Paul Suru Maforikan
Encyclopedia
Paul Suru Maforikan was appointed Pastor and spiritual leader of the Celestial Church of Christ
following the death of Gilbert Oluwatosin Jesse
in October 2003.
He was accepted as leader only by one faction of the church, with another faction considering that Emmanuel Mobiyina Oshoffa was the leader.
, Nigeria.
He was a member of Christ Apostolic Church
before joining the Celestial Church Of Christ in 1948 shortly after its foundation.
He followed the Pastor Founder S.B.J. Oschoffa to Nigeria.
He was Oyo State
Evangelist for 10 years before being appointed a Deputy Pastor in December 2002.
He was proclaimed Pastor of the Celestial Church Of Christ Worldwide within two days of the death Gilbert Jesse.
His appointment was made by the council of superiors of CCC Worldwide.
He took up this position at a time when the CCC had split into four factions. The others were led by Superior Evangelist Agbaosi of Porto Novo in Benin, and in Lagos by Superior Evangelist Josiah Kayode Owudunni of Ijeshatedo Parish and by Pastor Emmanuel Oschoffa who was chosen by members of the Board of Trustees.
, Benin home of the founder of the church. They agreed to hold a further meeting two weeks later with eleven delegates from each side to take every possible measure to resolve the issue.
In November 2005 Iepe Asebiomo, leader of the Unification and Renaissance Mission of the Celestial Church of Christ, noted the growing number of factions with heads claiming to be CCC pastor. These included Daniel B. Agbaosi of Benin
, and in Lagos
, Nigeria Paul Maforikan in Tejuosho, Emmanuel Oshoffa in Ketu, Josiah Owodunni in Ijeshatedo and Edward Oladokun in Ikorodu. US-based Bolanle Shonekan was also a claimant. Yet others had formed separate churches.
In November 2006 pastor Jacob Ediémou Blin laid a complaint with the prosecutor in Côte d'Ivoire against Moforikan for usurpation of title.
Later that month church officials expressed shock when Blin said at Port-Bouet
that the CCC was all his private property. This brought the number of factions of the church up to five.
Maforikan paid a long visit to South Africa in 2008, arriving on 11 June 2008 and visiting all the parishes over the three month period.
In an April 2009 interview in Abidjan
, Côte d'Ivoire Maforikan said the founder "Papa" Oshoffa had prophesied in 1961 that Maforikan would be his successor. He described the disunity in the church as the work of the devil.
In April 2010 a group of leaders called the Celestial Church of Christ Unification and Reform Group petitioned the Inspector-General of Police to arrest those claiming to be pastors of the church. They said that such claims were contrary to a Supreme Court ruling that there would be no pastor in the church until it had rewritten its constitution.
The claimants were Josiah Owodunni, Paul Maforikan, Steven Orovboni, Godwin Shonekan, Emmanuel Oschoffa
and Edward Oladesu.
They were invited by the Lagos state police to give information to a fact finding investigation, but only Orovboni and Maforikan responded in person.
The group's secretary, Dele Ojogbede, said the self-styled pastors had been told that they would be held for contempt of court unless they dropped their claims and worked towards unity.
Celestial Church of Christ
The Celestial Church of Christ is an African Initiated Church founded by the Rev. Samuel Biléhou Joseph Oschoffa on 29 September 1947 in Porto-Novo, Benin...
following the death of Gilbert Oluwatosin Jesse
Gilbert Oluwatosin Jesse
Gilbert Oluwatosin Jesse was Pastor and Spiritual Head of the Celestial Church of Christ from 30 December 2002 until his death.He succeeded Philip Hunsu Ajose, who had died on 2 March 2001....
in October 2003.
He was accepted as leader only by one faction of the church, with another faction considering that Emmanuel Mobiyina Oshoffa was the leader.
Early years
Maforikan was born on 19 September 1930 in Ajase, Benin, where his father had moved from BadagryBadagry
Badagry is a coastal town and Local Government Area in Lagos State, Nigeria. It is situated between Metropolitan Lagos, and the border with Benin at Seme...
, Nigeria.
He was a member of Christ Apostolic Church
Christ Apostolic Church
Christ Apostolic Church is the first Aladura Pentecostal church present in Nigeria and other countries. It has come into existence in the first half of the...
before joining the Celestial Church Of Christ in 1948 shortly after its foundation.
He followed the Pastor Founder S.B.J. Oschoffa to Nigeria.
