How He & His Wife Stepped On Many Toes
RCCG Pastor, Idowu Iluyomade and his wife, Pastor Siju are a very lovely couple. They have a beautiful disposition to life. Both are adorable. They are both lawyers. And they are full of life. They are a bubbly duo.
But lately, they have come under serious attack from powerful forces who dislike them within the church. City People can authoritatively reveal that there are some people within the RCCG leadership who don’t like how Pastor I.D runs the City of David Parish. There are others who feel unhappy with Pastor Siji’s flamboyant lifestyle. They feel she is too Glamorous and Gorgeous for a Pastor’s wife, who is also a Pastor herself.
The list of allegations seem long and unending. They feel the duo are too powerful within the scheme of things in RCCG. They feel that Pastor E.A Adeboye has made them Untouchables. They feel they have stayed on at the City David for too long. And that they ought to be posted out.
Their new imposing church complex in Victoria Island, Lagos also created for them enemies.
So, when the news broke a few days ago that RCCG had transfered Pastor I.D to Ebute Metta headquaters of RCCG, it was clear that the powerful forces who wanted them out of City of David had won.
Many stories have been making the rounds as to the possible reasons Pastor Idowu Iluyomade, the Pastor-in-Charge of the City of David Parish, in Victoria Island, Lagos and his wife, Pastor Siju Iluyomade got into trouble with these powerful forces within the RCCG Leadership which led to his being transferred to another parish.
Whilst no one in the church seems to want to talk about their ordeal, several gists have been making the rounds. One of it is that some church leaders didn’t quite like the lukewarm attitude of the couple to the demise of the Access Holding Plc CEO, Herbert Wigwe, his wife and son in a helicopter crash in the U.S. Many members frowned at the decision of Pastor Siju to go ahead and celebrate her birthday elaborately despite the unfortunate death of Herbert Wigwe and his family members. Herbert has been described as a big financial supporter of the City of David. His dad is also an Elder of RCCG who is well known to the Iluyomade’s.
Observed one church member, what many church members had expected was for Pastor Siju to postpone or reschedule her birthday which had Flavour and other top artistes performing.
The video of the party trended online with the celebrant dancing to Flavour’s music, along with UBA Chairman, Tony Elumelu.
Not only was the party not cancelled, the couple did not visit the Wigwe family and commiserate with them, despite the fact that Pastor Adeboye visited the Wigwe Family. They were also not involved in his burial arrangements. People had expected that going by the extent of closeness of the Wigwe’s and Iluyomade’s the City of David Pastors should have sympathised with the deceased.
That Pastor Idowu & Siju Iluyomade were close to the late Hubert Wigwe became obvious in Pastor Idowu’s glowing Tribute to the Group CEO of Access Holding Plc, Herbert Wigwe who died in a chopper crash in the US. The tribute was published in a Daily newspaper.
Pastor Iluyomade, described the deceased as God’s General, who donated generously to the church and its activities.
The cleric spoke during a service titled: “Barrier Shattering Thanksgiving (Sunshine Service)” on the Sunday, after his death.
He recalled how Wigwe spent about N500 million for God Children’s Great Talent Project and how he adopted some children.
Wigwe, his wife Doreen; son Chizi and a former Group Chairman of the Nigerian Exchange Group, Abimbola Ogunbanjo, died in the helicopter crash between Las Vegas and California.
He said: “All through the night, I and Pastor Siju were talking to God. Wigwe was a man who had a heart for God. He served God. We were asking questions, who can we turn to but Jesus?
“I’m sure a lot of people have questions. I want to encourage you; Jesus is a burden bearer. He understands all things. Cast all your burdens to him.
“Wigwe did a lot of good work. He was an amazing servant of God. He had eternity in sight. The only things that follow us when we pass on are our good works. His life has challenged us”.
“I remember when we wanted to build a school at Makoko for the indigent students, and we needed to pay the teachers, feed the students every day. Wigwe came and said he wanted to partner with us, and together with his foundation – Herbert Wigwe Foundation, he partnered with City of David, we were able to build the Makoko School that endures till today”.
“When we wanted to start God’s Children’s Great Talent Project, he partnered with us again. While we spent about N300 million, he spent about N500 million to raise talents. He had a heart for things of God”.
“He loved children, he gave scholarships to children. He adopted a lot of children, takes care of them. For years, he has been quietly paying for the stipend/salary of the City of David classical choir. It has been amazing, for years. Every month, he was paying them. “At The Christmas concert, he funded them. He did a great work in this place. As he was doing here, he was doing it all over”.
“He was a blessing to God and humanity. His life was profitable to all. I commiserate with the Chairman of the Building Fund, and his wife.
“Wigwe was the chairman of the finance committee with Pastor Siju; and I remember when we wanted to start the fund raising, he took us to Eko Atlantic, he put a marquee there, he brought people from America to come and see, and in that event, we raised about N600 million. One would have thought he would sit back; he kept going. He told me we’ll do it”.
“When this place was ground zero, he paid five years rent for a branch when there was nothing, just to assist. Then later, he said ‘I’ll give you two branches – one on the left, one on the right, and he paid five years each (ten years), nobody would support a Greenfield, if you’ve built, yes, you can go. One of his purposes was to assist us”.
“When we needed to take finance from the bank, when the contractors left the site, he gave us the money. Herbert was supporting us. His wife was also supporting him. He’ll call his wife, bring N20 million, bring N10 million, and she’ll support. He’ll call his friends too.”
“About two weeks ago, when we went to meet him (Wigwe), we told him about a N2.4 billion project; that we had paid over a billion naira in December, they told us to pay another N1 billion, we went back and forth, and I said okay, gather people, those that can redeem immediately and those that can pledge that can be sure to redeem in one year, that I will give N1 billion interest- free just to help us to pay the bank. I’m sure his works will speak for him”.
“Hebert comes to my house, office, and we pray. That’s why it is so difficult to understand the turn of events, but then again, God is sovereign”.
“We thank God for Herbert’s life. God says, in all things, give thanks. We thank God for giving us Hebert and his wife. We pray to God to comfort his family. His life has challenged me.”
So, why didn’t Pastor Idowu & Siju Iluyomade take part in Herbert Wigwe’s burial. That is the Big Question?
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