“Did Ayo Oritsejafor’s embezzle church money?” CAN chides Tunde Bakare

by Isi Esene

The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has replied the convener of the Save Nigeria Group (SNG) and senior pastor of the Latter Rain Assembly, vice presidential candidate to General Buhari in the April 2011 elections, Tunde Bakare, over his statement, last week, condemning pastors’ acquisition of private jets.

In its reaction to the fiery pastor’s outbursts, the general secretary of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Rev. Musa Asake; director of National Issues of CAN in charge of North West Zone, Rev. Haruna Karatu; and the PRO of 19 Northern states and Abuja CAN, Elder Sunday Oibe, condemned Bakare’s comment, stressing that there was nothing wrong with people donating aircraft to their religious leaders.

Bakare effectively accused religious leaders of complicity in the bad governance in Nigeria.

In his response, the CAN secretary, Musa Asake said: “What is wrong with giving a birthday gift to Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor? Did he embezzle church money? Did he collect somebody’s money? If a group of people come together to buy him a jet to ease his evangelical work, why should that be a subject of public debate?”

“Oritsejafor is a man of God. He is doing everything for the work of God”.

Asake reportedly explained the rational behind the aircraft acquisition saying, “Redeemed Christian Church of God has thousands of branches and millions of members on all continents of the world. Winners’ Chapel and Christ Embassy equally have many international branches and hundreds of thousands of members. Pastor Adeboye, Bishop Oyedepo and Pastor Oyakhilome travel thousands of kilometres monthly doing God’s work and have to be in places not well-served by commercial flights.”

In a similar reaction, Apostle Isa El-Buba, general overseer of Evangelical Bible Outreach Ministries International, Jos, Plateau State, defended preachers who own jets, concluding that Bakare’s condemnation of these men of God was blasphemous. “There is nothing wrong for a preacher to own a jet. If people in the secular world can acquire jets for chief executive officers of big private enterprises, there is nothing wrong in giving gifts to a man of God of Pastor Oritsejafor’s standing. This is a man of God that travels across the whole world. He deserves what he has been given.”

Now we wait patiently for Bakare’s reaction to this explanation by CAN, currently led nationally by Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor.

Comments (7)

  1. Fela don talk am finish….suffer suffer for world….enjoy for heaven…na your fault be that! The bible recorded how Jesus sent people out of temple in Jerusalem for turning the church to a place of "buying and selling". Majority of our pastors are what a friend called excellent biz men of God. With church pastors now being responsible for the increase in the number of jets in Nigeria, I wonder what the ordinary citizen should feel. All the arguement of CAN is indeed very pathetic….instead of buying Jets or lobbying for same, pastors can use their influence to make this donations and Birthday gifts go to charity. One can imagine the effect this would have on the poor in Nigeria.

  2. It is sad that the very same Tunde Bakare who formed the Save Nigeria Group and dared to lead a march to campaign for GEJ to assume his rightful position as acting President in the dying days of the late Yar'adua regime is now being castigated for speaking the truth! Where was Oritsejafor back then? Those who fight for justice and a truly free Nigeria never seem to assume positions of power after the fight in Nigeria, from independence, to the June 12 struggle and now. A big shame!

    1. What of you? Wale and Niyi, where were you?

    2. Gifts of Private Jets to Pastors in the midst of self inflicted poverty, under development and failure of leadership cannot be justified in any logical manner. The immediate communities in Warri and environs need the Gospel and the true meaning of Christianity shown to them in deed and not by mere words. Charity begins at home, before these men of God start "spreading the gospel via private jets". Perhaps a luxury yacht or boat would have been a more appropriate gift to enable the CAN President access the riverine Niger Delta communities still stuck in dark traditional practices! These are the people that need the gospel urgently!

  3. It is sad that the very same Tunde Bakare who formed the Save Nigeria Group and dared to lead a march to campaign for GEJ to assume his rightful position as acting President in the dying days of the late Yar’adua regime is now being castigated for speaking the truth! Where was Oritsejafor back then? Those who fight for justice and a truly free Nigeria never seem to assume positions of power after the fight in Nigeria, from independence, to the June 12 struggle and now. A big shame!

  4. Just listen to yourselves, and then to one another. You have found yourselves at the helms of christian authorities, and yet you can not practise christian charity. Eveb if you fail to practice it, can't you at least still preach it, (as was the central theme of the teachings of Christ Jesus, & the pivot on which the whole idea of christianity resolves); and wen you can not do as much as practice it, why preach against & encourage practices that openly stand against it. Pastor oritsejafor, amongst a number of other "businessmen, who go by the name men of God" own private jets, have amassed so much wealth, (that they are concerned with the contest 4 "world's richest man"), live over-luxurious and affluent lives… Yet there are persons in their churches (or business ministries) who cannot afford a square meal a day, talk less of having hope for the next day… These same peasants contribute money and build universities in the name of the church, and yet they can't afford to send their own children to these schools because of the exhobitant fees. In my own thinking, a missionary school should primarily be aimed at helping ther less privileged get access to education; but that is not the case in our dear country Nigeria. You men have chosen to seat in the seats of the biblical pharisees, scribes and saducees… Your actions attitude and uttterances are going a long way to discourage people from christianity and brotherly fellowship; because when money is contributed in churches, instead of using same for the common good of the needy and entire church at large, but instead, the "business barons" who go by the name of "General overseer" takes the money all to himself and WASTEs same of flambouyant lifestyles. But my greatest happiness is that all will die and the only thing that will go with us to eternity, not money, not cars, not mansions, not jets; but our good works…

    Those who have ears, let them hear!

    Clement Imoh (08029059344, [email protected], @clementimoh)

  5. pastor Bakare is just Player Hating,am sure he drives a good car and stay in a beautiful house in a nice neighborhood. he could have choosen to live an auster life if he is averse to good things for men of God.

Leave a reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

cool good eh love2 cute confused notgood numb disgusting fail