Ex Redeemed pastor laments man’s inhumanity to man, travesty of justice in RCCG

Ex Redeemed pastor laments man’s inhumanity to man, travesty of justice

Dayo Emmanuel

A former Assistant Provincial Pastor at the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Bayo Akinjiyan has lamented the ill treatment meted against him by his former employers.

Akinjiyan, a trained architect from the University of Ife, now Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, addressed the press at the International Press Centre, Ogba, Lagos, on what transpired between him and the RCCG where he invested 23 years of meritorious service and resigned on divine instructions.

“I want to warmly and sincerely welcome you all to this briefing which serves as an opportunity for me to inform the larger society of what they need to know about what I call man’s inhumanity to man or the travesty of justice or better still, the travail and triumph of truth,” he began.

According to aggrieved cleric, the crux of the matter is a two-fold issue.  His first complaint was about his personal property he handed over to the church according to the rule of the church while he was leaving the ministry.

“Firstly, the attitude and response of the authorities and leadership of Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) over the house at plot 15 Diligence Road, Redemption Camp Estate, Redemption Camp, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway that I handed over to them upon my voluntary exit from the church after 23 years of meritorious service and having risen to the position of Assistant Pastor in charge of Province,” he stated, adding that, “This was contained in my letter of resignation dated 3rd November 2013. That I gave my best in this adventure was alluded to by the church in the letter of release dated 11th March 2014 which states inter Alia “…We wish to appreciate you for your contributions to this ministry and we pray that God will reward and support you in your future endeavors”…

 

His other grouse about the RCCG was on the attitude of the Governing Board of the church-owned secondary school on whose board he had served as a pioneering member.

“Secondly, the attitude and response of the Board of Governors of Christ the Redeemers College (CRC) Sagamu, Ogun State Nigeria- a private secondary school operated by Christ the Redeemer’s Ministries, over an unpaid consultancy fees on projects designed, supervised and or managed by me since 2012.”

Akinjiyan, who did not consider his action as a mistake, however wants the Christian community to be aware of what had transpired, hence the reason for addressing the press.

“Ladies and gentlemen of the press, please permit me to state here and now that I know the implications of my actions and having fully weighed my options, I hereby accept full responsibilities for my actions. My decision to inform the Christian community and the larger society is not aimed at destroying or tarnishing the image of anyone or in the famous Ben Carson’s quote was not to “malign the church that once gave you fire” but rather it is aimed at putting records straight, satisfy my God and my conscience. I have prayed over this matter, consulted those that I needed to, and have come to the conclusion that God is on the side of those who have a right standing with Him,” he said.

Shedding lights on his first complain, the cleric said, In line with the policy of the RCCG mission on those who build on its land, the keys to the house on the above mentioned location which is a 5 bedroom house (all en-suite) valued by a firm of chartered estate surveyors at 15.5Million Naira as at 5th December 2011, were submitted to the Church through my letter to the General Overseer, dated 4th March 2014 upon my voluntary exit. Reminders were also sent through four other letters dated September 2, 2015, January 2, 2016, March 10, 2016, and June 27, 2016.  Of all these letters and reminders, the only response I had was a letter dated 9th October 2015 acknowledging the letter of September 2 stating as follows”…..we wish to inform you that the issues raised in your letter has been referred to concerned officials for their comments and response. We shall get back to you as we receive feedback and further directives from the Mission authority.”

“Almost a year down the line, I am still waiting. All my request was that the Church should at least officially acknowledge the receipt of the house even if there is no form of compensation. The God who built that for me can always give me a better one- this is my belief,” he narrated.

Meanwhile, being a close person to leadership of the organisation and one who knows the laid down rules concerning owners of properties on the camp ground, Akinjiyan however knows the implication of getting an acknowledgement letter pertaining to the property he handed over to the RCCG.

“The need to acknowledge the takeover of the house becomes necessary for at least two reasons: firstly, when I get to heaven (and by the grace of God I will make it) there will be an official and authentic record from RCCG in my favour, of the house that was forfeited to her as a result of doing the will of the Master here on earth. Secondly, it is to my knowledge that properties said to belong to the leadership of the church or that of the RCCG Mission sometimes allegedly, carelessly and surreptitiously fall into wrong hands.”

