Adeboye, Redeem Church Leader In N20 Billion Import Waiver Scandal

ADEBOYE, REDEEM CHURCH LEADER IN N20 BILLION IMPORT WAIVER SCANDAL

The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG, Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye has been linked to a scandalous import duty waiver said to have cost Nigeria a whooping N20 Billion in revenue loss between 2006 and 2007.

A Fiscal Commission source in Abuja preferring anonymity told Pointblanknews.com during the week that pastor Adeboye, tapping into his well-known ties with former President Olusegun Obasanjo benefited from the shady import duty waiver in which Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Chief Mike Adenuga, Alhaji Saminu Turaki, Mr. Donald Duke and others were prime beneficiaries.

According to the impeccable source, the duty waiver granted Adeboye was said to have been used “dishonestly” by the church to import luxury Sport Utility Van, SUV (usually called Jeep in Nigeria), building materials and Digital Recording equipment some of which were said to belong to top members of the church both within Nigeria and abroad. In other words, the source surmised that Adeboye used his high level connections to “aid and abate” his church members to defraud the nation by not paying the requisite importation fees.

The source said that many of the RCCG’s faithful in Nigeria and abroad had celebrated the “unlawful act” as a “testimony to the goodness of the lord.” It was said that a Pastor Ghandi of the Jesus House, RCCG in Washington DC where the late first lady Mrs. Stella Obasanjo used to worship whenever she was in the United State, was a facilitator of the deal.

Many of the luxury cars that were said to have been imported through the deal were not meant for private use. They were said to have been sold at several car dealerships across the country. The source explained to pointblanknews.com that even if the items were not traded, it was unheard of that “people would import duty-free luxury items into any country.”

The official did not rule out the possibility of a thorough investigation of the deal which he said could make Adeboye to pay and possibly face charges.

A document made available to pointblanknews.com indicated that in 2006, RCCG got an import waiver of N9,831,109,309.00 through certificate no.,BO/REV/12235/S.2/T.133 to import construction materials; generators and vehicles. The value of the imports was N49,155,546,846.00.

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In 2007, another import waiver was granted. This time through a certificate number BO/R10260/V111/161, RCCG was granted rights to import building/construction materials with value put at N48,988,454,876.00 with a total waiver of N9,757,690.975.20. The two waivers total N19,588,800,284,20, while the bulk transactions amount to N98,144,347,130.20.

Also 300 luxury cars with value put at $6,923,000, 100 Jeeps (SUV) valued at $8,000,000, Video Equipment valued at $12,000,000.00, were all part of the shady import deals.

It would be recalled that the comptroller General of Nigerian Customs Services, Mr. Jacob Gyang Buba had been investigated by the independent Corrupt Practices Commission, ICPC in connection with an annual loss of N50 Billion in respect of the importation tariff waiver introduced by the Government of President Olusegun Obasanjo.

The spiritual depth of some practices of the RCCG has been subject of concern amongst growing conservative Christian worshippers. Adeboye is often criticized for being interested in quantity and not quality. He is said to have broken his church to model parishes were prosperity theology is often preached. The other class of followership is usually called Redeemed Classical. They are more mortified and often completely scriptural. Apart from Adeboye’s too cozy with the high and mighty elite, he was said to have given tacit blessing to ex-president Obasanjo’s third-term Presidential dream that was truncated with sudden humiliation.

This should be moved to the religious section.

what has OBJ got to do with this?

 I sorry for you.

Now I don't know whether the story is true or it source but as far as I can recall or remember that Pastor Adeboye on the issue of 3rd term categorically said in an interview that OBJ avoid him when he OBJ knew his position in relation to the 3rd term agenda.

For that reason alone I will say that the story may not be true because Pastor Adeboye that I know will not want to be a party to something like using his position for commercial benefits and by the way my church is not REEDEEM Church

How do u know him if i may ask? A pregnant woman said that the only person she can defend is the baby in his tommy as for the she is carrying on her back now way she can't defend.

In the last days, many fake prophets shall arise to deceive my people. So says God. Adeboye may well be one of the fake prophets. Is he not similar to men like Ehindero who steal and yet claim to be born again? Or late pastor Tunji Akanni who was Adeboye's senior pastor but was engaged in fraud in INEC, as well as having a secret family. Make I hear word o'jare.

Find the news at:
http://www.pointblanknews.com/os635.html

 154 million dollars and no one noticed or asked questions??? Come on!!

All these big-belle pastor them be teef, and na from poor people them dey take wayo promise dey collect all them chop-money salary put for pocket, come begin dey shout for church say na God dey use all that money when them dey collect.    Abi na naira them dey spend for heaven ?  Me I no even know say them dey use money there at all self.

If na true talk say God dey, and say God get power and sense pass any man, na him be say God nogo need my money to take am perform any miracle, because him power suppose to pass wettin man pinkin money fit do.   In the end na army robber go visit all this teef pastor for them house, one by one, to send them go meet them God for heaven after when them done sieze the money when them hide for house.

