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Tag: Churches

  • Churches exhibit worst form of leadership – Adeboye

    Churches exhibit worst form of leadership – Adeboye

     

    The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Worldwide, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, has said the problem of bad leadership is not limited to the circular world but the church in particular.

    The revered clergy explained that the issue of corruption bedevilling the country grew on people’s refusal to be contented with the little they have at their disposal

    Adeboye spoke on Wednesday in Ikeja, Lagos, during the Third Annual Birthday Public Lecture organised by the church to commemorate his 75th birthday.

    Ably represented by his wife, Folu, Adeboye expressed sadness at the lack of true leadership in the society, calling for a return to cultural values.

    In his words: “Leadership is at the core of our problem in this nation. Some people sit in their room and comment on newspaper articles, but have you removed the log in your eyes?

    “If there is anywhere leadership should be recommended, it should be from the church. But it is unfortunate that the worst leadership is from the church. We should go and check ourselves. Are we in true leadership or we are in falsehood? Because this has been the groaning of my heart for many years and I pray about it fervently.

    “I challenge the leaders in this church that what the Bible says about elders, I have not seen it. But things are changing and I want us to be part of that change.

    “The problem of corruption which we have in this nation would not have been there if everybody is contented with what he or she has. But people love to do more than they have. They want to show off to their children, and the children also when they get to school or are with their colleagues, are not satisfied because they were not brought up to be satisfied.”

    Adeboye appealed to elders in the society to live in a way befitting of their status, adding that women should also train their children to positively influence their future.

  • Churches, clerics opposing FRCN Act are ‘pentecostal charismatic rascals’ – Bakare

     

    The founder of the Latter Rain Assembly, Pastor Tunde Bakare has lashed out at fellow clerics who protested the implementation of the recently suspended Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria Act 2011.

    The Serving Overseer of The Latter Rain Assembly, Pastor Tunde Bakare, has condemned religious leaders in the nation who are against the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria Act 2011.

    Bakare in his usual vocal attitude to national issues, expressed his displeasure at the handling of the FRCN Act by clerics especially of the pentecostal denomination.

    The fiery cleric was speaking during a monitored church service in his church on Sunday.

    He said by opposing the law, church leaders were trying to prevent the public from knowing about acts of money laundering that they had indulge in by virtue of their positions.

    Recall that Pastor Enoch Adeboye had earlier resigned as the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God citing the Act as his reason.

    Adeboye’s resignation was not taken lightly by the christian faithfuls and the inttensified outcry lead to the sacking of the FRCN Secretary, John Obazee and the subsequent suspension of the Act by the presidency

    In Bakare’s words: “I can testify that the law was explained to kingpins in the church, but now you want to get away because you want to cover your iniquity. You won’t get away with it.

    “You want to get away because you have laundered money, and you are now trying to cover your yansh”.

    Bakare, who is also the Convener of the Save Nigeria Group, praised the law, saying it was good for order and accountability in the church.

    “I am a trained lawyer, I have read the law. The law specifically mentioned Chief Imams and pastors, that they can have lifelong terms. But it says you cannot be chief priest, chief treasurer, and chief administrator.”

    He described church leaders who oppose the law as “pentecostal charismatic rascals” who want to do whatever they like even if the law says otherwise.

    “You don’t want to comply with the law, then why did you register under the law? It is a spirit of lawlessness and the anti-Christ because the anti-Christ is a lawless spirit.”

    Bakare noted that he was being patient and was waiting for the right time to speak officially on the matter, saying “the fact that I am quiet doesn’t mean I am stupid. I don’t fight useless battles”.

    He urged fellow clerics to see the Act as a way of enforcing good leadership and accountability in the church instead of the perceived persecution of the church and Christians by the incumbent administration.

  • EFCC witness admits constructing houses, Mosque, Churches for Badeh

    EFCC witness admits constructing houses, Mosque, Churches for Badeh

    The 13th prosecution witness, Joseph Okpetu, told a Federal High Court on Friday that he renovated houses, built churches and mosque for former Chief of Defence Staff case, Alex Badeh.

    Okpetu, in his resumed testimony before Justice Okon Abang, said he constructed Badeh’s Yola mansions worth N150 million between 2008 and 2012.

    He said that he was contracted to renovate Badeh’s house, destroyed by Boko Haram insurgents in Vimtim village in the Mubi Local Government Area of Adamawa and was paid N50 million.

    “I also built a Mosque, renovated three churches and a civic centre meant for skills acquisition and was paid N100 million in three instalments by Air Commodore Yishau.

