A senior member of the City of David Parish of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Quincy Olasumbo Ayodele, has denied allegations that the late chairman of Access Holdings, Herbert Wigwe, was solely responsible for financing the construction of Trinity Towers.
During an interview with On-Air Personality Daddy Freeze on Monday night, Ayodele clarified that the monumental project was funded by the collective efforts of church members, not by Wigwe alone.
She stated, “Pastor Herbert Wigwe did not single-handedly build Trinity Towers. It was a product of the collective efforts of all members of the City of David Parish, including him.”
This response comes amid ongoing discussions regarding Wigwe’s contributions to the church and the events that followed his tragic passing.
Wigwe, his wife, and their son lost their lives in a helicopter crash on February 9, 2024, a devastating incident that deeply affected Nigeria’s business and religious communities.
However, just days after the tragedy, the wife of the parish’s former pastor, Siju Iluyomade, held a grand birthday celebration. This event led to widespread criticism and controversy, ultimately resulting in her husband’s suspension from his pastoral duties.
Ayodele admitted that she was initially unaware of the backlash surrounding the birthday party but later came across reports about it from UK-based blogs.
She said, “We were all devastated when we heard about our brother’s passing. I wasn’t in the country at the time, so when I heard about the birthday party, I thought maybe Mummy (Iluyomade’s wife) finally gave her approval for it to go ahead. But the next day, I started reading reports from UK-based blogs, and I was shocked.”
Following the public outrage, RCCG’s General Overseer, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, had to intervene. Ayodele explained that Adeboye took steps to address the situation, leading to the suspension of Pastor Iluyomade.
“Daddy Adeboye stepped in to calm tensions and placed Pastor Iluyomade on suspension, directing him to report to Ebute Meta. After he served his three-month suspension, we heard that a letter was issued, barring him from stepping into City of David. While other pastors were reassigned, the directive for Pastor Iluyomade was clear—he must not return to City of David,” she said.
