Oil wells: RCCG pastor dismisses allegations against Adeboye, demands evidence

File: General Overseer of RCCG, Pastor Enoch Adeboye

The Continental Overseer (South West, Nigeria & Middle East) of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Johnson Odesola,  has defended the church’s General Overseer, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, over allegations that former President Olusegun Obasanjo allocated oil wells to some prominent Nigerian pastors during his administration.

Odesola, in an opinion article published on Impact Nigeria on Tuesday, challenged the founder and president of the Ministers’ Prayer Network, Rev. Mosy Madugba, to provide evidence to support his allegation.

Madugba had alleged in a sermon circulating on social media that Obasanjo allocated oil wells to Adeboye, the Founder of Living Faith Church Worldwide, Bishop David Oyedepo, and the General Superintendent of Deeper Christian Life Ministry, Pastor William Kumuyi.

He linked the alleged oil interests to the establishment of universities, hospitals and schools by the religious leaders, as well as the acquisition of private aircraft by some of them.

Reacting, Odesola said the allegation was serious and required verifiable evidence, including official government documents, petroleum licensing records and company ownership details.

He asked Madugba to explain how he obtained the information and whether he witnessed the alleged allocation or relied on documents or information from credible sources.

“A statement made from a pulpit does not automatically become established truth because the speaker is a respected minister of the gospel or holds the title of professor,” Odesola wrote.

He added that reports on the circulating sermon had not presented documentary evidence establishing that Obasanjo allocated an oil well to Adeboye.

“This does not establish that no document could ever exist. It establishes that the allegation remains unsubstantiated in the public domain,” he said.

The RCCG overseer said he was addressing the allegation against Adeboye because of his longstanding relationship with the cleric and the church.

He said he had been a member of RCCG for more than five decades and had worked closely with Adeboye for over four decades.

Odesola argued that the growth of RCCG, including the establishment of its university and other institutions, should not be presented as evidence that its General Overseer benefited from an alleged political allocation.

He noted that the church was founded by Reverend Josiah Akindayomi, while Adeboye became its General Overseer in 1981 following the founder’s death in 1980.

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He also highlighted Adeboye’s academic background, including his degrees in Mathematics, Hydrodynamics and Applied Mathematics, saying the church’s expansion involved decades of missionary work, evangelism and contributions from members.

On Redeemer’s University, Odesola said the institution was established by RCCG and received Federal Government approval in January 2005 before commencing academic activities in October of the same year.

He maintained that the existence of the university and other church institutions did not establish that Adeboye personally received an oil well.

The cleric also questioned the suggestion that private aircraft used by religious leaders proved they personally owned them or acquired them through alleged oil interests.

He said any investigation into the allegation should establish the name or number of the alleged oil block, the company that received the licence, its shareholders and beneficial owners, the date of allocation and the government authority that approved it.

Odesola further said RCCG was not required to provide a detailed response to every allegation circulated on social media, adding that the responsibility to substantiate a specific claim rested primarily with the person who made it.

He, however, said the church and relevant authorities should address legitimate questions if verifiable evidence emerged.

Calling on Madugba to clarify his claims, Odesola urged him to publish any documents supporting the allegation or explain the basis of his statement.

He added that if the information was incorrect, the cleric should be willing to correct the record.

“I do not claim that this personal experience makes the church immune from scrutiny. Neither am I suggesting that Pastor Adeboye or any other religious leader should be above the law,” he wrote.

Odesola said his position was that allegations should not be accepted as established facts without evidence.

“Until such evidence is produced, Nigerians should distinguish between an allegation and a proven fact,” he added.