There are strong reports that Pastor E.A Adeboye has stepped down as the General-Overseer of RCCG after about 36 years of meritorious service.
Pastor E.A Adeboye and Pastor J.O. Obayemi
Pastor E.A Adeboye has retired as the General Overseer of one of the largest Christian ministries in Nigeria - the Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG.
Pastor J.O. Obayemi has been named as his successor. Until his appointment, Obayemi, who was a deputy in charge of Finance and a member of governing council.
Further reports have it that Pastor Adeboye announced his stepping down on Saturday morning. The implication of his decision is that he will delegate his local responsibilities to his successor but he is still the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God globally as the ministry had since gone international.
Pastor Adeboye is currently 74 years old. He hails from Osun State. He had his B.Sc. in Mathematics at University of Nigeria Nsukka and subsequently got his PhD in applied mathematics from the University of Lagos, and worked as a lecturer in mathematics at the universities of Lagos and Ilorin; After joining the RCCG in 1973, he began working to translate the sermons of its then Pastor and founder, Rev. Josiah Olufemi Akindayomi, from Yoruba into English.
In 1981, pastor Adeboye was appointed General Overseer of the church, taking over from Papa Akindayomi, who had died the previous year. For three years he filled the role part-time, still lecturing at Ilorin, until giving up his university position to preach full-time.
The church, which was not well known prior to Adeboye becoming the General Overseer, has several branches globally in about 190 countries, including more than 14,000 in Nigeria. Adeboye has stated that his aim is to put a church within five minutes of every person on Earth.
He is the national president of RCF (an interdenominational fellowship in all the campuses in Nigeria) which is under the umbrella of Christ the Redeemer's Ministry (CRM) where he is a founder and president.