Now, his concern. “In view of this development, the question is: Is Pastor Adeboye even aware of this house in question of having been handed over to RCCG? If, yes, has he given an instruction for my request to be granted? If yes, what is delaying his instruction from being carried out almost a year after? If no action has been taken with all these effort of mine, what was the reason for this?” he queried.

Concerning his second part of his complaint, Akinjiyan, who once shepherded the famous Dominion Cathedral, Gowon Estate, Lagos, gave his second grievance.  “Secondly, on the issue of unpaid consultancy fee of the sum of Two Million One Hundred and Forty Thousand Six Hundred and Four Naira, Sixty six Kobo (N2,140,604.66) only, I was appointed by the Governing board of the above named College for the purpose of overseeing the projects on a week by week basis at a meeting held by the Board on 28th November 2009.”

“My duties and responsibilities were diligently carried out to the letter. When I wrote to the college for payment thereafter, no response was given. I wrote a reminder after two years, the college refused to collect the letter for reasons best known to the official at their reception desk. I thereafter sent it to the G.O. on March 10, 2016, a reminder was sent in June 2016 and also a personal copy to Pastor (Mrs.) Adeboye who is a major stakeholder of the college.”

Complaining further, he lamented that, “For all these to have happened in a church I diligently served for 23 years is questionable in my opinion. I’m yet to find out why I should be so treated in this manner even after I had followed due process to secure my release. Please also note that it took the church over two years to organize a sent forth in my honour and this was after I wrote to the G.O. about it. It took the church over two years and after two separate letters of reminder, to pay royalty on over 30 of my published books in the church bookshops. This also happened after I wrote to the G.O. about it.”

The cleric however does not know if he was being persecuted by those he must have ‘offended’ while trying to do his work according to biblical standard. “Would it be right then to say that perhaps all these are personal vendetta coming from those whose toes I stepped on while I served through my insistence that right things must be done and be done rightly? Am I now being made to pay for my uncompromising stance on corruptive tendencies within the spheres I served and particularly at the college?” he asked.

He however believes that to rights the wrongs of the nation, prayer alone may not be enough when total action must be taken. “I believe that for our nation to be great again, all hands must be on deck. Religious leaders have a crucial role to play beyond praying for the nation. They need to also teach their members and warn against the evil of corruption, expose its tendencies within the system. Then and only then can our nation be sanitized and become great again. Government alone cannot fight and win this humongous battle against corruption.”

Advising the RCCG to allow the sleeping dog to lie, Akinjiyan said, “One thing is for sure: for the leadership of RCCG to keep ignoring me and all the letters I’ve sent across to it for its own best known reasons, would be cutting off its nose to spite its face. I know so much more than anyone could think and I counsel that they should just allow the sleeping dog to lie.”

Pushing further his demand at the deafening silence of the RCCG, aggrieved Akinjiyan said, “If this situation persists in the next couple of days, one may be compelled to press for full redress on these issues. I am using this opportunity to call on all those who believe in the course of justice within the church and outside of it to please assist me in this cause. I’m calling on Human Rights groups and civil society organizations, Human right lawyers, CLASFON, and others to please strengthen my arm through the law if need be. I also call on the irrepressible media both print and electronic in Nigeria and in the international community to conduct an investigative journalism and prove me wrong in any of my assertions.”

Fully prepared for the days ahead, the cleric said, “A young lawyer friend has provided me legal services so far and have written the appropriate bodies on these issues. I pray the church authority will act fast on this but if they thought otherwise, I am fully prepared for the days ahead. I also know that this journey may be long, lonely and dreary. The wheel of justice may grind slowly but with God on my side, there is a glorious light at end of the tunnel.”

Calling for prayers of the faithful, he is not in doubt of what meaning some people in the church would read to his grouse about the RCCG.