He was Oyo State
Oyo State
Ọyọ State is an inland state in south-western Nigeria, with its capital at Ibadan. It is bounded in the north by Kwara State, in the east by Osun State, in the south by Ogun State and in the west partly by Ogun State and partly by the Republic of Benin....
Evangelist for 10 years before being appointed a Deputy Pastor in December 2002.
He was proclaimed Pastor of the Celestial Church Of Christ Worldwide within two days of the death Gilbert Jesse.
His appointment was made by the council of superiors of CCC Worldwide.
He took up this position at a time when the CCC had split into four factions. The others were led by Superior Evangelist Agbaosi of Porto Novo in Benin, and in Lagos by Superior Evangelist Josiah Kayode Owudunni of Ijeshatedo Parish and by Pastor Emmanuel Oschoffa who was chosen by members of the Board of Trustees.
Leadership disputes
In an attempt to resolve the dispute over church leadership, in March 2005 Pastors Moforikan and Oshoffa met with other church leaders in Porto-NovoPorto-Novo
Porto-Novo is the official capital of the West African nation of Benin, and was the capital of French Dahomey. The commune covers an area of 110 square kilometres and as of 2002 had a population of 223,552 people.Porto-Novo is a port on an inlet of the Gulf of Guinea, in the southeastern portion...
, Benin home of the founder of the church. They agreed to hold a further meeting two weeks later with eleven delegates from each side to take every possible measure to resolve the issue.
In November 2005 Iepe Asebiomo, leader of the Unification and Renaissance Mission of the Celestial Church of Christ, noted the growing number of factions with heads claiming to be CCC pastor. These included Daniel B. Agbaosi of Benin
Benin
Benin , officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It borders Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east and Burkina Faso and Niger to the north. Its small southern coastline on the Bight of Benin is where a majority of the population is located...
, and in Lagos
Lagos
Lagos is a port and the most populous conurbation in Nigeria. With a population of 7,937,932, it is currently the third most populous city in Africa after Cairo and Kinshasa, and currently estimated to be the second fastest growing city in Africa...
, Nigeria Paul Maforikan in Tejuosho, Emmanuel Oshoffa in Ketu, Josiah Owodunni in Ijeshatedo and Edward Oladokun in Ikorodu. US-based Bolanle Shonekan was also a claimant. Yet others had formed separate churches.
In November 2006 pastor Jacob Ediémou Blin laid a complaint with the prosecutor in Côte d'Ivoire against Moforikan for usurpation of title.
Later that month church officials expressed shock when Blin said at Port-Bouet
Port-Bouët
Port-Bouët is a town and commune in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.It is one of four communes of Abidjan south of Ébrié Lagoon, the others being Treichville, Koumassi and Marcory. Felix Houphouet Boigny International Airport is located in Port-Bouët...
that the CCC was all his private property. This brought the number of factions of the church up to five.
Maforikan paid a long visit to South Africa in 2008, arriving on 11 June 2008 and visiting all the parishes over the three month period.
In an April 2009 interview in Abidjan
Abidjan
Abidjan is the economic and former official capital of Côte d'Ivoire, while the current capital is Yamoussoukro. it was the largest city in the nation and the third-largest French-speaking city in the world, after Paris, and Kinshasa but before Montreal...
, Côte d'Ivoire Maforikan said the founder "Papa" Oshoffa had prophesied in 1961 that Maforikan would be his successor. He described the disunity in the church as the work of the devil.
In April 2010 a group of leaders called the Celestial Church of Christ Unification and Reform Group petitioned the Inspector-General of Police to arrest those claiming to be pastors of the church. They said that such claims were contrary to a Supreme Court ruling that there would be no pastor in the church until it had rewritten its constitution.
The claimants were Josiah Owodunni, Paul Maforikan, Steven Orovboni, Godwin Shonekan, Emmanuel Oschoffa
Emmanuel Oschoffa
Emmanuel Mobiyina Oshoffa is accepted as pastor and spiritual leader of the Celestial Church of Christ by many of the church members, who consider that he succeeded the third pastor Philip Hunsu Ajose who died in March 2001...
and Edward Oladesu.
They were invited by the Lagos state police to give information to a fact finding investigation, but only Orovboni and Maforikan responded in person.
The group's secretary, Dele Ojogbede, said the self-styled pastors had been told that they would be held for contempt of court unless they dropped their claims and worked towards unity.