In his annual predictions for year 2017, the General Overseer (GO) of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor E. A Adeboye, promised many surprises.
And barely days later, he surprised his millions of congregants by announcing his resignation from the headship of the arm of the church in Nigeria.
In his place, he appointed Pastor Joseph Obayemi, an Assistant General Overseer and member of the Governing Council of the church. Pastor Adeboye’s decision came on the basis of an official regulation:
The Corporate Governance Code of the Financial Regulatory Council of Nigeria (FRCN), which stipulates a maximum term of office of 20 years for heads of not-for-profit-organisations (NFPOs) those churches, mosques and non-governmental organisations in Nigeria fall under.
The code seeks to prevent a founder or leader of an NFPO from taking on too many responsibilities in the organisation, such as simultaneously occupying “any of the three governance positions of chairmanship of the board of trustees, the governing board or council, and the headship of the executive management (or their governance equivalents)…
This is to ensure the separation of powers and avoid possible concentration of powers in one individual.” Pastor Adeboye’s unprecedented announcement of the shake-up in the mega Pentecostal church elicited a chain of reactions from across the coun-try, and indeed, from around the globe such that the church had to make a clarification, to the effect that he remained its General Overseer worldwide.
The Federal Government was also to intervene in the ensuing furore, first of all, to allay the impression that it was interfering in the affairs of Christians in Nigeria; and second, to stem the tide of resignations in the wake of Pastor Adeboye’s action.
Reports had indicated that leaders of some of the thousands of churches in Nigeria, many of them very influential, were preparing to follow Pastor Adeboye’s example, by resigning their positions “to show the government their disdain for its contentious regulation.”
Making the changes in the RCCG on January 7, at the church’s Annual Ministers’ Thanksgiving at the Redemption Camp in Ogun State, Pastor Adeboye said he took the unusual step in deference to the provisions of the Corporate Governance Code, and alleged meddling of the government in the running of churches in the country.
Due to the initial dust raised by the provisions of the code, leading to litigation by aggrieved members of the Christian community, the government temporarily suspended its implementation primed for January 17, to allow for more consultations with the relevant stakeholders.
But those put at the helm of the code, specifically its executive secretary, Mr. Jim Obazee, reportedly flouted official directive to suspend implementation, which triggered Adeboye’s shedding of part of his responsibilities.
Notwithstanding, unless as otherwise directed by the Almighty, it’s obvious from the foregoing that Adeboye reluctantly handed over the affairs of the RCCG in Nigeria to his subordinate, to fulfil all righteousness, courtesy of the code, while still holding on to the general superintendency of the church on the global stage.
Interestingly, since the fallout from government’s intervention to stem the tide of overwhelming condemnation of what critics termed interference in Christian matters (not minding that the law covers other NFPOs, including Islamic bodies), individuals and groups have urged Pastor Adeboye to rescind the decision to excuse himself from running the Nigerian branch of the church.
