How bank offered me N1bn Loan, repayment from crusades’ proceeds – Popular Celestial Church prophet

Israel Ogundipe, the well-known prophet and founder of the Celestial Church of Christ, Genesis Global Ministry in Lagos, has shared that a bank offered him a N1 billion loan to expand his ministry.

The revelation came during a discussion with popular Nigerian On-Air Personality, Ifedayo Olarinde, also known as Daddy Freeze, on Tuesday.

Ogundipe explained that the loan was presented as an opportunity to help his ministry reach a broader audience on a global scale.

Although he chose not to disclose the name of the bank, he mentioned that the institution provided him with a list of other churches that had secured similar loans.

According to Ogundipe, some of these churches received loans ranging from N3 billion to N4 billion.

“A bank called me two months ago and said they wish to loan me N1 billion. They offered me the loan and I asked them what for. They replied that they know churches are getting it (loan) and I would be able to pay it back because they know my church is big.

“Then I asked them how they want me to be paying back, and they said when we are doing revivals, crusades, we’ll be paying backmonthly

“And they mentioned some churches who got loans from them ranging from N3 billion to N4 billion. And I asked them how they expected me to pay back such an amount and they said those that collect such loans, that’s why they would never stop doing conferences, crusades, and revivals, and from there, they would get money to pay back,” the pastor said.

Ogundipe was in 2020 convicted and sentenced to jail for defrauding a London-based architect and converting her property for personal use.

The pastor was arraigned on a seven-count which includes stealing, unlawful conversion of property, forgery, and fraudulently collecting sums of N14m and £ 12,000 from the victim between 2002 and 2005.