Eunice Wuraola Ogini, the eldest daughter of the late Apostle Joseph Ayo Babalola, the first General Evangelist of the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC), has responded to allegations made by Biodun Fatoyinbo, lead pastor of the Commonwealth of Zion Assembly (COZA), about her father.
PREMIUM TIMES gathered that Mr Fatoyinbo, in one of his sermons, described Mr Babalola as an anointed man of God filled with grace but claimed that “all the grace just went like that because he had no money.”
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He further questioned the whereabouts of Babalola’s children, suggesting that many of them might have grown to resent Christ because their father died without wealth.
The sermon, delivered many years after Babalola’s death, sparked controversy and drew sharp criticism from many Nigerians, particularly members of the CAC.
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In a statement issued on Thursday and signed by its Director of Publicity, Ade Alawode, the CAC condemned Mr Fatoyinbo’s remarks, accusing him of promoting a misleading link between ministerial success and material wealth.
The church described his comments as “insensitive and ill-informed.”
Mrs Ogini’s remarks
Mrs Ogini, in a video posted on the CAC News YouTube channel on Thursday, refuted Mr Fatoyinbo’s claims, insisting that her father did not die poor and that his children never hated God.
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She said: “I want to state clearly that we, his children, followed his footsteps. My sister and I worship the Lord, we love God and we serve God. I am a deaconess in my church, a prayer warrior and a Sunday school teacher. My sister, Dame Deborah Adeniyi, in her church, she’s a prayer warrior and an evangelist. She was honoured with the Knighthood of John Wesley, a prestigious status in her church. To the glory of God, both of us are highly blessed and we live a very comfortable life. This is because my father already sowed the seed of generosity, kindness, care and love of humanity.
“I remember vividly in my childhood days, our house used to be filled with people of different ages, different tribes, different languages, children, adults, youths, male, female. And out of the abundance of my father, he was able to help every one of them to have a good life and make a responsible living by giving some education as far as they would wish, putting some people in apprenticeship, giving some people whatever they needed for their different traits. This was the blessing of God upon his life.
Comfortable life
She further stated that her father had never been poor, emphasising that he enjoyed a very comfortable life.
According to her, not only did her father live in comfort, but he also performed miracles and preached the gospel of Christ with unwavering commitment throughout his lifetime.
“In his crusades, in his time, people would bring their idols to be destroyed with fire. A lot of shrines were destroyed. A lot of occult materials, kalabashes, were brought to be destroyed by fire during his crusades in his lifetime. He preached Christ and Christ only. His emphasis was on repentance from sin, serving the Lord and worshipping the living God. My father lived a very comfortable life.
“If anyone doubts my father’s impact upon society, I encourage such a person to visit his tomb site or burial ground in Efon Alaye, Ekiti State, Nigeria. A place where people go for pilgrimage from different parts of the world. The place is open to everybody 24-7. People go there to pray and God answers their prayers,” said Mrs Ogini.
Mrs Ogini urged ministers of God to speak with sincerity and truth whenever they mentioned her father’s name during their sermons.
She noted “I want to ask that when people mention my father’s name during their preaching, they should speak the truth. They should be sincere and speak nothing but the truth with love and genuine or great respect. Ministers of God, I would say, please, honour the Lord when you are on your pulpit.
“Please, try as much as possible to verify every piece of information to avoid lies and assumptions. Please, remember the advice of the Apostle Paul in the book of Colossians 4-6, where we believers are advised that our speech should be gracious and seasoned with salt.”
Apology
Meanwhile, at the time of filing this report, Mr Fatoyinbo had issued an apology to the CAC, the family of Babalola, and anyone else who may have experienced distress, hurt, or dissatisfaction as a result of his remarks.
He stressed that he would never disrespect them or speak about them in such a manner, whether in public or in private.
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He noted in a statement posted on his Facebook page on Thursday, “Let me state, however, that at no time in the sermon did I refer to the children of the late Apostle and Father of faith in a bad light. I would never do that. The raw copy of the message is online and this can be verified. Our church is known worldwide as a place of honour and I would never in any way or manner take lightly the grace of Apostle Babalola, his children or his ministry for granted or speak lightly of the same.
“I am also aware that the children of the late Veteran of faith, who are all serving God and keeping up the legacy of our late father of faith, are not only shining examples of generational impact, but good and present-day examples for children of visionaries to follow. I remain proud of their achievements and honour them in no small measure,” Mr Fatoyinbo noted.
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