•Bishop Omolehin, Keseina, weigh in
A fresh storm is brewing in Nigeria’s Pentecostal circles after Pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo, Lead Pastor of the Commonwealth of Zion Assembly (COZA), openly questioned the financial legacy of the late Prophet Joseph Ayo Babalola, the revered revivalist credited with sparking one of West Africa’s most significant Christian awakenings.
Speaking at a recent church gathering, Fatoyinbo praised Babalola’s “heavy-duty grace” and miraculous ministry, but lamented that he “left no money” and that his children “don’t serve the Lord right now.” The comments—delivered with Fatoyinbo’s trademark mix of candour and provocation—have ignited fierce reactions from clergy and laity alike, pitting prosperity gospel advocates against defenders of the holiness tradition Babalola embodied.
The message has stirred deep reflection and sharp controversy across Nigeria’s Pentecostal community.
Fatoyinbo, known for his unapologetic embrace of prosperity theology and flamboyant lifestyle, painted a dramatic picture of Babalola’s anointing—recounting stories of supernatural exploits, including a python drying up just by crossing the prophet’s legs during prayer, and a miraculous healing of a horse.
“If what God did through him was properly documented, people would be coming for pilgrimage,” Fatoyinbo said.
Yet, despite Babalola’s legendary spiritual feats, Fatoyinbo lamented that his children “don’t serve the Lord right now” and allegedly resented God for allowing their mother to die in poverty.
To Fatoyinbo, wealth and financial teaching are not optional in ministry—they are essential. He argued that while grace and power are important, they must be paired with financial understanding and prosperity consciousness to leave a sustainable legacy.
“God doesn’t respond to needs; He responds to revelation,” he declared. “If a particular word is not preached to you, you are in trouble in that area.”
Fatoyinbo emphasised that each dimension of the Christian life requires its own “key,” asserting that poverty is not proof of piety, and a lack of prosperity teaching can result in even the most anointed ministries fading into obscurity.
Jets, Rolls-Royce, kingdom wealth
Illustrating his point with personal stories, Fatoyinbo shared that he had dedicated two private jets at the airport before the service, and that a fellow pastor who once visited him by bus now celebrated 25 years of ministry with financial increase.
“I told him, ‘When I’m 40, I’ll buy a Rolls-Royce.’ He said, ‘I’ll give you ₦1 million.’ I now have three Rolls-Royces, and I reminded him—’You owe me!’”
His message was clear: kingdom influence must include material dominion, and poverty “distresses ministries.”
Fatoyinbo encouraged his audience to learn the principles that birthed his current success, claiming that what’s happening in his life is reproducible—not mystical.
“If you can’t repeat it, then it’s jazz,” he said, to thunderous applause.
CAC defends Apostle Babalola, rebukes Fatoyinbo
The Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) has strongly condemned remarks made by Pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo of the Commonwealth of Zion Assembly (COZA) about its revered founder, Apostle Joseph Ayo Babalola, describing the comments as “insensitive, ill-informed, and Biblically flawed.”
In a detailed statement, Ade Alawode, CAC’s Director of Publicity, said Fatoyinbo’s attempt to measure ministerial success by material wealth runs contrary to Scripture and Christian ethics.
“Equating spiritual impact with material possessions is fundamentally wrong,” Alawode stated.
“Your statement, ‘Where are the children of Babalola?’ reflects more on the kind of company you keep than on the legacy of this great man of God.”
Alawode argued that Apostle Babalola’s legacy cannot be reduced to questions about his descendants or possessions.
He pointed out that Babalola had children whose ages would now place them in the same generation as many listeners’ grandparents.
He challenged Fatoyinbo to consider the biblical basis for a prosperity message that “demeans those who are not wealthy” and warned that such teachings risk promoting greed and moral decay in a nation already battling corruption.
“Where in the Bible does your brand of prosperity theology originate?” Alawode asked. “Isn’t such a message encouraging greed, corruption, and godlessness?”
The CAC spokesperson used the statement to set the record straight on Babalola’s life and ministry. Called by God at the age of 24 on October 10, 1928, Babalola’s work spanned across Western and Midwestern Nigeria and extended to the Gold Coast (now Ghana), leaving an enduring spiritual impact marked by “undeniable signs and wonders.”
