Christ Embassy Fire: Pastor Chris Oyakhilome Assures Congregation of a Bigger, Better Rebuild

A devastating fire gutted the Christ Embassy building located on Billings Way, Oregun, in the Ikeja area of Lagos State, on Sunday, leaving a trail of destruction and raising concerns about the structural integrity of the building.

The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) has hinted at the possibility of demolishing the building if it fails an integrity test, which is expected to be conducted in the coming days. This decision was made after a thorough assessment of the building’s structural defects, including visible cracks on the walls.

Rev Chris Oyakhilome, the President and founder of LoveWorld Incorporated, also known as Christ Embassy, has announced plans to rebuild a better and bigger structure to replace the affected building. In a live Sunday service at the church’s campground in Asese, Ogun State, Oyakhilome assured his congregation that the fire incident was an opportunity to rebuild the razed building in a bigger and better way.

Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, LASEMA’s Permanent Secretary, stated that the building will be demolished if it fails an integrity test. He also disclosed that the intensity of the fire caused cracks in the wall of the building, which required an integrity test to determine its safety. “We have seen a lot of structural defects; there are cracks on the walls, and we are carrying out evacuation so that the place will be safe,” Oke-Osanyintolu said.

Oyakhilome has also stated that the church will rebuild a bigger, better, and more glorious building in the same location. He recalled a similar incident in 2001, when the building vibrated during the Ikeja cantonment bombing, but did not collapse. “Nothing happens in the life of a child of God by accident. During the 2001 Ikeja cantonment bombing incident, the building vibrated so much that we thought it was going to collapse. I thought to myself that if it collapsed, I was going to build a bigger, better one. At the end of the day, it didn’t collapse, and we called the engineers to see if there was any need to bring it down and rebuild, but it was still okay,” Oyakhilome said.

The Head of the Search and Rescue Unit of the Lagos Territorial Office of the National Emergency Management Agency, Ibitayo Adenike, noted that the absence of worshippers at the time the fire started prevented casualties from occurring in the incident. “At the time of the fire, there were no worshippers in the building. There were only a few people who were having a meeting, which was what helped to prevent casualties that might have occurred with a crowd,” Adenike said.

Meanwhile, the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service said an investigation had commenced into the cause of the fire. The Director of LSFRS, Margaret Adeseye, in a statement on Sunday, added, “The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, and investigations are underway to ascertain its origin. No casualties have been reported at this time. Updates will be provided as more information becomes available.”