The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Living Faith Church Worldwide and Deeper Christian Life Ministry have dismissed allegations that former President Olusegun Obasanjo allocated oil wells to their prominent leaders during his administration. The claims were made by the founder and President of the Ministers’ Prayer Network, Reverend Mosy Madugba, in a sermon that recently circulated on social media. Madugba alleged that Pastor Enoch Adeboye, General Overseer of RCCG; Bishop David Oyedepo, founder of Living Faith Church, popularly known as Winners’ Chapel; and Pastor William Kumuyi, General Superintendent of Deeper Christian Life Ministry, were among the beneficiaries of such allocations. His comments generated considerable public reactions, with some Nigerians questioning the financial activities of prominent religious leaders and others demanding verifiable evidence to support the allegations. Madugba also referred to the schools, universities, hospitals and other institutions associated with the clerics while discussing their alleged wealth and business interests.Reacting to the development, a senior media aide to Kumuyi, who spoke anonymously to Sunday PUNCH, described the allegation against the cleric as ridiculous and insisted that he had no interest in oil exploration or similar commercial ventures. The aide maintained that Kumuyi remained committed to preaching the gospel and winning souls rather than engaging in businesses of that nature. Similarly, Patrick Nkamiang, Director of Media at Living Faith Church Worldwide, rejected the claims, arguing that oil wells were not the personal property of the President to be distributed arbitrarily. He explained that petroleum resources belong to the Nigerian state and are governed by established laws and regulations. Nkamiang further stated that Oyedepo maintained a zero-tolerance policy towards gifts and donations whose sources could not be traced to legitimate personal or internally generated income. Although he dismissed the allegation, he ruled out legal action against Madugba, explaining that the church would rather leave the matter to God. Meanwhile, an official in RCCG’s media unit said the church would not issue a substantive response until the allegation was supported with evidence.Efforts to obtain further clarification from Madugba’s church yielded no immediate response, as an official identified as Blessing Madugba told Punch that the organisation would get back to the newspaper. Attempts to reach former President Obasanjo through his Special Assistant on Media, Kehinde Akinyemi, were also unsuccessful, as calls and messages reportedly received no response before publication. The controversy has continued to attract attention, particularly regarding the relationship between political influence, religious institutions and financial transparency in Nigeria. While some members of the public have called for investigations into the allegations, others have insisted that claims of this magnitude should not be accepted without credible documentation. Notably, no documentary evidence, specific oil well details or licensing records establishing that Obasanjo allocated oil wells to the three religious leaders was presented in the circulating sermon. The affected churches have therefore challenged the credibility of the claims, with the demand for verifiable evidence remaining central to the controversy.Sources: Punch Newspapers +2
