Fayemi’s N5m donation tears church apart

By Gbenga Ariyibi

Ado-Ekiti—THE N5million donated to the Millennium Anglican Church, Odo Owa Ekiti by Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, is allegedly tearing the church apart.

It would be recalled that Fayemi donated N5 million to the church during the burial of its late primate, Most Rev. Abiodun Adetiloye  on January 19, 2013.

Shortly after the donation, the leaders and clergy of the church were said to have met where the issue of the donation was discussed.

Members were said to have resolved on how to utilize the money among others.

Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State

It was gathered that they agreed that among others, it would be used to renovate the church, buy a bus for evangelism while N1million would be put  into a special account.

However, the Bishop of Ekiti West Anglican Communion, Most Rev. Oludare Oke, was said to have told the members including the vicar, Reverend Mike Ogunniyi, that the N5 million was deposited in a fixed Account because it was an endowment fund and not a gift to the Church alone.

For allegedly failing to heed the advice of the Bishop, the Bishop was said to have ordered the demotion of the vicar from Archdeacon to Canon for alleged insubordination.

Dissatisfied with the  demotion,  members in Odo Owa Ekiti were said to have last Sunday sealed off the Church auditorium  donated to  the town  by the late  Archbishop Adetiloye  and prevented  leaders of the church  and members from gaining access to  worship.

The closure of the church was said to have created tension in the community, prompting the  town’s traditional  ruler to intervene to forestall breakdown of law and order.

A concerned member told Vanguard that “The Archdeacon having got the support of the Church members bought a new bus at the cost of N3 million, while a sum of N1 million was used to renovate the Church. The remaining N1 million was kept in the Church’s Account. The Bishop was not happy with the action of the Archdeacon and this led to his demotion to the rank of a Canon.”

But a statement by a member of the Church Council, Mr George Ogunjeta,  yesterday  the church denied any crisis, saying “the cash donation has not created any crisis  in the Church.”