- Pastor Tobi Adegboyega denies UK deportation claims
- His church faces allegations of financial misconduct
- Pastor defends lavish lifestyle, saying it connects with youth
High-profile Nigerian Pastor Tobi Adegboyega has vehemently denied claims that he is set to be deported from the UK, where his church is embroiled in allegations of financial misconduct. Speaking to the BBC, Pastor Adegboyega, leader of SPAC Nation (Salvation Proclaimer Ministries Limited), now known as Nation Family, stated, “There is no deportation order. Let me make that clear.” He added that the court case is still an “ongoing issue.”
Pastor Adegboyega, who sported two jewel-encrusted rings and a Louis Vuitton tie during the interview, revealed that he arrived in the UK aged 25 in 2005 on a visitor’s visa, assuming his family would handle his immigration paperwork. However, this was not the case. “I lost track of time,” he admitted, referring to the nearly decade-long delay in applying to regularise his immigration status. He also claimed it would be “impossible” to relocate his church to Nigeria if he were deported.
The UK Charity Commission’s investigation in December found “serious misconduct and/or mismanagement” in the administration of his church. Pastor Adegboyega dismissed these allegations, saying, “It is false. They have been on this thing for the past four years.” This is not the first time the church has faced allegations; in 2019, a BBC Panorama investigation accused the church of financially exploiting young members. Pastor Adegboyega also dismissed these claims, stating, “If you have 1,000 people in a place, are you telling me 30 people will not be disgruntled? How on earth do you run an organisation without disgruntled people?”
The Christian evangelical church, set up in the UK as a charity in 2012, aims to help vulnerable people, tackle gun violence, and support young offenders. Pastor Adegboyega claimed his church has helped remove hundreds of knives from the streets. “We believe in a practical approach to help a community – young people coming out of low social-economic background, taking them out of crime,” he said.
Pastor Adegboyega also addressed criticism of his lavish lifestyle, saying, “I put on what is right, what connects to the generation I’m speaking to so they are not attracted to drug dealers.” He arrived at the BBC office in central London in a Lamborghini, accompanied by a G-Wagon for his entourage.