According to Alawode, Babalola lived sacrificially, gave land to the church, supported education, fed the poor, and opened his home to many beyond his biological children.
“He was blessed — but not materialistic or greedy,” Alawode emphasized. “When Queen Elizabeth II visited Nigeria in 1956, Apostle Babalola was among the honored guests. Would a man in rags be given such recognition by a colonial government? Certainly not.”
A leader who lacked nothing
Despite never engaging in aggressive fundraising, Babalola recorded instances of divine provision in his diaries, citing gifts such as “Ipese Olorun loni: £100.00, £50.00…” He lived in a befitting home, drove one of the best Ford Jeeps of his time, and funded weddings, educational pursuits, and apprenticeship programmes — all without exploiting the pulpit.
In conclusion, the CAC stressed that ministerial greatness is measured by faithfulness to God’s calling, not accumulation of wealth.
“Apostle Babalola’s life remains a testimony that one can serve God wholeheartedly without bowing to greed,” Alawode said.
Fatoyinbo’s retraction and apology
Amid mounting criticism, Fatoyinbo released a statement on Thursday, apologising for any hurt his comments may have caused to the CAC, Babalola’s family, or associates.
“Let me state, however, that at no time in the sermon did I refer to the children of the late Apostle and Father of faith in bad light. I would never do that. The raw copy of the message is online and can be verified,” he said.
Fatoyinbo described Babalola as a “highly revered father of faith” whose ministry shaped many churches, including his own. He prayed that the late evangelist’s legacy “continues to grow in leaps and bounds” and expressed his desire for the controversy to be put to rest.
“I will never disrespect or speak of them in that manner either publicly or privately,” he concluded.
Despite the apology, the incident has reignited a long-standing debate in Nigeria’s church community over the relationship between spiritual anointing, material wealth, and the definition of lasting ministerial success.
Rev. Keseina defends Prophet Babalola’s legacy, rebukes ‘false prosperity’ gospel
In a stirring, unapologetic sermon, Rev Kesiena Esiri, an Apostolic Evangelist and Pointman of The Remnant Christian Network (RCN), issued a sharp response to Pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo’s recent comments that seemed to downplay the legacy of Prophet Joseph Ayo Babalola, one of Nigeria’s most revered revivalists.
“You cannot be friends with the World,” said Keseina.
Standing firm in front of his congregation, Bible in hand and fire in his voice, Rev. Keseina called out the danger of measuring spiritual impact by material wealth.
“If he comes out of the world and still acts like the world, then it will mean that everything Jesus did was a waste,” he thundered.
“Your separation from the world needs to be obvious, otherwise you are useless”, Keseina
To him, the central flaw in Fatoyinbo’s comments lies in the subtle replacement of eternal values with earthly riches, and the toxic message that poverty nullifies grace. “I will not be silent,” maintained Keseina.
He made it clear that while God does bless His people, any gospel that mocks a man of God’s legacy for lacking material possessions is dangerous.
“Because he wants to talk about prosperity at all cost, he has to degenerate a man that laboured for Jesus,” Keseina said with visible grief.
“And then he asks, ‘Where are his children? I’m sure they are angry at God.’ What kind of conclusion is that?”
Keseina, deeply moved, said that while many celebrate false prosperity teachings, true ministers must remain watchful on the wall.
“When I put my ear to the breast of my King and I hear Him groaning, I cannot be silent,” he declared.
“Because where I am on the wall allows me to see what many cannot. That’s why I cry. That’s why I shout.”
Drawing from Ephesians 5, Rev. Keseina reminded the congregation that they were once darkness but are now light in the Lord.
“Walk as children of light,” he quoted. “Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness but rather, expose them.”
He emphasized that this applies to how believers do business, raise families, and conduct themselves in society.
“If you are saved, your life must look different,” he said. “You can’t be running your business like the world, teaching like the world, parenting like the world, and say you know Jesus.”
Rev. Keseina did not deny that God blesses His people. In fact, he encouraged diligence, excellence, and Holy Spirit-led innovation.
“Don’t be a mediocre Christian. If you are a tailor, barber, oil and gas worker, build with excellence,” he said.
“Don’t be afraid to start small, just don’t die small. One day, you will be financially free.”
