It was a mixture of surprise and anxiety on Saturday for ministers
in the Redeemed Christian Church of God when the respected cleric and
General Overseer of the church, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, announced a new
leader for the church arm in Nigeria.
Adeboye made the declaration at the church’s Annual Ministers Thanksgiving held at the Redemption Camp in Ogun State.
Adeboye’s story: From lecture hall to global pulpit
SUNDAY PUNCH gathered that Adeboye started his speech at the
service by telling the stunned ministers that he initiated a pension
scheme for the church’s retired full-time pastors that would enable them
earn 100 per cent of their salaries as pension.
He reportedly said that government had been meddling with the
affairs of churches in Nigeria and he had to discontinue with the scheme
when the government introduced a contributory pension scheme which the
church later joined.
Ministers present at the gathering told one of our correspondents
that Adeboye said the government also interfered in the administration
of the church by stipulating mandatory office tenure for general
overseers of all registered churches in the country through a
regulation.
He noted that this regulation also extended to clergymen like
Bishop David Oyedepo of the Living Faith Church Worldwide International
aka Winners Chapel, Pastor W.F. Kumuyi of the Deeper Christian Life
Ministry and Bishop Mike Okonkwo of The Redeemed Evangelical Mission,
among others.
It’s a big surprise – RCCG members
FRC regulation
It was gathered that the Financial Regulations Council had
stipulated a maximum period of 20 years for the heads of all registered
churches, mosques, and civil society organisations.
The FRC established by the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria
Act, No. 6, 2011, under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of
Industry, Trade and Investment, is responsible for, among other things,
developing and publishing accounting and financial reporting standards
to be observed in the preparation of financial statements of public
entities in Nigeria; and for related matters.
Governance Code 2016 of the Act encompasses three sectors: the
private, the public and not-for-profit. It is the not-for-profit sector,
sometimes referred to as the Benevolent Sector, the Third Sector or the
Civil Society Sector, that religious bodies fall under.
Obayemi: RCCG’s new ‘Daddy GO’
The code read in part, “The founder or leader of a NFPO
(not-for-profit) 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.
“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 organisation’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 organisation’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 organisation between the running of
the governing body and the executive responsibility for the management
and fulfilment of the organisation’s mission.
“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 the section above should only relate to
the board of trustees as in section below, except the constitution of
the organisation otherwise provides.’’
SUNDAY PUNCH learnt that apart from Adeboye, the law would cause
leadership changes in other churches, where their general overseers had
spent more than 20 years in that capacity.
Kumuyi, Oyedepo, Olukoya, others to follow
Some of the general overseers to be affected by the regulation
include Dr. Daniel Kolawole Olukoya of the Mountain of Fire and
Miracles Ministries, who has spent 22 years as the general overseer;
Bishop Mike Okonkwo of The Redeemed Evangelical Mission (35 years);
Pastor Kumuyi (43 years); Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor of Word of Life Bible
Church (29 years); Rev. Chris Okotie of the Household of God ( 29
years); Kingsway International Christian Centre’s Pastor Matthew
Ashimolowo (24 years); Winners Chapel’s Bishop David Oyedepo (35
years).
Others are Pastor Chris Oyakhilome of Believers’ LoveWord
International (26 years); Pastor Samuel Abiara of Christ Apostolic
Church (39 years); Pastor Sam Adeyemi of Daystar Christian Centre (21
years); Pastor Tunde Bakare of Latter Rain Assembly (27 years); House
on the Rock’s Pastor Paul Adefarasin (22 years), among others.
When contacted by one of our correspondents, the Public Relations
Officer of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry, Mr. Segun Babatope,
declined to speak on whether Pastor Kumuyi would also step down like
Pastor Adeboye did.
He referred our correspondent to the church secretary, who also declined to speak on the matter.
Babatope said, “I cannot speak on behalf of the church. We are not
fully aware of what Pastor Adeboye said and we cannot comment on
rumours.”
Also, calls made to the mobile of Rev. Chris Okotie were not
answered. He did not also reply the text message sent to his mobile as
of press time.
Similarly, when contacted on Saturday, one of Pastor Olukoya’s
media aides, Mr. Idowu Ajanaku, did not respond to calls made to his
mobile phone, neither did he respond to the text message our
correspondent sent to him.
