Adeboye Accuses Journalists of Distorting Prayer Walk Report
The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye, has faulted media reports linking his 2020 prayer walk to former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration.
The cleric maintained that the exercise took place five years after Jonathan left office in 2015. He explained that the procession was intended to seek divine intervention over killings and insecurity across Nigeria, not to protest against any political leader.
Adeboye addressed the controversy on Sunday during the church’s November Thanksgiving service. While recounting the incident, he expressed displeasure over a publication that portrayed him as having carried a placard against Jonathan while the former president was in office.
According to the RCCG leader, the allegation spread without journalists establishing when or why the procession took place. He recalled being surprised by the publication, particularly because he had openly participated in the prayer exercise. Although he admitted carrying a placard, the cleric insisted that the activity had a religious purpose.
“True, I carried a placard. I can’t deny that. It was important. It was a prayer walk. We wanted to pray,” he said. He explained that the exercise followed an instruction for churches to organise prayer processions within their surrounding communities.
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“The chairman said all churches should do a prayer walk near their churches. That’s what I did,” he stated.
To challenge the report’s timeline, Adeboye pointed to the difference between the two administrations. He stressed that the procession occurred in 2020, when Muhammadu Buhari was president, rather than during Jonathan’s tenure.
“But I carried the placard in 2020. Jonathan ceased to be president in 2015. I carried the placard five years in the second term of Buhari,” he said. The cleric accused the journalist responsible for the report of presenting the incident out of context. He also questioned how the publication gained acceptance without proper investigation.
Adeboye further drew attention to the importance of fact-checking in journalism. Recalling his exposure to journalism studies in the 1960s, he said the profession placed considerable emphasis on investigating claims before taking them to the public. He referenced investigative journalism as an essential aspect of responsible reporting, noting that appearances could sometimes be misleading.
The RCCG leader urged media practitioners and members of the creative industry to examine information carefully before publishing it.
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“I’m talking to those of you in the creative industry. Nobody checked,” he said.
The controversy relates to a prayer procession Adeboye led on February 2, 2020, in Lagos. Members of the RCCG participated in the exercise to express concern over rising insecurity and the loss of lives across the country. The procession followed a three-day fasting and prayer programme organised by the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), which sought divine intervention over terrorism and other security threats.
Reports published at the time indicated that participants departed from the RCCG national headquarters in Ebute Meta, Lagos. They proceeded towards Atan Cemetery in Yaba before returning to the church.
Photographs from the procession showed Adeboye holding a placard with the message, “All Souls Are Precious to God.”
The exercise took place under Buhari’s administration, which began in May 2015 after Jonathan handed over power. However, the photograph later resurfaced on social media alongside claims that the RCCG leader had organised a protest against Jonathan’s government.
Source: Punch News.
Content Credit: Esther Adeyemi
Image Credit: Facebook.com
