3. Pastor Matthew Ashimolowo
Pastor Matthew Ashimolowo is the founder of Kingsway International Christian Centre KICC. His second name is fast becoming controversy. He was at the centre of controversy over a quarter of a million pounds he was paid to run an evangelical church which plunged him into the centre of a financial scandal. KICC was investigated by the Charity Commission which uncovered serious financial irregularities a few years ago and Pastor Ashimolowo, its founder was ordered to pay $200,000 back to the Christian Centre.
It was discovered that he used the church’s credit card to buy a timeshare in Florida and got $120,000 to celebrate his birthday while he was also alleged to have transferred hundreds of thousands of pounds abroad.
The investigations also showed one of KICC’s employees (name withheld) claiming that Pastor Ashimolowo received an annual salary of between $250,000 to $260,000. While he was alleged to be using different names to defraud the church, the pastor, knowing fully well that the British authorities may close in on him, instead of investing the money over there, he invested heavily here in Nigeria on properties.
He is alleged to have a glass skyscraper in Ikeja area of Lagos, estimated to cost several millions of naira, while in Osun State, the pastor is also said to be building an edifice which will later be converted to a university, and it is called Land of Dreams.
Aside from properties, Ashimolowo is a lover of wonders-on-wheels and he has in his garage Range Rover Vogue Sport, Bullet-proof Hummer Jeep, Porsche Cayeen Jeep and other exotic cars, while he also loves expensive wristwatches.
His show of wealth reached its peak some time ago when his father in-law was celebrating his birthday and he decided to give him a Hummer Jeep as a birthday present. It is believed that the trouble he’s been facing in the UK was the reason he decided to broaden his business here in Nigeria by the completion of his church university at Ode-Omu with an amount in the region of one billion naira. The style and tricks these pastors use differ from church to church depending on what they capitalize on in the lives of their congregation.
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