Top five most controversial pastors in Nigeria

If being caught-up in controversies is one test of the real man-of-God, then these ones will qualify on this criterion.

Either for some unbelievable miracles, certain biblical principles which they preach or their romance with politics, these pastors have in one way or the other found a way to always be in the news; sometimes with great scandals.

I must say though that the controversies do not necessarily make these ones the most popular pastors in Nigeria; however, it leaves them at certain spots in which they cannot be overlooked as long as Nigeria is concerned.

Below is a list of the most controversial men-of-God in Nigeria.

5. Reverend King

From the moment he stepped into the scene, the dynamics of the game seemed to change. Looking all a bit strange with his sakura- head and beard, Rev King drew a lot of attention to himself in a very short while.

At the beginning there were tales of how members of his church were made to sit in one place from beginning to the end of service, mostly due to the fear that if they as much as stand to take a leak, they will be severely flogged.

Afterwards there were tales, of women whose husbands came raging, claiming that he (Rev King) was sleeping with their wives in the name of deliverance.

Then the last straw that broke the camel’s back was the murder case in which Rev King killed a member of his church called Ann Uzoh. He killed her by setting her on fire alongside 6 other members of his church; accusing them of fornication, a crime for which he has been sentenced to death.

Only recently, one miss Susan Chizoba, a former maid of the self-professed messiah, revealed how she served the general overseer of the Christ Praying Assembly stark naked. She explained how her parents took her to Rev King’s home in 2000, believing it to be a Christian home.

Rev King is currently on death row and though the due date for execution remains somewhat unknown, still his followers believe that like Jesus Christ, their spiritual leader is being persecuted, and a great miracle to save him from death is still likely.

4. Pastor Chris Okotie

Former pop music rave, classic crooner of his time, Chris Okotie came into the scene with his bamboozling grammar, such that his followers began to carry dictionaries to church in order to decipher what exactly the man of God is saying.

For him it was first the palpable show-down between him and his namesake Chris Oyakhilome, then the ministry graduated to his vision of being the leader of Nigeria as directed by God. It turned out that his failure to clinch the coveted seat was as a result of Nigerians refusing God’s mandate.

From the elections and then came the case of affairs upon affairs. The televangelist has married twice and announced he had separated from his second wife on June 24, 2012.

In 2013, a security guard who worked for Chris Okotie, accused the man-of-God of snatching his wife, one Stephnora Nwamaka Boniface who also was a former staff of Okotie.

There were claims of Pastor Okotie buying Stephnora some clothes and asking her to come try them in church; where the security guard claims the mother of his daughter told him pastor Okotie has a bed.

Stories of the suave, rich overseer having a love-child after 3 abortions also exist. A certain Remi Odutola emerged in 2013, alleging that she has a 9-year-old girl for Pastor Okotie. She further claimed that she is his secret wife.

Following his separation with the widow, Stephanie Henshaw, there have been speculation about whether or not the debonair overseer of the Household of God Church will remarry.

Reports have it that many smitten women have continued endlessly to win Okotie’s heart, including singles, divorced and widowed women in his church, so much that there is an alleged royal rumble to win the singer-preacher’s heart.

Most recently rumored was the fling between Pastor Chris Okotie and one Delphine Onyii Okoronkwo, as well as the speculated romance between him and Naomi Hoffman.

It remains somewhat unclear what  Pastor Chris Okotie is up to these days.

3. Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor

If there is a man-of-God who has meddled into Nigerian politics the most, then it must be Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, the founding and senior pastor of Word of Life church.

Fondly called Papa Ayo, it is fabled that there is no Nigerian president who has not been to his church; he is highly political.

It is in that light that he earns his spot on this most controversial list. To a great extent he has been able to maintain his integrity even with mighty waves of scandal he has been involved in.

In 2014, a Nigerian-owned jet was found loaded with millions of dollars and that was in the process of procuring arms and a fighter helicopter for the Nigerian military and security agencies. The jet was linked to Papa Ayo; the matter stirred great uproar across the nation.

Pastor Ayo who was the then president of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), was in Fani Kayode’s words “vilified, maligned and treated with utmost disdain and contempt”. He was labeled an arms smuggler, a money launderer and worst of all a sponsor of the Boko Haram sect.

However, Pastor Oritsejafor who agreed that he was the owner of the plane pointed out that he had leased it out to a company on a long term basis. The company themselves were also said to have been subleasing the aircraft out to other companies for regular trips. He said he had no idea about who the company was subleasing too, nor knows where they are flying it to or who or what they were carrying in it in any of their operations.

The former national president of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) was again in the eye of the storm, as he was accused of mismanaging the body’s funds while in office.