“To the Christian community and friends, I demand your prayers at this time. I know some ‘brethren’ will vilify me, abuse and harass me, take me through scriptures on how to resolve church conflicts (I’ve explored all these) or how not to touch ‘mine anointed’ I know some would call me names, raise non-existing scandalous issues that have not surfaced since I left over three years ago etc. I know I could be under threat of attack or be monitored I am not bothered. What is not worth dying for is not worth living for. Some might ask: You want to destroy a house you helped in building or once lived in? My answer is No. It is to avoid the house collapsing on its present occupants that is my concern. Some might ask why fighting over mundane issues such as house or money and just N2.1 Million Naira? My answer is No. I have been involved in projects for the church to the extent that that if I were to collect consultancy fees it would have run into over Tens of Millions of Naira but yet executed some of these projects with my colleagues in the building industry for next to nothing. I am not a gold digger nor do I seek to reap where I did not sow. I belong to the Joshua generation and this error of treating with indignity people who follow due process in resigning from the church must stop. I have suffered in the hands of vipers, vultures, lions, crocodiles pharaohs and goliaths in the church system over the years, have suffered with Christ through obedience to His will, have gone through and still going through ‘indignity’ of living in a rented accommodation after building a decent house and living in it just because of doing God’s will. I’ve had my own portion of the vicissitudes of life. I have a different spirit and have followed the Lord fully. Having been given positions of trust and responsibilities and never abused any, I rejoice and see all these as part of the faith package of my redemption through Christ Jesus and in all of these, I’m more than conqueror. I have no regret of any decisions taken in the past, have no better yesterday yet, a believer in a glorious tomorrow. I have coveted no man’s silver or gold, have never stolen church funds nor church members. Unconfirmed reports indicate how people left Redemption camp and sold their houses through illegal transfer without the Mission battling an eyelid. I decided to do the right thing and must I suffer for it? While I do not claim to be perfect, just as no one is, I contend daily for the faith that was once delivered unto the saints. I am not intimidated and can never be.”

Concluding, Akinjiyan who is determined on getting his case addressed, is also relying on the words of Edward Mote (1797-1874): “In the words of the sacred hymn writer ‘My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness, I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus name, On Christ the solid Rock I stand all other ground is sinking sand, all other ground is sinking sand’ and “When darkness seem to veil His face, I rest on His unchanging grace, in every high and stormy gale, my Anchor holds within the veil.’

“I serve the living God, the God of faithfulness and without injustice, good and upright is He. A word, they say, is enough for the wise and those who live in glass houses, do not throw stones. Thank you ladies and gentlemen of the press for your kind attention,” he concluded.

A former Assistant Provincial Pastor at the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Bayo Akinjiyan has lamented the ill treatment meted against him by his former employers.

Akinjiyan, a trained architect from the University of Ife, now Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, addressed the press at the International Press Centre, Ogba, Lagos, on what transpired between him and the RCCG where he invested 23 years of meritorious service and resigned on divine instructions.

“I want to warmly and sincerely welcome you all to this briefing which serves as an opportunity for me to inform the larger society of what they need to know about what I call man’s inhumanity to man or the travesty of justice or better still, the travail and triumph of truth,” he began.

According to aggrieved cleric, the crux of the matter is a two-fold issue.  His first complaint was about his personal property he handed over to the church according to the rule of the church while he was leaving the ministry.

“Firstly, the attitude and response of the authorities and leadership of Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) over the house at plot 15 Diligence Road, Redemption Camp Estate, Redemption Camp, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway that I handed over to them upon my voluntary exit from the church after 23 years of meritorious service and having risen to the position of Assistant Pastor in charge of Province,” he stated, adding that, “This was contained in my letter of resignation dated 3rd November 2013. That I gave my best in this adventure was alluded to by the church in the letter of release dated 11th March 2014 which states inter Alia “…We wish to appreciate you for your contributions to this ministry and we pray that God will reward and support you in your future endeavors”…

His other grouse about the RCCG was on the attitude of the Governing Board of the church-owned secondary school on whose board he had served as a pioneering member.

“Secondly, the attitude and response of the Board of Governors of Christ the Redeemers College (CRC) Sagamu, Ogun State Nigeria- a private secondary school operated by Christ the Redeemer’s Ministries, over an unpaid consultancy fees on projects designed, supervised and or managed by me since 2012.”

Akinjiyan, who did not consider his action as a mistake, however wants the Christian community to be aware of what had transpired, hence the reason for addressing the press.

