The Redeemed Christian Church of God, Living Faith Church Worldwide and Deeper Christian Life Ministry have dismissed allegations that former President Olusegun Obasanjo allocated oil wells to their leaders during his administration.
The churches described the claims linking their leaders, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, Bishop David Oyedepo and Pastor William Kumuyi, to ownership of oil wells as unfounded.
The allegation was made by the founder and president of the Ministers’ Prayer Network, Reverend Mosy Madugba, in a sermon circulating on social media.
Madugba had claimed that Obasanjo allocated oil wells to some prominent Nigerian pastors during his presidency.
He specifically mentioned Adeboye, Oyedepo and Kumuyi, alleging that the clerics benefited from oil assets while also owning universities, hospitals and other institutions.
However, a senior media aide to Kumuyi, who spoke on condition of anonymity, rejected the allegation, insisting that the cleric had no interest in oil exploration or related business ventures.
The aide described the claim as ridiculous, maintaining that Kumuyi remained committed to preaching the gospel and winning souls.
“Let us be frank, does Pastor Kumuyi look like somebody that will be interested in an oil well? Does he look like someone who would toy with such things? Pastor Kumuyi is devoted to the core; he is devoted to the work of God that he is being called into,” the aide said.
He added that the ministry’s priority remained evangelism rather than commercial interests in the petroleum industry.
Similarly, the Director of Media at Living Faith Church Worldwide, Patrick Nkamiang, dismissed the allegation, arguing that oil wells were not personal properties that a sitting president could distribute at will.
Nkamiang questioned the basis of the claim, stressing that Nigeria’s petroleum resources were governed by laws and regulations.
“Oil wells are not that cheap to give away, nor are they the personal property of the President that he can just give to anybody,” he said.
He further maintained that oil resources belonged to the Nigerian state and could not be arbitrarily allocated by an individual.
Nkamiang also disclosed that Oyedepo maintained a zero-tolerance policy towards gifts and donations that could not be traced to legitimate personal or internally generated income.
He, however, ruled out the possibility of the church instituting legal action against Madugba, saying it would rather leave the matter to God.
Meanwhile, an official in the RCCG media unit, who also spoke anonymously, said the church would not respond substantively to the allegation until Madugba provided evidence to support his claims.
When contacted by Sunday PUNCH, an official of Madugba’s church, identified as Blessing Madugba, said the organisation would respond later.
Efforts to obtain Obasanjo’s reaction through his Special Assistant on Media, Kehinde Akinyemi, were unsuccessful as calls and messages sent to him had not received a response as of the time of filing the report.
No documentary evidence establishing that Obasanjo allocated oil wells to the three clerics was presented in the circulating sermon.