He said he left about N600m in the PFN’s coffers and almost completed a secretariat for the association during his tenure in office.

Further denying the allegations, Oritsejafor said he secured a land and built a 4-star hotel for CAN.

Following the various financial scandals in which he has been fingered, pastor Oritsejafor has come under severe criticism, with many asking him to resign, while some has aske him to stay away from the church if he wants to play politics.

2. Pastor Chris Oyakhilome

Arguably one of the most polished, handsome and charismatic preacher in Nigeria. Pastor Chris Oyakhilome distinguished himself in style, making a great mark in a very short time.

As with many within his realm, there have been many scandals in his ministry. First for him was the issue of miracles; some which were totally unbelievable.  Many Nigerians went in troves to his crusades most of which had healing and deliverance as their main focus.

After a while, issues began to crop up, with some persons coming out to testify that they were actually paid to stage-manage the miracles. Some people claim that it was because of him that national television stations were banned from airing miracle-oriented programmes. He was also accused of using African-magic to wrought certain miracles at his healing school in Lagos.

From the saga of false miracles, which were really never confirmed, the next controversy arose regarding life style and church doctrines.

The founder of Believers Loveworld aka Christ Embassy, was rumored to be the only Nigerian pastor who does not wear one suit twice a year. The alleged lavish life which the pastor enjoys was said to be taking its toll on his members, as some were arrested for stealing from their places of work and they said it was Pastor Chris who asked them to bring the money.

READ ALSO: 10 popular Nigerian pastors who refrain from political statements (photos)

His hairstyle went down well with many of the young people, but many of the older generation frowned at the idea; especially when other pastors and members of his congregation began to keep the same hair style.

A highly controversial statement was sometime ascribed to very outspoken pastor. It was said that Oyakhilome told his congregation that masturbation is not a scene, there are also speculation that with the allegedly lax nature of the his church’s doctrine, Pastor Chris might also permit gay marriages to thrive among his congregation.

Most recently is his marriage scandal. Following failed attempts by Pastor Chris Oyakhilome and his wife to quell the storm in their marriage, the two chose to call it quits, with Pastor Anita filing a divorce at a London court, seeking among others control of the church in the UK.

Anita called her marriage to Chris Oyakhilome, an Abusive relationship. Pastor Chris was accused of adultery and unreasonable behavior, accusations which he has continued to deny.

Following his divorce, there hasn’t been much said about him in recent times.

1. Prophet TB Joshua

Ever waxing strong, Prophet Temitope Babalola Joshua rose to fame with his ministry which is mostly miracle based. From healing the sick, raising the dead, down to people turning to animals at deliverance service and eventually facing Lucifer himself; there is no greater pastor akin to controversy as TB Joshua.

First it was the fact that his church was located close to a swamp, people said that the prophet who as of that time could not speak proper English, was operating with marine spirits.

It was rumored that he was the cause of certain plane crashes in Lagos state.

TB Joshua is practically worshiped by his congregation as the call him Emmanuel which translates to “God with us”.

The greatest controversy surrounding his ministry stems from the fact that many still doubt his source of power.

Some pastors of his Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) have in the recent past, confessed to the fact that he (Joshua) operates with demonic powers.

He is revered for certain prophesies which have been reported to have come to pass, including the latest terrorist attacks on Brussels.

Regarding the potency of his powers, a juju-priest recently claimed that TB Joshua cannot deny the fact that he (the witch-doctor) supplies him powers.

TB Joshua’s case is so peculiar that only a few men of God want to be identified with him. In a 2009 interview, Pastor Enoch Adeboye of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) is quoted as to have said that he will not worship in TB Joshua’s church.

He went further to explain that “If he (Joshua) wants me to come and minister in his church, we will sit down ; we will discuss the issue of salvation the way I understand it, according to the scriptures. If we agree on that and he now wants me to come and preach the same message of salvation in his church, then I will go”.

Former PFN president, Rev Oritsejafor is quoted to have said that before Joshua could even qualify to be a PFN member, he should show who tutored him as a pastor. Prophet Joshua is reputed to have said that he was converted in his mother’s womb.

The most recent controversies  involving Joshua’s SCOAN, is the collapse of the guest house which claimed the lives of many people, especially South Africans. There is also a current case of the prophet being linked to the Panama Papers which was leaked by a Panamanian law firm, Mossack Fonseca.

Though prophet Joshua has denied links to a shell company called Chillon Consultancy Limited in the British Virgin Islands, still investigations are on into the scandal.

One can be sure that these men will continue to make major headlines, either for the course of God's work, or for the many controversies that emerge along the way.

Source: Legit.ng