“Ladies and gentlemen of the press, please permit me to state here and now that I know the implications of my actions and having fully weighed my options, I hereby accept full responsibilities for my actions. My decision to inform the Christian community and the larger society is not aimed at destroying or tarnishing the image of anyone or in the famous Ben Carson’s quote was not to “malign the church that once gave you fire” but rather it is aimed at putting records straight, satisfy my God and my conscience. I have prayed over this matter, consulted those that I needed to, and have come to the conclusion that God is on the side of those who have a right standing with Him,” he said.

Shedding lights on his first complain, the cleric said, In line with the policy of the RCCG mission on those who build on its land, the keys to the house on the above mentioned location which is a 5 bedroom house (all en-suite) valued by a firm of chartered estate surveyors at 15.5Million Naira as at 5th December 2011, were submitted to the Church through my letter to the General Overseer, dated 4th March 2014 upon my voluntary exit. Reminders were also sent through four other letters dated September 2, 2015, January 2, 2016, March 10, 2016, and June 27, 2016.  Of all these letters and reminders, the only response I had was a letter dated 9th October 2015 acknowledging the letter of September 2 stating as follows”…..we wish to inform you that the issues raised in your letter has been referred to concerned officials for their comments and response. We shall get back to you as we receive feedback and further directives from the Mission authority.”

“Almost a year down the line, I am still waiting. All my request was that the Church should at least officially acknowledge the receipt of the house even if there is no form of compensation. The God who built that for me can always give me a better one- this is my belief,” he narrated.

Meanwhile, being a close person to leadership of the organisation and one who knows the laid down rules concerning owners of properties on the camp ground, Akinjiyan however knows the implication of getting an acknowledgement letter pertaining to the property he handed over to the RCCG.

“The need to acknowledge the takeover of the house becomes necessary for at least two reasons: firstly, when I get to heaven (and by the grace of God I will make it) there will be an official and authentic record from RCCG in my favour, of the house that was forfeited to her as a result of doing the will of the Master here on earth. Secondly, it is to my knowledge that properties said to belong to the leadership of the church or that of the RCCG Mission sometimes allegedly, carelessly and surreptitiously fall into wrong hands.”

Now, his concern. “In view of this development, the question is: Is Pastor Adeboye even aware of this house in question of having been handed over to RCCG? If, yes, has he given an instruction for my request to be granted? If yes, what is delaying his instruction from being carried out almost a year after? If no action has been taken with all these effort of mine, what was the reason for this?” he queried.

Concerning his second part of his complaint, Akinjiyan, who once shepherded the famous Dominion Cathedral, Gowon Estate, Lagos, gave his second grievance.  “Secondly, on the issue of unpaid consultancy fee of the sum of Two Million One Hundred and Forty Thousand Six Hundred and Four Naira, Sixty six Kobo (N2,140,604.66) only, I was appointed by the Governing board of the above named College for the purpose of overseeing the projects on a week by week basis at a meeting held by the Board on 28th November 2009.”

“My duties and responsibilities were diligently carried out to the letter. When I wrote to the college for payment thereafter, no response was given. I wrote a reminder after two years, the college refused to collect the letter for reasons best known to the official at their reception desk. I thereafter sent it to the G.O. on March 10, 2016, a reminder was sent in June 2016 and also a personal copy to Pastor (Mrs.) Adeboye who is a major stakeholder of the college.”

 

Complaining further, he lamented that, “For all these to have happened in a church I diligently served for 23 years is questionable in my opinion. I’m yet to find out why I should be so treated in this manner even after I had followed due process to secure my release. Please also note that it took the church over two years to organize a sent forth in my honour and this was after I wrote to the G.O. about it. It took the church over two years and after two separate letters of reminder, to pay royalty on over 30 of my published books in the church bookshops. This also happened after I wrote to the G.O. about it.”

The cleric however does not know if he was being persecuted by those he must have ‘offended’ while trying to do his work according to biblical standard. “Would it be right then to say that perhaps all these are personal vendetta coming from those whose toes I stepped on while I served through my insistence that right things must be done and be done rightly? Am I now being made to pay for my uncompromising stance on corruptive tendencies within the spheres I served and particularly at the college?” he asked.

