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RCCG General Overseer, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, denies leading a protest against former President Goodluck Jonathan, insisting that the widely circulated photograph of him carrying a placard was taken during a Christian prayer walk in 2020.
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The 84-year-old cleric accuses journalists of distorting historical events and misleading Nigerians, recalling lessons on investigative journalism during his undergraduate days at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
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Adeboye faults media reports on the abduction of schoolchildren and teachers in Oriire, Oyo State, insisting that he never claimed nothing was being done to secure their release.
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The preacher accuses journalists of selectively reporting his remarks on President Bola Tinubu’s response to insecurity and US President Donald Trump’s military directive, saying his appeal for stronger international action against terrorism was ignored.
November 01, (THEWILL) – The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye, has accused journalists of misleading Nigerians through what he described as deliberate distortions of his statements and past activities, insisting that he never led a protest against former President Goodluck Jonathan.
The 84-year-old cleric, who spoke during the church’s November Thanksgiving Service on Sunday, said a photograph of him carrying a placard, which had circulated in connection with allegations that he protested against Jonathan over insecurity and economic hardship, was taken during a Christian prayer walk in 2020.
Adeboye also faulted media reports on his comments concerning the abduction of schoolchildren in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State and his remarks about President Bola Tinubu’s handling of insecurity, particularly following US President Donald Trump’s directive to American military commanders to launch air strikes against terrorists in Nigeria.
His comments came amid allegations that his perceived support for Tinubu and his administration was influenced by their shared Yoruba heritage.
Some critics have also attributed the alleged closeness between the cleric and the president to the fact that the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, is an ordained assistant pastor in the RCCG.
The First Lady was ordained in August 2018 during the church’s 66th Annual Convention at the Old Arena along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
Addressing the controversy, Adeboye said a recent publication had portrayed him as a wicked man by recalling a photograph of him dressed in white and green while holding a placard.
He acknowledged carrying the placard but rejected the suggestion that he had participated in a political protest against Jonathan.
According to him, the activity was a prayer walk organised in compliance with a directive from the leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), asking churches to organise prayer walks around their locations.
“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’”, he stated.
The RCCG leader said he was initially amused by the reports but became concerned that Nigerians accepted the claims without investigating the circumstances surrounding the photograph.
He recalled his undergraduate days at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), in the 1960s, saying students were allowed to take courses in different faculties to broaden their knowledge.
Adeboye recalled lessons in the Department of Journalism, where students were taught the principles of investigative journalism and the importance of verifying information before publication.
He said journalists were expected to investigate the circumstances surrounding a story rather than rely on appearances or unverified claims.
The cleric further pointed out that Jonathan left office in 2015, while the photograph of him carrying the placard was taken in 2020, during the second term of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
“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”, he added.
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Kidnapping Of Oyo Schoolchildren
Adeboye also accused media organisations of misrepresenting his comments on the abduction of pupils and teachers from three schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
THEWILL reported that gunmen abducted about 32 people from the schools on May 15. The affected institutions were Community High School, Ahoro-Esiele; Esiele Primary School; and Yawota Baptist Nursery and Primary School.
The cleric said he addressed the incident during an engagement abroad with some highly placed Americans, where a speaker before him had expressed concern that nothing was being done to secure the release of the abducted children.
Adeboye said he challenged that assertion, explaining that he had prayed for the victims and believed they would be rescued alive.
He added that he had referred to the Nigerian President’s directive to security officers to secure the release of the children, comparing it with Trump’s order to American military commanders concerning terrorists in Nigeria.
“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”, he said.
Faults Reports On Tinubu, Trump
He said his comments were intended to explain that both presidents had issued instructions to their respective military and security authorities and should not be blamed for the failure to implement those directives.
According to Adeboye, he had argued that Tinubu had instructed Nigerian security officers to rescue the abducted children, just as Trump had directed American military commanders to act against terrorists.
He said reports suggesting that he had simply declared that Tinubu had done his best failed to capture the broader context of his address.
Adeboye disclosed that he spoke for approximately 30 minutes but accused a journalist of extracting less than five minutes of his speech and presenting it as though it represented his entire position.
He further complained that his appeal for greater international assistance in tackling terrorism, including action against those financing and sponsoring terrorist activities, was largely ignored in the reports.
“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 five 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”, he said.
Felix Ifijeh is a journalist with years of professional reporting experience. Known for his keen news sense, compelling storytelling and commitment to accurate, impactful reporting, he has built a reputation for turning leads into clear, engaging, and well-structured reports that resonate with readers. His work reflects deep newsroom experience and a commitment to accurate, impactful journalism.
