‘I didn’t protest against Jonathan’ — Adeboye clarifies

The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Enoch Adeboye, has denied leading a protest against former President Goodluck Jonathan over insecurity, worsening economic conditions, and other issues.

The 84-year-old cleric clarified this during his sermon at the church’s November Thanksgiving service on Sunday, where he accused journalists of misrepresenting the circumstances behind photographs of him holding a placard.

Mr Adeboye spoke amid allegations that his support for President Bola Tinubu and his administration stems from their shared Yoruba heritage, despite the country’s worsening situation under the president.

The allegations also suggested that his perceived support for the president stemmed from the fact that Mr Tinubu’s wife, Oluremi, is an ordained assistant pastor in one of RCCG churches.

The First Lady was ordained in August 2018 during the 66th Annual Convention of the RCCG at the Old Arena along the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway.

He said the reports portrayed him in a negative light, explaining that he carried the placard during a prayer walk, not as part of any protest against the former president.

He said: “Recently, just one mischievous somebody wrote in the papers or said somehow, Pastor Adeboye is a very wicked man. After all, we know that not too long ago, he carried a placard against President Goodluck Jonathan. Everybody said yes, and they brought out the picture of me dressed in white and green, carrying a placard.

“Everybody said, yes, see him. When I heard about it, I said, me? I smiled. True, I carried a placard. I can’t deny that. It was not a protest. It was a prayer walk. We wanted to pray. The CAN chairman said all churches should do a prayer walk near their churches. That’s what I did in the Ebutemeta. A walk is a walk. Whether prayer walk or…I did it because the CAN President said, ‘do show.’”

Mr Adeboye said the reports amused him when he first came across them.

Reflecting on his time as an undergraduate at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), he recalled how his lecturers emphasised the need for journalists to investigate claims before publishing them.

He lamented that the media had painted him as a terrible man and that many Nigerians believed the reports without investigating for themselves.

“I remember when I was in Nsukka in the 1960s. In those days, if you were a student of any subject at Nsukka, you were free to go to any faculty and take a course or two, just for the enlargement of your knowledge. I remember in those days, in the Department of Journalism, when you go there, and you check- I can’t remember the number now- whether Journalism 101, they talked about something called investigative journalism.

“That means that things don’t appear as they may seem. Investigate, if you have a story, before you take it to the press. And I smiled. And the whole country swallowed that. But I carried the placard in 2020. Jonathan ceased to be president in 2015. I carried the placard for five years in Buhari’s second term. But a journalist twisted it. I said I did what I did in 2015. And everybody swallowed it”, said the cleric.

Mr Adeboye also accused media outlets of misinterpreting his comments about the abduction of pupils and teachers in Oyo State.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that gunmen seized about 32 people from three schools in Oriire Local Government Area of the state on 15 May.

The affected schools were Community High School, Ahoro-Esiele; Esiele Primary School; and Yawota Baptist Nursery and Primary School.

He noted, “There’s something even bigger. During that period, some children were kidnapped at Orire in Oyo State. I had an opportunity to speak abroad to some highly placed Americans. And one of those who spoke before me spoke about the kidnapped children. And I said, when it was my time to speak. Oh, and he said nothing was being done for those people. I said, that’s not true.

“God is already on the move for the Orire children. Because I have prayed for them, and God has told me, none of those children will die. They will come out alive. I said it. And then I said when Trump wanted to bomb us, he merely told his commanders, soldiers, officers, go and bomb Nigeria. As soon as he said that, he went to sleep. He has done all that is required of him. I said, our president has told his officers, go and get these children out.”

The cleric further clarified that reports about his remarks on President Donald Trump’s directive to launch air strikes against terrorists in Nigeria did not reflect his actual position.

“I said, once Trump finished giving his order, he went to bed. I said, don’t blame my president. He has already given instructions to his soldiers. He should be allowed also, like Trump, to go to bed. He has done all that is required of the commander-in-chief. I spoke for 30 minutes. One, I wouldn’t want to use the word mysterious. Somebody took what I said in less than 5 minutes, as if it were the whole speech, and said, ” The president has done his best.” And you all swallowed it.

“Everything I said there, that’s not news. When I said, ” President of America, thank you, you have helped us, but you have not done enough. We still need help. They don’t bomb us anymore. I said that; that’s not news. We don’t want Nigeria to hear that. If you want to help us, help us take care of those who are sponsoring terrorism; that’s not news. They don’t write that one. And you all swallowed it. God have mercy on journalists.”