Cunning man die.  Cunny man bury am.

I wont be part of this! *abruptly walks away*

154 million dollars and no one noticed or asked questions??? Come on!!

My brother the story is true, but the fact that Baba gave Our Spiritual Leader import waiver those not in anyway make him unholy, baba iyabo gave it many of his cronnies but the only thing there is just that baba was seeing himself as a demi-god when he was in aso rock and as such he can do anything without being question by anybody. The truth is that baba did that without seeing it as anything but in other way round this is stealing! Redeem members went about praising God for doing miracle to them.

Let me not say much

Here is the source of the news http://www.pointblanknews.com/os635.html

I don't even understand who you are referring to when you say Baba and then spiritual leader. What I am saying is I put the blame on the people when right under their noses, this sort of thing CONTINUES to happen and we have after so many years of this, not learned to catch it in the middle or something I am assuming the money belonged to the church mentioned. If not, where did the money come from?? I really cannot address your posting at all since I do not know what baba iyabo and the rest are. I still find it hard to believe that people sat by again and watch 154 million of their money get siphoned away in a period of 1 year. I mean we are talking of Nigeria here, country which has seen even worse than this,  whose people are supposedly 419 savvy and able to sniff it out by now.

Ibori, kalu, odili  are a god fearing men, lets leave them abi 

We are not God to Judge, This topic needs no commenting on,

Church in import waiver mess
Finance Minister faults
Saturday, November 10, 2007

Minister of Finance, Dr. Shamsudeen Usman, has put a lie to the claim of the National Secretary of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Eng. S. L.S. Salifu, that the ministry was yet to furnish him with details of the churches that have seemingly abused the import waiver regime, as claimed by the minister.

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Usman says his office has not only replied, but had appealed that the issue be viewed from the economic point of view rather than imputing religious sentiments into it.

In a statement responding to CAN’s position, made available to Saturday Sun, the minister claimed that contrary to the CAN chief’s accusation that he made wild allegations and declined to reply his letter requesting for details, he actually wrote back to the Christian body.

He noted also that he named names and gave specific instances of churches that benefited from the windfall made possible by an indulging administration. The minister in a memo of October 10 with reference number FMF/OHMF/1 addressed to the CAN Secretary, Eng. S. L.S. Salifu, and signed on his behalf by his Special Adviser (Media), disputed the claims of the CAN chief at the Independence anniversary and noted:

Minister’s letter

Kindly take note that the Honourable Minister of Finance was out of the country when your initial letter was received. Upon his return, he ordered that the information you requested, be communicated to you accordingly.

We were therefore shocked by your inaccurate and misleading public comments about the subject matter and the person of the Honourable Minister while efforts were on to process your request as directed. And that you chose the occasion of the commemoration of our nation’s 47th national day celebrations was indeed indiscreet and misguided, to say the least.

However, the transcript of the relevant portion contained in the Honourable Minister’s text of press conference is hereby reproduced for your guidance as follows:

“When we issue these tax incentives, what is the purpose? Are we achieving the purpose, or are we just giving up revenue?

“I was surprised. When you look at the list… I asked for the full list of all the waivers we’ve given from the Customs, FIRS, especially in those two areas.

“A lot of government departments are asking, a lot of state governments are asking for these waivers. Then some private sector parties, (you know).

“And even churches! Some people will say churches?, Yes! Churches can get waivers but when you see the amount of money involved, you then ask, what is a church doing with such kind of money?.

“A state government, I mean, somebody is organizing some game, and he gets a waiver to import 600 motor cars. What do you need 600 or 800 motors vehicles for? I mean, there is serious abuse in this area that has to be stopped ! “

It is therefore unfair and unjust of you to willfully label the Honourable Minister, by levying such grave allegations against his good person, reputation and track record.

As you can now see, nowhere was the importation of 600 vehicles linked to any church in the Honourable Minister’s speech, to warrant your deliberate and unkind misrepresentation of his person.

In summary therefore, the Honourable Minister only expressed general reservation over inappropriate issuance of tax waivers to various levels of governments, agencies and non-corporates such as faith-based organizations – because of the massive loss of revenue involved, and the continued implication of this to our nation.

Further to the above, and to prove the point made by the Honourable Minister, I enclose the relevant, unedited portion of the press conference in question for your guidance.

And as a proof of his concern over the possible abuse to which they can be deployed, find attached, two samples of such import waiver details, variously granted to the … (church name withheld by us), the colossal amount involved, items imported and revenue implication to the nation.

Now that you have been adequately availed of facts of the matter, I have no doubt that as a man of God, you will take necessary measures to correct your misrepresentation of the Honourable Minister, especially in the eyes of your members – whom you said had inundated your office with requests for clarification on the subject matter as contained in your letter under reference.”

According to the aides of the minister, the ministry had no reason to believe that the above letter, which was also copied to the president of CAN, had not got to the National Secretary as at the time he granted the said interview.