The purchase of a private jet, a Gulfstream 4XP with registration number 707EA, might have been attributed to the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye, in error.
Documents available to THISDAY yesterday showed that the aircraft was purchased by five members of the church and will be run as a charter service, [/b]but priority is to be given to Adeboye who will be given “free rides” to ease his movement within and outside the continent.
[b]THISDAY had erroneously quoted a price of $28 million but the aircraft papers showed that the aircraft, a 1996 model, was purchased at $10 million (N1.4 billion).
The five members of the church, whose names are being withheld for confidential reasons, made a down payment of 30 per cent of the cost while a first generation bank gave a loan of $7 million for the balance.
“The aircraft is the collateral,” a bank official conversant with the transaction told THISDAY.
The aircraft is to run private charters, with proceeds to be used to offset the loan and pay for its maintenance as well as settle the personnel cost of running the aircraft.
“The business plan is well laid out,” another source told THISDAY. “The Redeemed Church did not put down a kobo. It is not their aircraft. Pastor Adeboye does not have a kobo in it. It is unfortunate that the man is being savaged all over the media and on the internet for something he knows nothing about. Unfortunately, he is not the type to come out and be defending himself or issuing media statements.”
The source told THISDAY that some members of the church had expressed concern about the cumbersome flight schedules the pastor of one of Nigeria’s biggest churches has had to cope with.
“If he wants to go to Banjul, in Gambia, it is a tortuous journey, flying from one connecting point to the other,” the source explained. “This obviously influenced the decision of some entrepreneurs in the church to have this sort of arrangement in which Pastor Adeboye will enjoy free rides and can readily organise his journeys. But the aircraft will pay for itself eventually. It neither belong to Redeemed Church nor Adeboye.”
The aircraft arrived Lagos from Bahamas on Sunday, March 8, 2009.
It is a transatlantic aircraft that has the capacity of about 15 passengers – depending on the customisation.
Adeboye had come under criticism in the media and on internet discussion rooms for allegedly being “insensitive” at these economic crunch times and for allegedly abandoning his simple lifestyle for the flamboyance of jet-age pastors.

lucabrasi:

we should however be careful in our utterances concerning true men of GOD

onye_ngbu:

Much as I would love to be happy that Adeboye is finally not guilty of all these, I still think that this story is full of holes.

How does these church members intend to offset 70% remaining payment of an aircraft and its maintenance by running charters. Again I never knew that a bank can use the same thing you loaned them money to buy as a collateral. I maybe wrong shaa but the transaction details with the 'bank' sounded too good for me to believe.

SegzyJoe:

@post
Am sure his critics won't come back to this thread, they have achieved their goal. Children of error.

How does these church members intend to offset 70% remaining payment of an aircraft and its maintenance by running charters. Again I never knew that a bank can use the same thing you loaned them money to buy as a collateral. I maybe wrong shaa but the transaction details with the 'bank' sounded too good for me to believe.

Jakumo:

Ha ha ha. Now let me see if I understand the words in boldface. Are you suggesting that Pastor Eunuch's detractors are all products of leaking condoms ?

This is indeed serious. I think the time has come to demand birth certificates from all contributors to this discussion, so that all guilty parties can be identified, quarantined and neutered immediately, to prevent them from engaging in any further breeding of similar mutants.

With due respect to Adeboye,,,how reliable is this so fresh fact?why did it take this long before this so called fresh fact has to come up?Bottomline is that until Pastor Adeboye comes out to the public to make a clear-cut statement as regards this saga this so fresh facts cannot overturn the initial facts about the private Jet.

I have not personally raised any negative comments on this transaction,,but for me to rely on a document certain people made available to thisday won't be that smart of me.

What about if in a couple of days sahara reporters brings out a counter documentation to fault this document,,,that would even make more damage than trying to wave this saga by a documentation presented to a newspaper house.

In the developed world,,pastors who face such public outcry normally douse the tension by holding a press conference to present their case,,,I sincerely expect Pastor Adeboye to do same,

Attempt to cover up. But failed.

Jakumo:

Ha ha ha. Now let me see if I understand the words in boldface. Are you suggesting that Pastor Eunuch's detractors are all products of leaking condoms ?

This is indeed serious. I think the time has come to demand birth certificates from all contributors to this discussion, so that all guilty parties can be identified, quarantined and neutered immediately, to prevent them from engaging in any further breeding of similar mutants.

donugapi:

If a pastor buys a jet, whose business is it?
If the money he used is legit and not stolen church money or any other form of stolen church money. We have a backward mentality in this county. People buy private jets for convenience. And given the man's heavy travel schedule, that's the only proper thing to do. Some people just believe that since he's a man of God buying a jet does not potray humility which shouldn't be the case.