The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye, has dismissed claims that he carried a placard to protest against former President Goodluck Jonathan, explaining that the photograph in circulation was taken during a prayer walk against insecurity in 2020.

Adeboye spoke during the church’s November Thanksgiving Service on Sunday, November 1, where he challenged the publication of the photograph without proper historical context.

He said the procession took place five years after Jonathan left office and was organised to pray over killings and worsening insecurity in the country.

“Jonathan ceased to be president in 2015. I carried the placard five years into the second term of Buhari,” he said.

How the Photograph Was Taken

The photograph showed Adeboye holding a placard bearing the inscription, “All Souls Are Precious to God”.

It was taken during a prayer walk in Lagos organised as part of a three-day fasting and prayer programme declared by the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN).

The exercise called on churches to seek divine intervention over the country’s security challenges.

According to Adeboye, the CAN chairman had directed churches to organise prayer walks around their premises.

“The chairman said all churches should do a prayer walk near their churches. That’s what I did,” he explained.

Reports said the procession began at the RCCG national headquarters in Ebute Meta, moved towards Atan Cemetery in Yaba and returned to the church.

Adeboye Faults Report, Calls for Fact-Checking

The cleric said he had no reason to deny carrying the placard but rejected the political interpretation attached to the photograph.

He recalled that he was initially amused by the allegation but became concerned that it was accepted and circulated without anyone checking the facts.

“True, I carried a placard. I can’t deny that. It was important. It was a prayer walk. We wanted to pray,” he said.

Adeboye also criticised the journalist responsible for the report, arguing that the circumstances surrounding the photograph should have been established before publication.

Drawing on his exposure to journalism studies in the 1960s, he urged practitioners to investigate stories rather than rely on appearances.

“I remember in those days in the Department of Journalism, when you go there and you take a course, they talked about something called investigative journalism.

“That things don’t appear as they may seem. Investigate, if you have a story, before you take it to the press,” he said.

Addressing members of the creative industry, he expressed disappointment that the report had gained attention without anyone verifying the facts.

“I’m talking to those of you in the creative industry. Nobody checked,” he said.