But the key distinction? “Money should not own us. We should not be afraid of money, but rubbishing a man’s legacy to preach a false gospel is not the way.”
‘This is not just about Babalola’
At the heart of Rev. Keseina’s message was a warning to a generation — not just about the disrespect toward Prophet Babalola, but about the spread of a gospel that confuses gain with godliness.
“My pain is not what Fatoyinbo said,” he explained. “My pain is the people in the congregation clapping — they will carry that cancer and teach it to others.”
He concluded by pledging to continue calling out errors, regardless of backlash.
“I will be around for a long time,” he said. “I cannot be killed. I will not stop talking. As long as God speaks, I will expose them.”
As the debate over legacy, wealth, and ministry impact continues, Rev. Keseina’s fiery defence poses a sobering reminder to the Church.
Bishop Omolehin calls for return to ‘ancient landmarks
The Founder of Word Assembly Ministries, global evangelist, and humanitarian, Bishop Isaac Omolehin, has issued a sobering call for deep introspection and urgent reform within the Nigerian church, warning that moral decay, unchecked materialism, and abuse of spiritual authority have eroded its role as a moral compass for society.
Speaking in what appeared to be a response to the ongoing debate stirred by Pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo on the legacy of Prophet Joseph Ayo Babalola, the Founder of the Christ Apostolic Church, Bishop Omolehin lamented that the church in Nigeria is “a house that is collapsing” and in desperate need of repair.
“The church has lost her essence as a role model for society, and that makes ministry very difficult,” he declared. “Where he [Fatoyinbo] is going is where I am. I know the place. This house had been broken into by thieves. It is into that house he is entering—a house that is collapsing.”
Crisis beyond pretense
Omolehin warned against pretending that all is well, insisting that the phrase “restoring the ancient landmarks” presupposes there has been serious damage. “I am a grandfather. There is damage,” he said, recalling troubling moral scandals that have emerged among church leaders in recent years.
He narrated shocking cases from a senior pastor allegedly impregnating a young woman and later plotting her death to cover up the scandal, to a reverend father reportedly snatching the wife of a church member, to a general overseer divorcing his wife yet retaining his position with a packed congregation every Sunday.
“We now run the risk of continuing kingdom affairs in this broken state,” Omolehin warned. “At the end of the day, your church is not Jesus’ church. Many churches today are pastors’ churches.”
Wealth without witness
In a scathing critique of the prosperity trend among Pentecostal leaders, Bishop Omolehin contrasted Nigerian church practices with those of the Roman Catholic Church — the wealthiest denomination globally, yet with a Pope who owns no private jet.
“Out of the ten richest pastors in the world, five are Nigerians. Yet among the ten richest churches in the world, no Nigerian church appears,” he noted, citing figures from the World Council of Churches.
Drawing from his recent preaching engagement at a 200-year-old Catholic university in Dublin, Ireland, he explained how the Pope travels on a national carrier, Alitalia, based on a yearly itinerary rather than maintaining a personal jet fleet.
“When you Pentecostals come up with branding and financial recklessness with people’s tithes and offerings, the Roman Catholics are laughing,” he said.
Lessons from church history
Omolehin also shared stories of Catholic saints and martyrs, such as St. Patrick of Ireland, credited with driving snakes into the sea, and Father Dennis of Paris, who, according to tradition, continued preaching while carrying his severed head after being martyred.
These, he said, were examples of selfless devotion and sacrifice — values he believes are increasingly absent in the modern Nigerian pulpit.
“Today, the same Roman Catholic Church is paying millions in compensation for abuse cases, yet their global system and discipline stand far apart from the chaos in our own house,” he remarked.
Repairers of the breach
The bishop described the task of reforming the church as a “great work” akin to rehabilitating a structurally damaged building — replacing leaking roofs, strengthening pillars, and restoring integrity. But he acknowledged that those committed to this work are few, underfunded, and often ridiculed as “primitive,” while those damaging the church enjoy wealth, media influence, and popularity.
“People in the repair ministry are hated because there are those who benefit from the spoilage,” Omolehin said. “They don’t want to see repairers around.”
Calling on ministers to embrace the courage and sacrifice needed for genuine reform, Bishop Omolehin warned that ignoring these issues will only deepen the crisis. “Sometimes rehabilitation is costly. But without it, the house will surely collapse.”
