The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, has again denied ever protesting against former President Goodluck Jonathan.
He made the clarification at a special thanksgiving service on Sunday, November 1.
This is the umpteenth time such denial would come. The RCCG has from time to time refuted the claim through press statements in the past.
But this time, Adeboye explained the circumstances around the claim during the service which was held at the Church’s headquarters in Lagos and dedicated to the creative industry, including bloggers, journalists, and content creators.
According to him, the picture being circulated, which claims that he protested against Jonathan, was taken during a 2020 event during a prayer walk in obedience to an instruction from the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN).
Adeboye, who preached on the topic “Activating Your Potential,” said: ”I was surprised when people said, ‘Adeboye is a wicked man; he is not protesting against this government, after all, we know that during the time of Jonathan he carried a placard.’ They brought out the picture where I was dressed in white and green. When I heard about it, I said, ‘Me, carried a placard?’
“It is true I carried a placard. It was a prayer walk. CAN said we should do a prayer walk near our churches. That is what I did in Ebute Meta. A walk is a walk.”
Recalling his days as an undergraduate, he talked about taking an elective course in the Mass Communication Department. There, he was taught about investigative journalism and learned that a news item should be thoroughly investigated before it is published.
He noted, however, that the rumour that he protested against Jonathan was swallowed by the whole country:
”I carried a placard in 2020 Jonathan ceased to be president in 2015 I carried a placard during the second term of Buhari. And everybody swallowed it and believed I protested against Jonathan. Nobody checked.”
Adeboye also recalled how his statement about President Tinubu having “done his bit” was twisted.
Adeboye said: ”I had the opportunity to speak about the kidnapped children at Oriire Community in Oyo State while in the US. I said God is already on the move and that none of the children will die because God told me none of them will die.
“When Trump wanted to bomb, he only told his soldiers and went to sleep. Concerning Oriire, I said our president has told his officers to go after the kidnappers and rescue the children. I said when Trump gives his order, he goes to bed. I said don’t blame my president—he has done all that is required of him to do as the Commander-in-Chief. I spoke for 30 minutes.
“Somebody then reported, ‘Pastor Adeboye said the president has done his best,’ and we all swallowed it. When I said the US should not bomb us anymore, that was not news. When I said the US should help us deal with the terrorists, that was not news. God have mercy on journalists.”
Activating your potential
Speaking on the sermon topic, he stated that potential is a God-given ability bestowed upon every human being at birth.
He cited the example of the bee which was created to produce honey; while wasp produces gall from the same flower.
According to him, nobody is a mistake. ”You did not come into the world accidentally. Before God sent you to the world, He had a purpose in mind.
He noted, however, that potential may remain present but never activated:
“There are logs of wood that will die without fulfilling their purpose of being used as furniture. When we talk of potential being activated, we talk of it in respect of producing results. There is potential energy and kinetic energy.”
He illustrated this by explaining that a bullet has potential energy in its inactive state—a child can even play with it when it is not activated. But it is a different scenario if that bullet is activated,” he said.
The RCCG General Overseer further urged his listeners to activate their potential for God’s purpose. He pleaded with those who have misused or damaged their potential to return to the Lord, who is able to help them maximize it.
He said, ”If you don’t activate your potential, it will die. There are many songs that have not been written. There are many journalists who could become world-class but will never go beyond their native towns because their potential was never activated. If you have messed up, return in repentance. He is full of mercy; He will help you activate your potential.
