An audit of the finance books of The Redeemed Christian Church of God’s City of David parish in the Victoria Island area of Lagos State has commenced.
The church’s senior pastor Idowu Iluyomade was suspended on June 1 for three months by the council of elders which investigated some allegations against him.
It was learnt that the cleric was suspended over the church’s finances and his alleged resistance to be transferred from the parish.
Iluyomade was asked to resume at the church’s headquarters after the suspension and was replaced by Pastor Charles Kpandei of the church’s Resurrection Parish, Region 11.
Kpandei resumed at the parish on Sunday, June 9, preaching on the subject of heaven.
During the service, one of the pastors announced that the church paid about N15 million for the construction of the Trinity Tower between June 1 and 8.
The pastor, however, told the congregation that the parish had an outstanding N320 million debt.
A source told Church Times that the parish is being audited by a notable audit firm amid an alleged N320 million debt.
The source said it was not a practice for the RCCG to recruit an independent body to conduct an audit.
“Iluyomade, the erstwhile pastor of the church, was suspended on June 1 following complaints and allegations against him. He was asked to resume at the church’s headquarters.
“The parish is currently being audited by KPMG, which is not an RCCG financial and audit practice. It was necessary to get an external auditor because before now, most of the provinces under the Apapa Family were not audited by RCCG auditors,” the source said.
Iluyomade’s wife held a lavish party just one week after a prominent member of the church and key financier, the former group chief executive officer of Access Holdings, Herbert Wigwe, his wife Chizoba and son Chizi and several others died in a helicopter crash in California, United States on February 9.
Many said the party held at Eko Hotel and Suites in Lagos was done in bad taste.
