other federal roads within the state because the state is strategically located in such a way that goods and passengers going to all other parts of the country have to pass through the Gateway state,” the statement added.

 

Credit : Punch

We Don’t Support Same Sex Marriage, It Is Against Our Belief – RCCG Pastor

A Pastor at the Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG Camp ground while briefing journalists yesterday at the Redemption camp about the forth coming congress in December, where he explained that the new auditorium will conveniently adequate 12 million worshipers disclosed that the body of Christ- RCCG is totally against same sex marriage and will not support it.

“We don’t support it. There is no where in the Bible where God said people of the same sex can get married. The stand of the church is very clear and it states; one man, one wife,” he said

RCCG Perfects Plan For Nigerian Politicians #2015Elections

The Redeemed Christian Church of God has said it will keep politicians at arm’s length during its forthcoming annual Holy Ghost Congress.

See What Pastor Adeboye When He Visited UniJos Students

The Pastor in Charge, RCCG Lagos Province 12, Ola Adejubee, said this while fielding questions from journalists during a press conference to announce the annual event at the RCCG Dominion Cathedral, Gowon Estate, Egbeda, Lagos.

Adejubee, however, said President Goodluck Jonathan, would be allowed to address members who are citizens of the country, if he chose to attend the programme.

He said, “The church is for everybody. Members of all political parties are members of this church. Everything will be done for the congress not to be turned into a campaign ground. We have a reputation to protect and I want to assure the public that the platform provided by the congress will be used for the edification of the church and not political campaigns.

“However, the point must be made that if the President attends, it will be our duty as citizens of Nigeria to allow him address his people, not necessarily for campaigns. But surely, politicians will be kept at arm’s length in order for the people of God not to be distracted.”

On the traffic congestion that usually trails the event, Adejubee said efforts were on to address the situation, adding that the roads within the camp had been expanded to accommodate more vehicles.

This year’s congress, which is themed, ‘The Good Shepherd,’ will hold from Monday, December 8, to Sunday, December 14.