Encomium
Sadly, the 23 year old marital bliss between flamboyant Reverend Chris Oyakhilome and his delectable wife, Anita, has allegedly hit the rocks.
Information available to ENCOMIUM Weekly revealed that the marriage had been going through turbulent wave of crises since 2008, but kept under wraps due to the effect it would have on the ministry. But when the centre could on longer hold, the wife decided to dissolve the union legally when she filed for divorce in a London court in April 2014, citing unreasonable behaviour and adultery as the major bone of contention.
The divorce case, with Suit No FD14D01650, was filed on April 9, 2014, at Divorce Section A, Central Family Court, First Avenue House, High Holborn, London, UK, on Anita’s behalf by Attwaters Jameson Hill Solicitors, a full-service law firm with expertise in commercial law and a strong consumer focus in family, wills and estate, personal injury law and medical negligence.
The decree nissi was served on the charismatic pastor in his hotel room during a recent visit to the UK. Decree nissi, in legal terms, is like a yellow card in a football match which is a precursor to a red card (“decree absolute”) if no new evidence is provided to stall proceedings.
Church insiders said Oyakhilome had been hoping for rapprochement, but he was left with no option than to receive the papers when the lawyers cornered him at his hotel in London. The decree absolute, which will effectively end the marriage, is expected to be issued soon, while terms of the divorce will be worked out by the lawyers on both sides.
We learnt Anita recently wanted to go public with the details of her allegations against her husband but reached an informal agreement to sheathe her sword in the interest of the church.
According to our source, “The internet, airwaves, streets, and local stores were inundated with the Gospel of Day of Bliss. On every poster or advert is the picture of Chris and Anita Oyakhilome, who are beautifully portrayed as a committed loving Christian couple sold out to God.
However, this image is all a facade as Chris and Anita’s marriage only exists on paper. Their marriage had long been engulfed in a major brouhaha that would get serious ratings, if it were aired on the Jerry Springer Show.
Rev. Chris Oyakhilome has been separated from his wife for six years. For a man who leads a ministry that prides itself in controlling its parishioners by mandating them to marry only within the fold, this is a major dent in his character and gospel.
According to him, “In Christ Embassy Ministry, his marital quagmire is a closely guarded secret. The members were under the illusion that work of the ministry is the reason why the two live apart. To perpetuate this grand cover up, the Chris Oyakhilome led ministry conjured the devilish plot of separating pastors and their wives by way of transfers. To test run this scheme, Chris conscripted his younger brother, Kenneth Oyakhilome and his close maternal cousin, Tom Amekhiena as guinea pigs for the trials.
Rev. Kenneth Oyakhilome was transferred to South Africa for several years, while his wife, Ose Oyakhilome, who was Kenneth’s associate at Christ Embassy, Isolo, Lagos, was left alone for years in Lagos to raise their children and head the church in Isolo, until pressure from within the family forced Chris Oyakhilome to let her join her husband in South Africa.
A source close to Rev. Chris Oyakhilome said that of a truth, his marriage had completely fallen apart. We could not ascertain the reasons for the marital failure but feelers suggest that as soon as Anita relocated to London, a female member of Christ Embassy (graduate of Medicine at UNILAG) who served as Chris’ personal assistant took up the role of acting wife and practically moved into his house in Lagos around 2009.
A former high-ranking member of Christ Embassy said he walked into a scenario that disturbed him for a while. According to him, he had gone to Chris Oyakhilome’s home one morning and as he walked into the living room, he saw Chris sitting down on the floor, with his head resting on the lap of this personal assistant. She wore short pants and a top, while she massaged his jerry-curled head vigorously.
Chris’ siblings, worried by the antics and intentions of this young lady, who took over his home in Anita’s absence, alerted his father, Elder Oyakhilome. His father intervened and ordered Anita to return to Lagos with the children. However, as soon as Anita returned to their Lagos residence, Chris Oyakhilome moved his belonging into the church. Members who noticed this anomaly were told that he needed to seek the face of God. He reportedly refused to go home until Anita returned to London.
Also, one Pastor Kristen, the wife of the Pastor of Christ Embassy, Togo allegedly practically abandoned her husband and four children in Togo to cater to the needs of Chris Oyakhilome in South Africa. It is alleged that her unhappy husband is helpless and careful in airing his grievances in order not to irk his principal. Our sources revealed that her husband, who wants another child, has been deprived of his conjugal rights by her prolonged absence from their matrimonial home. Aside that, our source revealed that the strain in the ministry was also hinged on financial crisis. When things became unbearable for her, we gathered she resorted to filing a divorce on April 9, 2014.
Oyakhilome is regarded as one of the richest and most influential pastors in Nigeria, and co-authors the fast-selling Christian daily devotional, Rhapsody of Realities, with the wife. However, following the strain in the marriage, the wife had been complaining to friends that her husband had stopped the payment of royalties due her from the devotional.
“She complained of being deliberately starved of funds, perhaps to bring her to her knees in the belief that she would eventually return to her matrimonial home and mend things,” a church member told TheCable in the UK. A wealthy Zimbabwean businessman, who is into telecoms, is one of the biggest financiers of the London branch of the church which Anita pastors along with other branches in Europe.
When the crisis got to a head, the Zimbabwean stopped funding the church. Some said in solidarity with Oyakhilome, his close friend and neighbour in Johannesburg, South Africa.
However, Oyakhilome was said to have been shocked when the wife announced at a fundraiser that she was sowing a seed (donation) of $1 million despite her assumed lack of access to funds. Matters got to a head on Sunday, July 13, 2014, when some relatives of Anita locked up the London branch of the church to protest the “humiliation” being meted out to their sister, who had not overseen services at the branch since November 2013.
Some church members had, sometime in May 10, 2014, launched Facebook campaign, asking: Where is Rev. Anita Oyakhilome? They said Pastor Chris and Rev. Anita must unite “for the sake of the gospel, the church and their two beautiful daughters”.
They quoted Malachi 2:16 in the Message Bible: “I hate divorce, says the God of Israel.” The facebook page, which has over 3,300 “likes”, was opened with a stated mission: “This is a call to prayer for all believers who understand God’s heart concerning marriage and a call to action by Pst. Chris. #DoWhatYouPreach”.
However, one of the officials of the church, Kenneth Achumasara in an exclusive chat with ENCOMIUM Weekly quickly moved to deny any rift between the pastor couple, “I can tell you authoritatively that there is no issue between Pastor Chris and his wife, Anita.”
-UCHE OLEHI and FEMI OYEWALE