A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr. Dele Adesina, who is an ally of
Bishop David Oyedepo, told SUNDAY PUNCH that he needed to read the FRC’s
code to give “an informed opinion” on the issue.
How the ministers’ meeting ended
Sources said after his speech at the meeting, Adeboye introduced
Pastor Joseph Obayemi as the ‘new overseer’ of the church, Funsho
Odesola as the new church secretary and Joseph Adeyokunu as the new
church treasurer.
Adeboye reportedly said, ‘‘At least, nobody can stop me from being a general overseer in other countries of the world.’’
By the pronouncement, Adeboye ceases to be the General Overseer of
the RCCG in Nigeria while he remains the church’s spiritual leader
worldwide and general overseer of its international arm. The church has
branches in about 190 countries.
SUNDAY PUNCH learnt that the clerics, who were newly appointed into
key positions in the church, were not allowed to speak to the
gathering. But Adeboye asked the ministers to pray for them and he also
did the same.
A statement reportedly issued by Odesola after the meeting stressed
that the new structure was particular to Nigeria alone as Adeboye
remained the spiritual leader and global missioner of the church.
Before now, there had been expectations in the church that Adeboye
would name a successor after he clocked 70 — the stipulated retirement
age by the church.
In a statement credited to Leke Adeboye, Adeboye’s last son and
personal assistant, he cited the FRC’s law as the reason for the
church’s decision, adding, however, that Adeboye remained the General
Overseer of RCCG worldwide.
Adeboye is now 74. He became the church’s general overseer in 1981
after taking over from the church’s founder, Pa Josiah Akindayomi.
Our correspondent gathered that at the service, Adeboye asked the
ministers to tell all members in their parishes to join any political
party of their choice.
The revered cleric noted that by joining political parties, they
would be able to partake in the making of vital political decisions at
the ward level in order for the country to have good representation.
He also noted that their involvement in politics would check imposition of candidates.
Lawyers’ speak on FRC regulation
Speaking with one of our correspondents, a human rights activist
and lawyer, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, who commented on the FRC law, said
churches, mosques and other not-for-profit organisations, as long as
they are registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission, were bound by
the new financial regulation targeted at ensuring financial
transparency and seamless succession.
Adegboruwa who is also an RCCG pastor, said, “The plan of
succession must not be to the benefit of a family member. By law,
churches are called incorporated churches with a board of trustees. It
cannot be run by a family. Pastor Adeboye, of his volition, decided to
obey the regulation by handing over to a successor. I must also state
that the confusion being created by some people that Pastor Adeboye is
the general overseer of the RCCG Worldwide is unnecessary. There is no
such organisation as the Redeemed Christian Church of God Worldwide. He
is the Global Missioner and Spiritual Leader of the Church. There is
nothing like RCCG Worldwide.’’
There were reports on Saturday that the Federal Government had
suspended the not-for-profit governance code of 2016. The human rights
activist and lawyer explained that the law was suspended in relation to
the public sector and not for organisations like churches and mosques.
He said, “There was a stakeholders’ meeting where churches, mosques
and civil society organisations met with the government. We actually
challenged the regulation at the Federal High Court and we lost. We
decided to comply with the regulation because we didn’t want the
government to see Christians as people who do not want to follow a
seamless succession system. We also do not want government to see us as
people who have something to hide about their finances. The RCCG is a
transparent organisation and that’s why it decided to comply.
“This (regulation) is not just about Pastor Adeboye. It concerns
all the churches registered in Nigeria. Any church leader who has spent
20 years has to hand over to somebody else.”
Also, Lagos-based lawyer, Mr. Jiti Ogunye, stated that the agency’s regulation for religious organisations was still in force.
Another legal practitioner, Moses Alao, told SUNDAY PUNCH that the
FRC regulation provides that a religious leader of a registered
religious organisation should step down after 20 years in office or on
attainment of age 70.
He said, “Whichever comes first, it is either the religious leader
has turned 70 or has spent 20 years or more as the head of the
organisation, he has to go. The person will stop being involved in
administrative issues of the religious organisation. He will only be a
figure head with no real authority. Pastor Adeboye, in the case of the
Redeemed Christian Church of God, will still be the spiritual figure
head but there will be a general overseer (a position he had
relinquished).’’
