•City People Tells You What You Don’t Know About Him
Encomiums poured in greatly of the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye, who on Tuesday clocked 79 years old. He was well celebrated by all and sundry and members of the Redeemed Church Worldwide celebrated his life in a 79 hours marathon messiah praise which up has become a norm for the number of sprays he has spent on planet earth.Pastor Adeboye, born on the 2nd day in the month of March 1942, hails from Ifewara in Osun State.Daddy Adeboye or ‘Daddy GO’ as he is fondly called is one of the most revered men of God in Nigeria. He is indeed a peculiar being.
He is an ardent preacher of holiness and humility. No doubts Pastor E.A Adeboye is spiritually wealthy and divinely connected, his story is an amazing one. He has the largest followership on facebook as many tap into his prayer lines everyday. He never boasts of his achievements and his life is an entirety of Gods glory and finished work.
For many days, the 2021 edition of the interdenominational gospel musical event, Marathon Messiah Praise took place. It means for several hours at the Prayer Foyer of the 3/3 Auditorium, Redemption Camp, there has been non-stop praises, worship, and prayers to God to commemorate the 79th birthday of Pastor Enoch Adeboye, general overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG).It is clearer to see the event as one that stretches for days and watched all over the world.
What started in 2012, when Pastor Adeboye clocked 70 at the Redemption Camp, is now a globally-renowned event, which has this year, drawn top Nigerian gospel artistes; Nathaniel Bassey, Dunsin Oyekan, Tim Godfrey, Bukola Bekes, New Gen, Efe Nathan, Femi Okunuga, Olumide Iyun and Volunteer Praise Team to lead over 150 worship ministers and choral groups to minister at the event. That was the way pastor Adeboye was celebrated.Like every other thing of the church, the special event has been growing.
It is about praising God for the church, its phenomenal growth from 40 parishes in 1981 to thousands of parishes, spread over 198 countries, and for all He does for the members. In the United Kingdom, it is noted as the fastest pentecostal church.
And also, importantly, to thank God for the personal miracles in the life of Pastor Adeboye, who is alive today by God’s grace. With the many near-misses in his early life, it must be only God who has kept him to fulfill his purpose. Surely one will be curious to know what his daily routines are. We gathered no days passes by without him praying, worshipping, studying the bible and more so importantly attending to many people. He practically lives his life for people. His life is very different and we gathered that he normally wakes up very early in the morning after marathon of prayers then observes his daily prayer walk routine, he walks round the redemption camp early in the morning praying. Pastor Adeboye wouldn’t eat food or drink anywhere his wife doesn’t approve first. Adeboye prefers his meals freshly cooked daily. Adeboye expects his wife to fast with him when he is fasting. Adeboye eats dinner between 4-00 p.m. and 5.00 p.m. and that’s it for the day. It was reported that sometimes pastor Adeboye goes into the kitchen to give moral support and taste the food.We gathered that at least few times every year, he spent personal quiet time with God with no distraction from his family.
Some other things about him s that pastor Adeboye married twice. Not what you’re thinking. He had a traditional marriage first then a white wedding in church about two years after. Adeboye couldn’t afford a wedding ring then. So he promised his wife later that she would never lack anything and has since kept that promise. When Adeboye could finally afford a wedding ring, he prefer not to wear. We learnt he only drinks water, fresh fruit juice and tea. Adeboye would never leave Nigeria and is never more than a 2-hours’ drive or flight away from his wife on the month of her birthday. This is one of the promises he made to her when they got married. Adeboye still gives monthly household expenses fees to his wife till date. Adeboye also gives his wife monthly self-maintenance allowance. When he is at home, every morning, He prays for his wife even before coming out to see anyone else. Everything he needs to get, he always makes sure he gets her own version of it. Adeboye always puts his wife first in everything. Adeboye has never stopped appreciating his wife for her sacrifice over the years and putting her dreams on hold so he could become who he is today hence he never leaves her behind in anything and everything he does.
Also on his personal website, the many milestones he has achieved and peculiar things about him was revealed in 40 ways when he celebrated 40 years as the Redeemed Church General Overseer.
Pastor E. A. Adeboye became the General Overseer of RCCG in 1981 at 39 years old.Under his leadership, RCCG is now in more than 197 nations of the world.He moved to the Redemption Camp, along Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, a city that now houses the new 3 by 3 km auditorium, amongst other notable landmarks.He holds a position as Professor of Mathematics in the University of Lagos.He has several honorary degrees from reputable universities and colleges in Nigeria and across the world.He started the Holy Ghost Congress that has been on for more than two decades. The program had over 7 million people in its maiden edition.Pastor E. A. Adeboye has several endowments in several Nigerian Universities.He founded Christ the Redeemers Ministry (CRM), an arm of RCCG that he’s currently the president of. He founded the Redeemers University, Ede, Osun State.He started the Special Holy Ghost Service, a program that began because he asked God for a birthday present. Under his watch, RCCG has over 50,000 parishes worldwide.Pastor E. A. Adeboye has written well over 60 books that have blessed millions of lives.He is the author of the Open Heavens devotional, a yearly devotional that he started after the Holy Ghost Congress themed “Open Heavens”. In 2015, he received the Presidential Merit Award from the Nigerian Society of Engineers. In 2015, he received a certificate of recognition from the Congress of the United States of America.
He was given a centenary award in 2014 to mark Nigeria’s 100 years anniversary.He is the brain behind the annual Let’s Go A Fishing program, an evangelical outreach aimed at bringing souls into the kingdom of God. A world class health facility in LASUTH is named after him and his wife. An intensive care unit in the Plateau State Specialist Hospital is named after him and his wife. In 2009, he led the pre-summit prayers of the 64th General Assembly of the United Nations Headquarters. He was named among the world’s 50 most powerful people by Newsweek Magazine in 2008. In 1999, he received an honorary citizenship and key of Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. His marriage to his beloved wife, Pastor Mrs. Folu Adeboye, has lasted more than five decades.He established a world class prayer village known as Mount Carmel in his hometown, Ifewara, Osun State. In the year 2000, he dedicated the first chapel in the Nigerian Presidential Villa, FCT, Abuja. In 2005, he received the key to the city of Detroit in USA. In 2010, he was awarded a National Sports Honor as the Spiritual Pillar of Nigerian Sports.
In 2011, he chaired United Nations Global Summit on the roadmap to a culture of peace in the Middle East. In 2011, he received an award as the most profitable icon/ personality in Nigeria.
In 2005, he received honorary citizenship and the key of Baltimore, Maryland, USA. In 2005, he received honorary citizenship and the key to the city of Dallas, Texas, USA. In 2008, he was awarded a National Honor (Order of the Federal Republic of Nigeria) by the then Nigerian President. He had his last-child, Pastor Leke Adeboye, few years after he became a General Overseer. As a General Overseer, all his four children are married with their own adorable children. In 2008, he saw to the establishment of a forum for children of pastors, ministers and workers in RCCG known as Pastors’ Seed Family. This forum has several chapters across the world. Messiah’s Marathon Praise which is organized to praise God for his life is now a record-breaking event. In 2014, he was awarded a National Honour, Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON). Under his leadership, RCCG is the first Pentecostal church with African origin to be registered in the Nation of Israel. Under his administration, RCCG is well represented in several countries in the Arab world. His goal of making heaven and taking as many people with him is in full swing and it is progressing wonderfully.
-TAYO OYEDIJI
With additional info from Vanguard
