I am not afraid of deportation; two shoes can sustain me for years in Nigeria

Controversial Nigerian pastor based in the UK Tobi Adegboyega, founder of the defunct SPAC Nation church, has addressed controversies surrounding his immigration status, saying even if he were deported, he would thrive in Nigeria.

On Friday, the cleric, whom the British government has accused of financial irregularities, addressed the allegations in an interview with media personality Daddy Freeze.

PREMIUM SCHEDULE reported in December that the religious risked being expelled following a report by The Telegraph UK, which claimed the publicity-loving pastor was involved in 1.87 million fraud allegations.

However, in the interview with Daddy Freeze, the controversial cleric bluntly refuted the allegations and expressed frustration over the scrutiny he is facing, especially from Nigerians.

I don't understand the order either because I haven't paid any attention to the immigration rules in a minute. But the question is, for Nigerians, deportation, how does it happen? I am not your government representative. I don't run your country. I'm not your artist because your artists always love them, as you know. But you created them, sponsored them and bought their albums.

What do I have with you? It was mine. I have personal struggles, and that becomes your struggle. If I were a representative of your government or your current government, I would be a citizen of the country that I need and want to be. Because money gives you choice, he says.

He explained his unshakable bond with Nigeria, saying the possibility of a return did not bother him.

So if I have to do it, why should I be afraid to come to Nigeria? I am proud of Nigeria. And the current government is doing well. Anyone who thinks otherwise can jump off the cliff.

“That’s my own opinion. I'm not going to take that back. If I arrive in Nigeria, I will come with a cavalry of exceptional young men and women, and we will live much better than on our duty station. I don't need to worry about how to get money in Nigeria. Two shoes, three maybe, will last me three years, he said.

I lost track of time

The pastor further responded to the claims during a BBC interview, denying reports of an immigration court ruling supporting his deportation.

There is no expulsion order; let me clarify that, he said. The next step has already been taken, which means there is already a trial.

He also admitted to overstaying his visitor visa after arriving in the UK in 2005, explaining that this was due to a misunderstanding about his immigration status. I lost track of time and had assumed my family was handling the paperwork, he said.

Despite the accusations, Mr. Adegboyega dismissed them as baseless and attributed them to disgruntled former church members. In any organization of 1,000 people, some will be unhappy. That doesn't mean the allegations are valid, he said.

Asked if he would move his church to Nigeria once deported, Mr. Adegboyega replied: “It's impossible.

My organization is here; it's everywhere. Moving it elsewhere means letting people continue to commit suicide. So no, we're not going to move the organization. We'll establish more and figure out what we need to do.

Background

In December, a report by The Telegraph UK has started making the rounds. The news broke Tuesday following a report that the publicity-loving pastor was embroiled in fraud allegations.

Reports claimed a court ruling led to his expulsion from the UK.

According to The Telegraph UK, the court considered allegations from former members to decide whether Mr Adegboyega was of real value to the UK.

The court said SPAC Nation leaders live lavish lives and cases of abuse have been reported.

Furthermore, the newspaper said Mr Adegboyega had been living in the UK illegally since 2005, when he overstayed his visitor visa.

The reports also detail allegations by former church members, who accused the organization of exploiting vulnerable young people, encouraging them to donate money through questionable means, including taking out loans.

However, Mr Adegboyega has always denied these claims, saying they were politically motivated.

Defense of Tobi Adegboyegas

Mr. Adegboyega based his defense on the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) relating to the right to family life. He said that having married a British citizen, a deportation order would violate those rights.

Mr Adegboyegas' legal team has argued that his charities have had a positive impact on the lives of several hundred young people, mainly from London's black communities.

He said his presence in the UK was crucial to continuing the charity work.

He added that this work has been recognized and praised by senior Metropolitan Police officials and politicians, including former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

The Telegraph UK reports that its legal team did not submit evidence from Boris Johnson or senior Metropolitan Police officials to the court.

Mr. Adegboyega insisted that while no one had ever faced criminal charges regarding his church's finances, many of the attacks against him and SPAC Nation were politically motivated and that claims that it was a sect were unfounded.

However, the court found that Mr Adegboyegas' testimony was disproportionate and that he had sought to grossly inflate his influence.

SPAC Nation

SPAC Nation, also known as Nation Family, was established in 2012 as a charity to help vulnerable people, but is now considered insolvent. The British government closed the church, based in Croydon, south London, in 2022 due to its failure to account for funds and a lack of transparency in its operations. The Church was already embroiled in controversy.

A panorama of the BBC documentary furthermore, alleged allegations of financial irregularities and undue pressure placed on members to make large monetary contributions and even claims that young worshipers were encouraged to sell their blood to meet economic demands.

Allegations from former members have also highlighted instances of financial exploitation by church leaders.

In May 2020, Mr. Adegboyega resigned as Senior Pastor of the SPAC Nation, handing over leadership of the church to Samuel Akokhia.

Mr. Adegboyegas' personal life has also attracted public attention. He reportedly resided in a 2.5 million mansion in Surrey and revealed in a 2020 interview that he had been married for eight years.

In his early days in the UK, he shared a room with his cousin, the British-Nigerian actor John Boyega, known for his role in Star Wars. Mr. Adegboyega worked as a kitchen porter before becoming a pastor.