November 21, (THEWILL) – Roseline Oduyemi, the widow of late Rev Gabriel Oduyemi of Bethel Ministries, may be the first female cleric to use a private jet in Nigeria, but the Spiritual Director and Founder of the Love of Christ Generation Church (C & S), Reverend Esther Ajayi, also known as Iya Adura, has become the first female cleric to acquire one.
While Oduyemi’s jet was inherited from her late husband, Iya Adura paid for hers from her pocket. In any case, Mrs Oduyemi no longer makes use of the private jet as she was once quoted as saying she didn’t think a private jet was what God planned for her and subsequently gave it out to actress Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde’s pilot husband.
Iya Adura’s latest acquisition is coming on the heels of the launch of her multi billion-naira church auditorium situated in Victoria Island, Lagos. Like most clerics, she considers a private jet an essential tool for effective and easy evangelism. Back in July, she had said in an interview that she didn’t desire a private jet or wealth that she would not be in a position to help the poor or needy. But a few months down the line, she posted several pictures of herself posing in and outside what looks like a Challenger 10/12-seater private jet, while reiterating in the caption of the post that private jet is a tool for evangelism. She also posted a cryptic message saying “It’s our time to fly. When we shall mount up like an eagle! We shall not be weary. But we shall occupy up there.”
A philanthropist, Iya Adura became popular through her evangelical work in her UK church on Clapham Road precisely, before making a formal inroad into West Africa and Nigeria specifically. Although a branch of her ministry already existed in Nigeria before her homecoming, her return to the country opened up a new vista in her ministry.
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