By : Lloyd Mahachi 

High-profile Nigerian Pastor Tobi Adegboyega has dismissed claims that he is facing deportation from the UK, where his church is embroiled in allegations of financial misconduct. In an interview with the BBC, Pastor Adegboyega, leader of SPAC Nation (Salvation Proclaimer Ministries Limited), now known as Nation Family, stated categorically that “there is no deportation order.” He added that the court case was still an “ongoing issue” and that he was confident of resolving the matter.

Pastor Adegboyega’s immigration status has been under scrutiny after it emerged that he had arrived in the UK in 2005 on a visitor’s visa and had failed to regularize his status for nearly a decade. He claimed that he had “lost track of time” and that his family had been handling his immigration paperwork. However, this explanation has raised eyebrows, given the pastor’s high profile and the controversy surrounding his church’s financial dealings.

The UK Charity Commission has been investigating SPAC Nation for several years, and in December, it found “serious misconduct and/or mismanagement in the administration” of the church. However, Pastor Adegboyega has dismissed these allegations, describing them as “false” and claiming that the commission had been “on this thing for the past four years.” He also denied allegations that his church had financially exploited young members of the congregation, saying that it was impossible to run an organization without disgruntled people.

SPAC Nation was set up in the UK as a charity in 2012, with the aim of helping vulnerable people, tackling gun violence, and supporting young offenders. Pastor Adegboyega claims that his church has helped to get hundreds of knives off the streets and has provided a “practical approach” to helping young people from low socio-economic backgrounds. However, the church’s methods and finances have been called into question, with some former members alleging that they were pressured into donating money and taking out loans.

Pastor Adegboyega has also faced criticism for his lavish lifestyle, which includes a fondness for designer clothes, expensive jewelry, and luxury watches. He arrived at the BBC office in a Lamborghini, accompanied by an entourage traveling in a top-of-the-range Mercedes-Benz SUV. However, the pastor defended his lifestyle, saying that he wore designer clothes to connect with the younger generation and to show them that there were alternatives to the flashy lifestyles of drug dealers.

Despite the controversy surrounding him and his church, Pastor Adegboyega remains defiant, insisting that he has done nothing wrong and that the allegations against him are baseless. However, the UK authorities and the Charity Commission are unlikely to let the matter drop, and the pastor’s future in the UK remains uncertain. As the investigation into SPAC Nation’s finances continues, one thing is clear: the pastor’s reputation and livelihood are on the line.

Editor : Josephine Mahachi