REDEEMED CHRISTIAN CHURCH OF GOD: THE BOTCHED ADEBOYE RETIREMENT.

Icheoku says the experiment which began in 1952 when Pa Josiah Akindayomi started his congregation and which today has blossomed into a global gathering of faithfuls numbering in their millions, risks a cataclysmic meltdown if care is not taken. The bold and brave step made by the current leader of the church Pastor Enoch Adebayo would have been a silver bullet to prevent against this coming apocalypse; but certain powers have since intervened to make him call off his retirement and is back in a rather staggered arrangement which remains consulting at best. 

Icheoku says this failure or inability of Pastor Enoch Adebayo to stick with, follow through  and proceed with his separation from the management of the congregation will later come back to hunt and bite the whole group. This period would have been used by Adeboye to seamlessly and methodically transfer powers to his successor and supervise and mentor the fresh hand as he learns the tricks of the trade; especially of running such a mega conglomerate as the RCCG is. But regrettably it is an opportunity now missed and the Redeemers will some day regret their inability to follow through with this now botched  smooth transfer of power; and it will hurt them so badly they would wish this opportunity was never missed. Icheoku says the Redeemers would have bravely completed what they began and allowed the tired old man who has paid his dues, growing the congregation from the few membership of the past into the exponential membership of today, to quietly relief himself of the grueling task of running such a multinational organization. 

The Redeemers would have followed through with the transition now and completed it before it catches them unprepared; because regardless of their love for their Overseer and their believe that only him can do the job, someday, their daddy Enoch Adebayo, as with every other mortal and living thing, will also take his graceful bow from this world. Thereafter, requiring someone else to step into his very big shoes and try to advance the ball of the Redeemed Christian Church of God. Icheoku prays his exit is not sudden and unprepared, because the turmoil that will befall the congregation is better imagined than faced. It have severally happened before to other congregations and there is no guarantee that the RCCG will be immune from self convulsive quake. There is also no suggestion that necessary safeguards are in place to forestall such a civil war erupting inside a Redeemed Christian Church of God without Pastor Enoch Adebayo, who has become the face and breath of the organization. Enoch Adebayo is larger than life and Enoch Adebayo is the air in the lungs of RCCG, without which, the gathering would not probably be around today and at best not be the behemoth it has since become. 

Icheoku says it is often difficult for people not to be drawn to a figure of strength and power and influence which explains the messianic presence of Enoch Adebayo among his congregants. But with a gathering in the magnitude of RCCG, with such a multitude of people numbering in the millions, it will be difficult to find someone to perfectly fit the role of Enoch Adebayo. This however should not render the people totally impotent, hopeless or despondent; and therefore about time the preparation for a day without Adebayo begins. it is time for the organization to start looking at a future with Enoch Adebayo as he is no longer a spring chicken and is facing the inevitable fate of every human being nearing the end. So who will hold the forte post Adebayo should be paramount in the stakeholders thinking calculus; rather than their continuous occultic-like centralized following of their GO Enoch Adeboye. The only thing the current queasiness and indecisiveness will foster is a traumatized flock that will likely splinter and scatter as soon as Enoch Adebayo that provides the glue that holds them together is no longer around. 

Therefore the current tug of war over the appointments of successors he announced should not be encouraged; rather the organization should rally around their newly appointed leader and help nurture him into a future Enoch Adebayo that will help their congregation to continue its growth. Icheoku bemoans the fate of a RCCG without Adebayo or a clearly identifiable Abebayo anointed one who will use the remainder of Adebayo's life to consolidate his hold and leadership in such a way that upon the end, the gap will not be such as would swallow the entire church into a giant sinkhole. Immanuel Church of Jesus of Oyingbo suffered such fate following the demise of their founder and pastor Olufunmilayo Immanuel Odumosu. Admitted that the RCCG survived the demise of their founder Reverend Josiah Olufemo Akindayomi, largely because someone as gifted as Enoch Adebayo was available to pilot the affairs of the church. Also Adebayo has stayed at the helm of affairs for too long that he has morphed into the RCCG personified; hence his congregants as well as outside observers now find it difficult to distinguish or separate the two entities. 

Icheoku says no matter the subterfuge, no matter the presence and no matter whatever law may exist requiring a handover by Adebayo, it does not matter. What is imperative is that a smooth transition takes place right now and not wait until the eventual demise of Enoch Adebayo, no matter how long it takes in coming. It is shameful that Financial Regulations Council of Nigeria is now being blamed for the announced but later aborted departure of Pastor Enoch Adejare Adebayo from the RCCG. The best practice would be to allow the appointed Pastor Joseph Obayemi to step in and start learning the ropes now that Pa Enoch Adebayo is still around to give him proper orientation while he still can and guide him through this early stages of filling his shoes. Icheoku says the subsequent effort to designate Enoch Adeboye as the General Overseer of Redeemed Christian Church of God Worldwide but not that of Nigeria, its corporate worldwide headquarters, does not make any sense whatsoever. Icheoku says let the old man go quietly into his retirement and enjoy a well deserved restful life whatever is left if it, preparatory to eventually meeting his maker. He has done enough to deserve his well earned retirement, having served the church since 1973, becoming its General Overseer in 1981 and has grown the church into a global presence. Please RCCG, let Adebayo retire in peace and NOW.