The Founder and Senior Pastor of The Commonwealth of Zion Assembly, COZA, based in Abuja, Pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo has been trending for the past 2 weeks for the wrong reasons.
Allegations of rape against him is rife and has elicited chains of reactions from rape victims and cross section of Nigerians all over the country.
The social media has been agog after the exclusive interview granted by a Photographer and wife of a popular Nigerian Singer, Busola Dakolo.
So I thought to check this supposed man of God out to see of what make his background pedigree is.
There's isn't much to dig up though, other than what HE revealed.
Here are the facts I could lay my hands on about him...
* The birthplace of Pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo is Abuja. This is the place where his roots are and where he currently lives with his wife and their lovely children.
* Pastor Fatoyinbo started his university education in the University of Ilorin but he didn't complete it there. He rounded up his university education at the University of Benin.
- It was alleged that Pastor Abiodun Fatoyinbo was rusticated while in school because he was a notorious cult member.
- The claim was made by one Aliu Bolakale Jabata, a twitter user that narrated Fatoyinbo’s alleged rustication from UNILORIN.
* The Commonwealth of Zion Assembly, COZA started in the bedroom of someone else’s house with about 15 people. She later moved her meetings into the sitting room of the same house and then later moved to a rented space where she paid N350 rent.
* COZA wasn’t even called COZA back then, she was called ‘Divine Delights’.
* He started out with his wife by walking the streets of Ilorin looking for people to preach the gospel to.
* COZA started out as a Non Governmental Organization (NGO) and Club in Ilorin, Kwara State in 1999 with a very small congregation. COZA has grown into a megachurch with over 20,000 members all over the world, and an ever increasing online fellowship.
COZA, ILORIN
* Being the Head and the founder of the Christian church called Commonwealth of Zion Assembly, COZA, his church has more than five thousand members in Abuja alone.
* At least twice as many people as the number of COZA congregation is believed to listen to Pastor Biodun’s sermons all over the world, including countries like the United States of America, Mexico, and neighbouring African countries.
* COZA has only five branches and four ordained full time pastors which is surprising considering the pedigree of the church. Ilorin branch started in 1999, Abuja in 2008, Lagos in 2012, Port Harcourt in 2016 and Dubai in 2017.
COZA, ABUJA
COZA, LAGOS
COZA, PH
COZA, DUBAI
* COZA has only a few people on her payroll; she does not employ any drivers. The Founders and executive associates drive themselves.
* The main mission of the church, as Pastor Biodun says, is "...to call to all people who can hear, to tell them that their duty is to serve the Lord every moment of their lives."
* COZA firmly believes in the philosophy of “Build the people and the people will build the organization.
* The church has a strong influence in many countries where people watch the sermons on TV: the United States and Mexico, and a whole number of other African countries.
* Pastor Fatoyinbo's mission is that all people are able to discover that God has a plan for them, which is to spread His word everywhere and at every moment of their lives. He believes that Christians should be able to influence the society with kingdom principles, and says he wants to TO RAISE A TAKEOVER GENERATION.
* COZA is legally categorized as a non-profit organisation. It relies on gifts, offerings, tithes, donations and contributions from the public. COZA has built and manages a wide range of networks, so she doesn’t have to pay for everything she needs.
* COZA has been around for over 17 years.
* After every Sunday service, the leadership and the workforce hold an appraisal. The aim of the appraisal is to access the recently concluded service, give feedbacks, highlight observations and publicly recognise teams and departments that exceeded expectations.
* COZA gives awards to her workforce volunteers in recognition for their selfless contributions.
* COZA gives the first portion of everything donated to her at the start of the year. COZA gives to charitable/NGO’s, individuals and so on.
* One major thing those close to the Founders of COZA know is that the Founders take calculated risks. They never allow themselves to get too comfortable. One of the major risks COZA took was in 2008 when she moved to Abuja to open branch number 2 in 2008. After building and growing COZA Ilorin for many years, they packed their bags and left everything to start another branch afresh in Abuja.
* However, recently, Pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo, has been accused of rape. In a two-part interview published on YouTube on June 27 and 28, Busola Dakolo (a celebrity photographer and wife of popular singer Timi Dakolo) accused Fatoyinbo of forcefully raping her as a 16-year-old teenager.
* Dakolo was a member of Fatoyinbo’s Divine Delight Club, a youth club and NGO that later morphed into COZA.
* Dakolo revealed that during one of her vacations as a high school student, she started attending Divine Delight Club. Soon after, Fatoyinbo offered to mentor her as her “spiritual father.”
* Busola said that Fatoyinbo raped her, first at her parents’ house and later at a secluded spot in Ilorin, Kwara State, north-central Nigeria.
- She recounts, "Immediately I opened the door, he just pushed me, he did not say anything, he did not utter any word, he just pushed me to one of the chairs in my living room… he was removing his belt, he just said: ‘Keep quiet, do what I want you to do and you will be fine.’
* Busola’s husband, Timi Dakolo – a Nigerian Gospel singer – claims that Fatoyinbo has repeatedly abused young women who are “sometimes chased out of the church or paid off to keep silent about the outrageous happenings in the church.”
* Akah Nnani, a Nigerian actor and COZA member, has asked Fatoyinbo “to step down from the position of senior pastor:”
* Fatoyinbo is said to maintain a flamboyant lifestyle as against the founding principles of the Club which is based on modesty and prudent spending. This is seen in his “heaven can wait” choice of luxury cars.
* Unlike other pastors, Fatoyinbo regularly dresses in top-notch designers. In 2016, he celebrated his birthday at the 7-star Burj Al Arab hotel in Dubai and later held an all-white yacht party.
* Ese Walter, a lawyer, radio broadcaster and another perceived victim, also revealed that she had sex with Fatoyinbo for a week in London in 2013.
- Walter says Fatoyinbo gained her trust over a year-long period when she attended his church before she traveled to London to gain a Masters degree.
- According to Walter, the sex occurred after she was invited by Fatoyinbo to his hotel room during a visit to London.
* Pastor Fatoyinbo took “a leave of absence from the pulpit of the church” in order for his spiritual mentors “to consider all the issues raised” against him. This was after a public outcry and protest.
* A mass protest was held on June 30, in front of COZA headquarters Abuja, under the banner of #ChurchToo — a local adaptation of the global #MeToo movement.
* American news and opinion website, Daily Beast, has slammed popular televangelist, Mike Murdock, for donating $1m and Rolls-Royce to the Senior Pastor of the Commonwealth of Zion Assembly (COZA) Biodun Fatoyinbo and for supporting the COZA pastor on the rape accusations level against him.
* President Muhammadu Buhari’s Aide on Social Media, Lauretta Onochie, has charged the Nigeria Police Force to investigate the Senior Pastor of COZA Church, Biodun Fatoyinbo over the sexual scandals reportedly tied to him.
* Pastor Biodun is married to Pastor Modele Fatoyinbo, Co-Senior Pastor of COZA and they are blessed with Children.” He mans the headquarters of COZA in Abuja alongside his wife Pastor Modele Fatoyinbo.
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