President Muhammadu Buhari
reacted on Monday by sacking the Executive Secretary of the FRC, Mr. Jim
Obazee.
The President had, in a
statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu,
approved the sacking and the replacement of Obazee.
The statement also
constituted a board for the Council with Mr. Adedotun Sulaiman as chairman and
Mr. Daniel Asapokhai as Obazee’s replacement.
The Redeemed Christian
Church of God has said the decision of its General Overseer, Enoch Adeboye, to
appoint a national overseer for the church in Nigeria remains unchanged.
he church also dismissed
insinuations that Adeboye had resigned as the General Overseer of the RCCG.
The church’s Head of Media
and Public Relations, Pastor Segun Adegbiji, said this while addressing
journalists at Redemption Camp, Mowe, Ogun State, on Thursday.
He explained that the plan
to have a national or country overseer for the RCCG Nigeria was ongoing before
the purported implementation of the now suspended Corporate Governance Code by
the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria.
Adegbiji, who said he was
briefing the press on behalf of the leadership of the church, stated that the
decision of Adeboye to appoint one of the seven Assistant General Overseers of
the church, Pastor Joshua Obayemi, as the Nigeria’s national overseer was
irreversible.
He said, “If you know Daddy
GO (Adeboye) very well, he does not make such an important decision without
consulting the Church Council, and most importantly, God. That decision has
been made and it does not in any way affect his position as the General
Overseer of the RCCG.
“So, there is no need to
reverse the decision after the Federal Government has suspended the
implementation of the FRC law.”
Adeboye had resigned as the
head of the church in Nigeria on Saturday, reportedly in compliance with the
code.
He named Obayemi as the
overseer of the church in Nigeria and took on the new title of General
Overseer, RCCG, Worldwide.
The former FRC leadership
was said to have disregarded an October 17, 2016, directive by the Minister of
Trade, Industry and Investment, Mr. Okechukwu Enelamah, asking for the
suspension of the code.
But on Thursday, when
Adegbiji was asked why the church decided to appoint a country overseer for
Nigeria when Adeboye was still in charge, the spokesman explained that RCCG’s
rapid growth and the enormous administrative responsibilities that followed the
expansion were some of the reasons for the action.
Adegbiji stated, “The RCCG
is a fast-growing church and as of the last count, we are in 192 nations of the
world and most of these countries have their national or country overseer. So,
there is nothing wrong if Nigeria, which also has the blessing of hosting the
world headquarters of the RCCG, has its own national overseer.
“However, this does not, in
any way, affect the position of the General Overseer as all other national
overseers of the church in other countries report to him.
“He has been and he will continue
to perform his role without let or hindrance. So, he (Adeboye) has never
stepped down as the General Overseer of the RCCG.”
The spokesman explained
that the “RCCG is a law-abiding church” by deciding to appoint a national
overseer shortly after the sacked Executive Secretary of FRC started the
implementation of the controversial code.
He said, “The church obeys
the law. Leaders of the church in other nations are also subject to the law in
their respective countries and that was why the church in general and Daddy GO
in particular decided we cannot be an exception.
“But we thank God for what
has been happening in the country since the GO appointed a national overseer
for Nigeria.”
The RCCG also confirmed
that Obazee was formerly a pastor in the church, who left his pastoral position
to pursue his career in financial accounting, saying the church did not habour
any hatred towards him.
Adegbiji explained that
Obayemi would, in the mean time, operate from the Green Pasture Arena in the
Somolu area of Lagos, where he was when heading the church’s Region 2 for the
time being.
The RCCG spokesman said the
Governing Council of the church still had Adeboye as the leader, while Obayemi,
six other Assistant General Overseers and two special assistants to the GO were
members.
The AGOs, according to the
RCCG spokesperson, are Pastors J. F. Odesola, Ayo Adeloye, Olu Obanure, Peter
Amenkhienan, E. O. Daramola and E. A. Adeyemi.
The two special assistants
in the RCCG’s current council are Pastor Remi Akintunde and Pastor D. G. Kuo.
Meanwhile, as of Thursday,
Adeboye’s decision dominated discussions on the Internet.
Google’s Communications and
Public Affairs Manager for Anglophone West Africa, Mr. Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade, who
spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria, said many Nigerians searched the subject
from January 4 to 11.
The Google spokesperson
said, “Among the surprises were the retirement of Pastor Adeboye as the General
Overseer of the RCCG and the spectacle of Pretty Mike, parading girls in chains
at a wedding party and some others, including the first death in Nollywood.
“Adeboye recently announced
his retirement as the general overseer, with his former Special Assistant on
Finance, Pastor Joseph Obayemi, as his successor.
“It is believed his
stepping down is the result of the controversial corporate governance code of
the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria.
“The code stipulates
mandatory office tenure for general overseers of all registered churches in the
country.”
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