"I have houses in at least 188 countries of the world" - Pastor Enoch Adeboye boasts

"I have houses in at least 188 countries of the world" - Enoch Adeboye

The general overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye, has boasted that he is richer than one of the world’s richest men, Bill Gates.

In an apparent bid to booster his congregations faith Adeboye stated that he has properties littered across the world, which he got through his pastoral work.

“I have houses in at least 188 countries of the world, where we have our churches, so I am richer than Bill Gates. Each time I visit these countries, my children would be struggling and saying ‘daddy, come and stay with me.’

Teaching the worshippers in the mission during the church’s 63rd Annual Convention on Saturday shortly before the Holy Communion Service on the topic; “Overflowing Cup,”  Adeboye said that if Bill Gates needs shoes, he would have to go to the market to buy them, but that if he should announce that he needs shoes at the Redemption Camp, where the convention took place, the auditorium might not contain the shoes people would donate to him.

“If I announce here that tomorrow morning, I need a car to travel to the new auditorium, how many cars do you think would be made available to me by you my children? Those of you that do not have a car of your own, very soon, God will give you your own cars. So, I am appealing to you to become an incurable soul winner before you leave this convention ground and your cup will overflow,” he said.

Adeboye and other Pentecostal pastors in Nigeria have received serious criticism for their lavish lifestyle amidst a poverty-ridden society. In addition to various real estates, Private universities and business outfits the pastors have fleets of private jets, which they claim enable the to globe-trot as quickly and easily as possible.

Adeboye is renowned for some of his ingenious ways of raising funds to finance projects in the RCCG. Last year, he called for a fresh set of “covenant partners” after the life span of the old set, entered in 2002, expired. Mr. Adeboye said that the life span of the new set of partners would be for three years.

“I thank God for all my partners and I say, thank you for the past ten years.

“Now the Lord says to me, the new set of partners will be for only three years. He said after three years, we can review,” Adeboye said.

The 2012 set of “covenant partners” were divided into ten groups – the lowest cadre, Group One would contribute N100 monthly, while the top most, Group Ten, would dole out N2 million and above every month.

Pastor Adeboye is renowned for some of his ingenious ways of raising funds to finance  projects. He recently received scathing criticisms from activists who accused him of  encouraging criminality through his outrageous monetary demands from his congregation

In the words of a commentator, Jakumo on Nairaland " Pastor Eunuch and his ilk are nothing but glorified daylight robbers who, rather than exploit the fear of death to separate victims from their money at gunpoint like their traditionally armed counterparts, have developed extremely lucrative careers by invoking the fear of an imaginary, conceptualized hellfire, coupled with the bogus promise of purchaseable heavenly bliss, AFTER DEATH, in order to extract money from their spellbound and deeply hypnotized flock of both rich and impoverished victims. 

Unlike Robin Hood of the old English folk tale, who stole from the rich to help the poor, Pastor Eunuch Adeboye steals from everyone that is gullible and desperate enough to walk in through the door of his indoctrination factory, whose orderly rows of cavernous cattle sheds, from a distance, bear an eerie resemblance to the death camps of Auschwitz and Belsen, Adolf Hitler's extermination factories where an attempt was made to obliterate the Jewish race in Nazi-occupied Europe. While Adolf Hitler sought the physical extermination of a human race, Pastor Eunuch ultimately seeks the intellectual extermination of an entire race of entranced "believers", for it is that cognitive vacuum which presents an optimum environment in which to perpetuate his program of systematic, industrialized plunder and personal enrichment."

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Adeboye recently received scathing criticisms from activists who reacted angrily to the manner in which the church is raising funds for its multi-billion naira auditorium.

During its 61st annual convention at the expansive Redemption Camp, along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway,  Adeboye, announced plans to build a new auditorium stretching 3km in length and breadth. He subsequently appealed for donations for the new auditorium, which would quadruple the church’s present auditorium that has an estimated capacity of about one million people.

“We need N1 billion from ten people. If you are one of them, please see my personal Secretary after we finish today,”  Adeboye announced to the congregation.

“We also need N100 million from those who can afford it, if you are in that category. Please see my personal Secretary as well.

“Nonetheless, we need everyone’s involvement. If you can afford N50 million, N20 million, N5 million, N1 million to as low as N100, kindly make sure you participate.”

After the announcement,  Adeboye sought to know the members who were “willing to join hands with our Father in the Lord to build a new auditorium to God’s glory.”

Adeboye was accused of encouraging criminality through his constant request for donors of such huge amounts of money. Debo Adeniran, Executive Director of Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL), said there was no way someone without a criminal record could afford such a donation.

“It is most inappropriate because there is no where the progenitor of such a faith did such a thing. Jesus Christ never cajoled people to make unwarranted donation to the church,” said Adeniran.

“Nobody in one lifetime with no criminal record can donate such an amount,” Adeniran added.

Abiodun Aremu, Secretary of Joint Action Front (JAF), said that the church is already neck deep in corruption and vanity.

“Church leaders are fraternizing with corrupt political leaders. The church is being used as an agent of exploiting the poor.

“When we call for a revolution, one of the institutions where the anger of the people would be visited is the church,” Mr. Aremu added.

When, on Saturday, the RCCG’s General Overseer asked those willing to donate to indicate their interest, hundreds of hands went up in the air.

The church divided prospective donors into three groups – Category A Brethren would pay N1 billion; Category B Brethren would pay N100 million; and Category C Brethren would pay N50 million and below.

Categories A and B are expected to meet with Mr. Adeboye’s Secretary.

Church members and supporters of Mr. Adeboye defended such mode of raising funds for a church project stating that the donations were voluntary.

Some of the church’s pastors approached by PREMIUM TIMES declined comments.

“I don’t think I would like to contribute to it,” one of the pastors said.

In his Jimi Disu’s blog, the journalist stated that such a method of raising money to finance church’s projects sets a “dangerous trend.”

“I should not bother myself with how a church raises money to finance projects but a dangerous trend is being set and we are made to believe if we cannot ‘donate’ a certain amount of money, we cannot see Daddy G.O’s personal Secretary,” said Mr. Disu.

“Such ‘privilege’ is for those that can donate handsomely for the work of God,” he added.

 Adeniran said that religion being the opium of the masses, people would be hoodwinked into believing that what the pastor said is from God.

During last week’s convention, Mr. Adeniran said that a member of his staff lost his 65 year old mother to a stampede that ensued during a worship session.

“Adeboye is fond of discussing miracles in his church, he never discusses misfortunes.

“It is a lopsided ministry, a ministry that cajoles people to bring what they have to the church,” Mr. Adeniran added.

In his sermon, Pastor Adeboye assured the congregation that God is sufficient in all ways, adding that God can reverse all the irreversible and solve all their problems if they obey Him.

Welcoming the vice president, Professor Osinbajo to the convention on Saturday, Pastor Adeboye stated that he is not just a pastor in the mission, but that the VP is also one of the mission’s ushers, who minister during special occasions.

“I don’t know why he was not allowed to officiate during the convention. I hope he would do so during the congress in December. I want you to send our regards to President Muhammadu Buhari and we want him to join us next time,” he added.

Adeboye,  used the opportunity to urge the worshippers to always pray for the Nigerian Army so that they could help defeat all the enemies of the country.