Popular prophet of the Celestial Church of Christ, Israel Ogundipe, has revealed how a bank offered him a loan of one billion naira.
Ogundipe, the founder of Genesis Global Ministry in Lagos, said he was offered the loan to help him expand his ministry and reach more members worldwide.
He made this announcement on Tuesday in a show hosted by popular Nigerian on-air presenter Ifedayo Olarinde, also known as Daddy Freeze.
He also mentioned that the bank, whose name he did not want to disclose, had shown him details of churches that had taken out similar loans.
Ogundipe explained that according to the list shown to him, some churches had taken loans amounting to three to four billion naira.
“Two months ago, a bank called me and said they wanted to lend me one billion naira. They offered me the loan and I asked them what for. They replied that they knew that churches get the loan and I could pay it back because they knew that my church was big.
“Then I asked them how I would pay back the money and they said if we do revivals and crusades, we will pay it back monthly.
“And they mentioned some churches that had received loans from them amounting to 3 to 4 billion naira. And I asked them how I was going to repay that amount and they said that those who take such loans would never stop conducting conferences, crusades and revivals and they would get money from there to repay it,” the pastor said.
Ogundipe was found guilty and sentenced to prison in 2020 for defrauding a London-based architect and converting her property for private purposes.
The pastor was charged with seven counts, including theft, unlawful misappropriation of property, forgery and fraudulently extorting N14 million naira and £12,000 from the victim between 2002 and 2005.
