7. Bishop Mike Okonkwo
He was alleged to have left the banking industry under controversial circumstances before starting his own church the Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM) after defaulting from the church that posted him to Lagos. Bishop Mike Okonkwo is a pastor who will rival his mates in the church business in terms of material things; he is one of the pastors who preach prosperity above everything and this informed his decision to bring embarrassment upon the church when he collected gifts on behalf of himself and the church from Emmanuel Nwude, a man prominent for his role in the advance fee fraud and on the radar of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
It was the same love for money that pitched the head of TREM against Bishop Lanre Obembe of the El-Shadai Bible Church, during the process of world evangelical ministration of Reverend Benny Hinn, who visited Lagos some years back. In the aftermath of the crusade which was described as a flop by all that attended, Obembe declared that the failure of the crusade was because he refused to give out of the money Benny Hinn gave for the hosting of the crusade to Okonkwo who was then the president of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria while Obembe was the state Chairman and Obembe’s outburst was followed by a sanction by the Okonkwo-led national body.
Just like the trend among Nigerian pastors, Okonkwo has under his care fleet of cars and cares less for what befall members of his church and where or how they make their money provided it is made available for his use in the name of the church.
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