    Okpetu also said his company started dealing with the Nigerian Air Force far back in 2010, and had completed contracts in Kano, Kaduna, Yola, Markurdi and Abuja for the government.

    He stressed that out of the N50 million meant for the renovation, he was made to build a house for an officer in-charge of the Joint Task Force.

    “I used about N14 million and N15 million on the building of the officer house in Mubi on Badeh’s directive.

    “There was no award of contract from either the Army or the Navy for the construction of the house of the Officer-in-Charge,’’ he said.

    When asked if he knew the 2nd defendant, Iyalikam Nigeria Limited, he said “I don’t know Iyalikam Nigeria Limited, but I was paid N30 million from its account in 2015

    “We used the money for clearing of the perimeters in Badeh’s farm and imported materials then planted equipment at Akanciye in Nasarawa State.

    “During the tenure of Badeh, I constructed the dining hall of Air Force Comprehensive School, supplied generator and also built in Kano 18 by two, non-commissioned officers’ quarters.

    “We drilled borehole also in Makurdi Air Force Base,” Okpetu added.

    He further said that the share structure of one of his company Vim Plast Nigeria Limited are, three million naira to Alex Badeh (Jnr), three million naira to Kamtufa Badeh and four million naira to himself (Joseph Okpetu).

    He added that it was later changed in 2015 to six million naira to Joseph Okpetu, three million to Kamtufa Badeh, N500,000 to Victoria Okpetu, and N500,000 also to Architect Dan Williams.

    He said Kamtufa constructed a house in Kubwa, Abuja, adding that his father gave him the house as a contribution to the company.

    Okpetu, who was cross examined by Chief Akin Olujinmi (SAN), defence counsel, said he was detained and released by EFCC without spending a night.

    He also admitted that he was not psychologically stable while writing the statements in the absence of his lawyer.

    The witness added that he wrote and signed all statements he made on eight occasions when he was in the custody of the EFCC.

    The statements were tendered and admitted in evidence by Justice Abang as exhibit T89-T96, respectively.

    Abang also adjourned the matter till Jan. 25 and Jan. 26 for continuation of cross examination.

    The EFCC is prosecuting Badeh alongside a firm, Iyalikam Nigeria Limited, on a 10-count charge of money laundering bordering on alleged fraudulent removal of about N3.97 billion from the Nigerian Air Force’s account.

    The anti-graft agency accused Badeh of using the funds to buy and develop landed assets in Abuja for himself and two sons between January and December, 2013.

     

    NAN

  • ‘Take your church to heaven if you can’t abide by FG’s rule,’ – FRCN boss

    The Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer of the Financial Regulations Council of Nigeria, FRCN, Mr. Jim Obazee has urged religious leaders in Nigeria to either comply with government’s directive as it concerns the administration of churches or face the wrath of the law.

    Obazee said out of the 23, 216 registered churches in the country, only 89 have complied with the directive.

    He however noted that the council will be unrelenting in its pursuit of total compliance to the law.

    He noted that it was necessary that church founders imbibe accountability in running the affairs of their churches.

    Obazee’s reaction is coming on the heels of the retirement of Pastor Adeboye as the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG, on Saturday and the subsequent attack by concerned christian faithfuls on the FRC for promulgating such law on Christendom.

    In his words: ‘In keeping other peoples’ money, you have to prepare account. That is why churches fought me so badly, took me to court as a person and then my office too. Mosques and orthodox churches freely complied, but those Pentecostal churches called me to ask questions.

    They said: ‘This church is church of God and we are accountable to God.’ And I told them: ‘Very good, so you must take this church to heaven, you can’t operate it here’. When public funds are involved, government needs to ensure proper accountability.”

    Obazee explained further: “Religious organisations are ordinarily set up as ‘not-for-profit’ and they remain institutions of public character. The challenge, however, is a trend where churches and mosques start dabbling into non-charity ventures like schools, hospitals and so on.”

    “When you set up a church, your motive is to ensure that people are well focused to go to heaven. Then the money in the church should be targeted at ensuring that people are helped to do that. If you want to set up a school, then it should be free for all your members’ children. If you charge any money, then you are in the same league with other schools outside that are paying taxes to the government.”

    “If you set up schools, hospitals and the likes under a church, there is a high likelihood that you will be engaging in non-charitable activities within charity. If you are doing that, then what stops Dangote from setting up a mosque and having all his cements, rice and sugar under it? That is actually what some churches and mosques are doing,” Obazee explained.