Pastor Enoch Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), has set off a fresh online debate after a video from the church’s recent convention showed him asking for very large donations — including a call for “10 people to drop ₦1 billion each” and “100 people to drop ₦100 million each” — to fund building and camp expansion projects. 


At the same convention the same week, Adeboye also urged believers not to make material wealth their first priority and warned against pursuing riches at the expense of spiritual life — language that many social-media users described as a rebuke of “wealth-first” mindsets. The sermon clip and the fundraising clip circulated widely and together have prompted questions about consistency and church fundraising practice. 


RCCG leaders say the appeal forms part of efforts to expand the church’s Redeemed Campground and other infrastructure projects that organisers say will cost several billions of naira. Church fundraising drives that target well-heeled donors are common in large denominations, which often ask a small number of wealthy supporters to underwrite big capital projects while seeking smaller gifts from the wider membership. 


Reactions were swift and mixed. Some defended the appeal as practical — pointing out that large projects require large checks and that voluntary giving from those with the means is legitimate. Others saw an awkward tension: critics asked how a pastor who cautions against prioritising material gain can simultaneously ask for huge sums — and whether such appeals risk appearing to privilege the wealthy or to encourage Christians to chase riches in order to be seen as generous. 


There are a few common ways people reconcile the two messages. First, a warning not to prioritise wealth is not the same as forbidding giving or asking for help; leaders often call for responsible stewardship and generous giving without endorsing materialism. Second, large donations are typically solicited from those already wealthy — people who may have acquired resources legitimately and are being invited to redirect some of those resources to a religious or charitable cause. Third, fundraising appeals for capital projects are usually voluntary and targeted: the church is not telling every member to raise a billion naira, but inviting those who can. (Still, critics say leaders should be clearer about context to avoid mixed messaging.)


Legal and ethical commentators also note the public relations risk. When spiritual leaders speak against making wealth the central life aim, then publicly ask for enormous sums, it invites scrutiny about transparency, the use of funds, and whether the church’s message inadvertently reinforces a prosperity-first culture. Several commentators online have called for clearer explanations of how donations will be used and for regular reporting on major capital projects to maintain trust. 


Whether one sees the two statements as contradictory often depends on nuance and emphasis: preaching that wealth should not be the primary life goal can coexist with asking those with means to support communal projects — provided the appeal is framed transparently and the spiritual message remains front and centre. For many Nigerians watching the clips, though, the optics matter: a short explanation from church leadership about who the appeal targets and exactly how the money will be spent could ease some of the heat online.