He however believes that to rights the wrongs of the nation, prayer alone may not be enough when total action must be taken. “I believe that for our nation to be great again, all hands must be on deck. Religious leaders have a crucial role to play beyond praying for the nation. They need to also teach their members and warn against the evil of corruption, expose its tendencies within the system. Then and only then can our nation be sanitized and become great again. Government alone cannot fight and win this humongous battle against corruption.”

Advising the RCCG to allow the sleeping dog to lie, Akinjiyan said, “One thing is for sure: for the leadership of RCCG to keep ignoring me and all the letters I’ve sent across to it for its own best known reasons, would be cutting off its nose to spite its face. I know so much more than anyone could think and I counsel that they should just allow the sleeping dog to lie.”

Pushing further his demand at the deafening silence of the RCCG, aggrieved Akinjiyan said, “If this situation persists in the next couple of days, one may be compelled to press for full redress on these issues. I am using this opportunity to call on all those who believe in the course of justice within the church and outside of it to please assist me in this cause. I’m calling on Human Rights groups and civil society organizations, Human right lawyers, CLASFON, and others to please strengthen my arm through the law if need be. I also call on the irrepressible media both print and electronic in Nigeria and in the international community to conduct an investigative journalism and prove me wrong in any of my assertions.”

Fully prepared for the days ahead, the cleric said, “A young lawyer friend has provided me legal services so far and have written the appropriate bodies on these issues. I pray the church authority will act fast on this but if they thought otherwise, I am fully prepared for the days ahead. I also know that this journey may be long, lonely and dreary. The wheel of justice may grind slowly but with God on my side, there is a glorious light at end of the tunnel.”

Calling for prayers of the faithful, he is not in doubt of what meaning some people in the church would read to his grouse about the RCCG.

“To the Christian community and friends, I demand your prayers at this time. I know some ‘brethren’ will vilify me, abuse and harass me, take me through scriptures on how to resolve church conflicts (I’ve explored all these) or how not to touch ‘mine anointed’ I know some would call me names, raise non-existing scandalous issues that have not surfaced since I left over three years ago etc. I know I could be under threat of attack or be monitored I am not bothered. What is not worth dying for is not worth living for. Some might ask: You want to destroy a house you helped in building or once lived in? My answer is No. It is to avoid the house collapsing on its present occupants that is my concern. Some might ask why fighting over mundane issues such as house or money and just N2.1 Million Naira? My answer is No. I have been involved in projects for the church to the extent that that if I were to collect consultancy fees it would have run into over Tens of Millions of Naira but yet executed some of these projects with my colleagues in the building industry for next to nothing. I am not a gold digger nor do I seek to reap where I did not sow. I belong to the Joshua generation and this error of treating with indignity people who follow due process in resigning from the church must stop. I have suffered in the hands of vipers, vultures, lions, crocodiles pharaohs and goliaths in the church system over the years, have suffered with Christ through obedience to His will, have gone through and still going through ‘indignity’ of living in a rented accommodation after building a decent house and living in it just because of doing God’s will. I’ve had my own portion of the vicissitudes of life. I have a different spirit and have followed the Lord fully. Having been given positions of trust and responsibilities and never abused any, I rejoice and see all these as part of the faith package of my redemption through Christ Jesus and in all of these, I’m more than conqueror. I have no regret of any decisions taken in the past, have no better yesterday yet, a believer in a glorious tomorrow. I have coveted no man’s silver or gold, have never stolen church funds nor church members. Unconfirmed reports indicate how people left Redemption camp and sold their houses through illegal transfer without the Mission battling an eyelid. I decided to do the right thing and must I suffer for it? While I do not claim to be perfect, just as no one is, I contend daily for the faith that was once delivered unto the saints. I am not intimidated and can never be.”

Concluding, Akinjiyan who is determined on getting his case addressed, is also relying on the words of Edward Mote (1797-1874): “In the words of the sacred hymn writer ‘My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness, I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus name, On Christ the solid Rock I stand all other ground is sinking sand, all other ground is sinking sand’ and “When darkness seem to veil His face, I rest on His unchanging grace, in every high and stormy gale, my Anchor holds within the veil.’

“I serve the living God, the God of faithfulness and without injustice, good and upright is He. A word, they say, is enough for the wise and those who live in glass houses, do not throw stones. Thank you ladies and gentlemen of the press for your kind attention,” he concluded.