Produce evidence Obasanjo gifted Pastor Adeboye oil well, RCCG tells cleric

A senior pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Johnson Odesola, has challenged a fellow cleric, Rev. Mosy Madugba, to provide documentary evidence for his allegation that former President Olusegun Obasanjo allocated oil wells to prominent Nigerian pastors, including Pastor Enoch Adeboye.

Odesola, the RCCG Continental Overseer for South West Nigeria and the Middle East, said the claim required verifiable evidence and should not be treated as established fact simply because it was made by a respected religious leader.

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

He reportedly 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 in an opinion article published by Impact Nigeria on Tuesday, Odesola demanded that Madugba disclose the source of his information and produce documents supporting the allegation.

He specifically requested official government records, petroleum licensing documents and company ownership details to establish whether the alleged allocations took place.

“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 argued that reports on the circulating sermon had not presented documentary evidence showing 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 also questioned whether Madugba personally witnessed the alleged allocation or relied on documents and information obtained from credible sources.

Odesola said the cleric should identify 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.

He explained that these details were necessary to establish the veracity of the allegation rather than relying on claims made during a sermon.

Defending Adeboye, Odesola said his intervention was informed by his longstanding relationship with the RCCG leader and the church.

He disclosed that he had been a member of the church for more than five decades and had worked closely with Adeboye for over four decades.

He also traced the history of the church, noting that it was founded by Reverend Josiah Akindayomi, while Adeboye became General Overseer in 1981 following the founder's death in 1980.

According to him, Adeboye's academic background, including degrees in Mathematics, Hydrodynamics and Applied Mathematics, and the church's decades of missionary activities, evangelism and contributions from members were relevant to understanding its growth.

Odesola maintained that the establishment of Redeemer's University and other church institutions should not be presented as evidence that Adeboye personally benefited from an alleged political allocation.

He said Redeemer's University was established by the RCCG and received Federal Government approval in January 2005 before beginning academic activities in October of that year.

The cleric also questioned the suggestion that private aircraft used by religious leaders automatically established personal ownership or proved that they were acquired through alleged oil interests.

He insisted that any investigation into the matter must be based on verifiable records rather than assumptions drawn from the activities and assets of religious institutions.

Odesola further argued that the RCCG was not obligated to respond to every allegation circulating on social media, stressing that the responsibility to substantiate a specific claim rested primarily with the person making it.

He, however, acknowledged that the church and relevant authorities should address legitimate questions if credible evidence emerged.

“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.

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

He also said the cleric should be willing to correct the record if the information proved inaccurate.

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