Some 24 hours after SaharaReporters revealed that controversial “miracle” prophet, T.B. Joshua, had secretly purchased a $60 million private jet, our investigators have learned that another high profile pastor, Enoch Adejare Adeboye of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), has taken delivery of a brand new jet.
The sources familiar with Pastor Adeboye’s purchase of the new Gulfstream aircraft disclosed that the jet’s arrival coincided with the pastor’s floating of a luxury jet company, Emmanuel Aviation. Although the aviation company reportedly existed since 2009, it had just unveiled a website to announce its swanky fleet and aviation services.
Pastor Adeboye’s Gulfstream G550 luxury jet was manufactured in Savannah, Georgia State in the US. The jet, which was made in 2013 is far newer than the one bought by Pastor TB Joshua.
Information obtained by SaharaReporters revealed that Pastor Adeboye took delivery of his brand new jet in May 2015.
We learned that, with the arrival of the US-registered jet, N730EA Gulfstream G550, Pastor Adeboye has jettisoned an older Gulfstream GIV with tail number N707EA that used to ferry him around the world on his preaching missions.
Our sources said the leader of the Redeemed Church personally owns Emmanuel Aviation to which the two jets are registered both in the US and Nigeria.
An aviation expert explained that Nigerian jet owners prefer US registration of their jets because such registration grants them generous landing rights worldwide.
Pastor Adeboye becomes the second Nigerian pastor to start a private airline in the country. The first operator of a private airline was the controversial prosperity preacher and billionaire pastor, Bishop David Oyedepo. The Winners Chapel pastor owns two aircraft in his Dominion Air Company. One of Pastor Oyedepo’s jets is a Bombardier Challenger 604 with registration number N664D while the other is a Beechcraft 19000D with registration number (5N-WCI).
Nigerian prosperity pastors have emerged as some of the wealthiest preachers in the world, but their luxury lifestyles are at variance with the squalor and poverty of most members of their churches.
Apart from owning a jet company, Pastor Adeboye’s RCCG also owns sprawling real estate along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. Former President Goodluck Jonathan and his wife, Patience Jonathan, are reportedly among politically and socially privileged Nigerians who own multimillion dollar mansions at the RCCG.
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Now that running churches and other Religious bodies is more viable than running a limited liability company and big businesses that create employment, it won’t be out of place to compel Religious Bodies and organizations to start paying tax.