Baba Adeboye made the declaration at the church’s Annual Ministers Thanksgiving service held at the Redemption Camp. What is the after-effect of this action?
It was gathered that Baba 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 Punch that Baba 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, Bishop Mike Okonkwo of The Redeemed Evangelical Mission, etc.
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, the Public Relations Officer of Deeper Christian Life Ministry, Segun Babatope, declined to speak on whether Pastor Kumuyi would also step down like Pastor Adeboye did.
He referred Punch 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.”
