Following
the controversial resignation of the highly revered General Overseer of
RCCG, new revelations have emerged about how the ex FRC boss plotted to
oust him.
Jim Obazee and Enoch Adeboye
The Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG, yesterday, said the
sacked Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer of the Financial
Reporting Council of Nigeria, FRCN, Mr. Jim Obazee, had vowed to remove
the General Overseer of the church, Pastor Enoch Adeboye.
According to Vanguard, this revelation was made by Head of the
church’s Media and Public Relations, Pastor Segun Adegbiji, who also
confirmed that the embattled Obazee was a zonal pastor with RCCG and, at
a time, refused to honour Pastor Adeboye’s summons over alleged
infractions.
According to Adegbiji, when the General Overseer noticed some
infractions and sent for the then zonal pastor, he (Obazee) immediately
replied that he was in his office and if Pastor Adeboye really wanted to
see him, he knew where to reach him.
Obazee had allegedly refused to suspend the implementation of the
FRCN regulation that requires heads of all registered churches, mosques
and other non-profit organisations to serve a maximum of 20 years in
office and thereafter hand over to someone from outside their families.
Obazee reportedly insisted that only an official gazette would
stop him. Pastor Adegbiji further said that the recent changes announced
by Pastor Adeboye, last week, which caused a stir in the polity, were
informed by the provisions of the FRCN Act, explaining that the General
Overseer does nothing without consulting God.
According to him, “God may have decided to carry out the
reforms for a purpose though such appointments were not new to a growing
church like RCCG which has branches in 192 nations of the world.
“The newly appointed country overseer, Pastor Joseph Obayemi
may remain the overseer in charge of Nigeria operating from his current
regional headquarters in Somolu in Lagos.
“The national headquarters of the church remains in Ebute
Metta, Lagos, while the global headquarters is at the Redemption Camp,
but the new country overseer, Pastor Obayemi may not immediately move to
the Ebute Metta headquarters because it will be administratively
inconvenient for him to operate from the headquarters of another
region.”
He corrected the impression that the General Overseer, Pastor
Adeboye had resigned and appointed a successor, saying: “The General
Overseer has not stepped down. He is still the General Overseer of the
church and the announcement has not diminished his schedule across the
globe.”
He also corrected the impression that the new national overseer was
a Special Assistant to the General Overseer, adding that Pastor
Obayemi, who will now oversee RCCG’s 28 regions in Nigeria, was one of
the seven senior pastors promoted Assistant General Overseers and
members of the Governing Council, during the 2016 convention of the
church last August.
Pastor Obayemi was a deputy in charge of Finance and a member of
governing council in RCCG, before his appointment as the new
Country/national Overseer of the church. RCCG, with 14 parishes before
Pastor Adeboye’s entrance, has grown to become one of Nigeria’s biggest
with branches in 192 countries.
According to the PRO, the church may not have so designated them
but most pastors overseas are actually regarded as country overseers,
who act as liaison between the church and their host countries.
With the sack of Obazee and the dissolution of the FRCN Board,
President Muhammadu Buhari may have temporarily saved the jobs of many
prominent Pentecostal church leaders who have since passed the 20-year
threshold.
Among them are Pastor William Kumuyi, who has spent 43 years as the
General Superintendent of Deeper Christian Life Ministry; Bishop Mike
Okonkwo of the Redeemed Evangelical Mission (35 years); Living Faith
Church, also known as Winners Chapel’s Bishop David Oyedepo (35 years;)
Dr. Daniel Olukoya of Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries (22);
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);.
Others are Pastor Chris Oyakhilome of Believers’ LoveWord
International, alias Christ Embassy (26 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.
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