FOLLOWING some legal provisions guiding the operations of registered religious organisations and civil organisations in Nigeria, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye, on Saturday appointed Pastor Joshua Obayemi as the new General Overseer for the church in Nigeria.
Pastor Obayemi, who appointed the new GO at the Annual Ministers Thanksgiving at Shimawa, in Ogun State, until his appointment as the General Overseer for the church in Nigeria was the Assistant General Overseer.
Pastor Funsho Odesola, the Assistant General Overseer (Admin) was also elevated to the position of the General Secretary for RCCG Nigeria, and Pastor Joseph Adeyokunnu, the former Financial Controller, is nor the Treasurer for RCCG Nigeria.
This was contained in a memo from the Assistant General Overseers (Admin and Personnel) of the chirch, sent to all Assistant General Overseers, SATGOD (Home and Abroad, Pastors I/C of Regions, Pastors I/C of Provinces/Country Coordinators dated January 7, 2017, with the subject, “New Structure In RCCG Nigeria.”
The memo, which has gone viral on the social media, informed that the new structure is particular to Nigeria alone, adding that Pastor Adeboye remains the Spiritual Leader and Global Missioner of the church.
Pastor Adeboye was born on March 2, 1942, in Ifewara, Osun State.
Pastor Adeboye had his B.Sc. in Mathematics at University of Nigeria Nsukka, and subsequently got his PhD in applied mathematics from the University of Lagos, and worked as a lecturer in Mathematics at the universities of Lagos and Ilorin, before going into full time priesthood in 1984.
After joining the RCCG in 1973, he began working to translate the sermons of its then Pastor and founder, Rev. Josiah Olufemi Akindayomi, from Yoruba into English.
In 1981, Adeboye was appointed General Overseer of the church.
He took over from Papa Akindayomi, who had died the previous year.
For three years he performed the role part-time, still lecturing at Ilorin.
He finally gave up his university position to preach full-time.
The church, which was not well known prior to Adeboye’s ascendance has grown phenomenally, to become Nigeria’s biggest, with branches globally in about 190 countries, including more than 14,000 in Nigeria.
Adeboye has stated that his aim is to put a church within five minutes of every person on Earth.
He married Adenike, now 68 in 1967. She was born on 13th July 1948.
