The Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) has condemned comments made by the founder of the Commonwealth of Zion Assembly (COZA), Pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo, about Apostle Ayo Babalola.
Fatoyinbo had claimed in a sermon that Babalola, the church’s revered founder, “had grace but died poor” and seemingly mocked the whereabouts of his children.
In a statement signed by CAC’s director of publicity Pastor Ade Alawode, the church described the remarks as “insensitive and ill-informed,” saying it ordinarily avoids social media controversies but decided to respond to correct misleading narratives and defend Babalola’s legacy.
“To equate anointing or ministerial success with material wealth is biblically flawed,” the statement read, quoting Luke 12:15: “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”
The church accused Fatoyinbo of promoting prosperity teaching that “demeans people for not being wealthy” and could encourage greed in a morally challenged society.
It also dismissed claims that Babalola’s family had faded into obscurity, revealing that two of his children, “Mama Eunice Wuraola Ogini” and “Apeke Adeniyi,’ are alive, “blessed, fulfilled, and quietly serving the Lord” without ostentation.
Born in 1904, Babalola founded the CAC in 1941 after a split from the Faith Tabernacle movement. He was known for reports of miraculous healings, mass conversions and church planting in Nigeria and the Gold Coast (now Ghana).
The CAC said the evangelist lived in a befitting home, drove one of the best Ford Jeeps of his time and never lacked divine provision. He donated land to the church, sponsored the education of many, housed strangers and fed the poor without exploiting the pulpit.
The statement noted that Babalola was honoured by colonial authorities during Queen Elizabeth II’s visit to Nigeria in 1956, arguing that this was proof he was not destitute.
Referencing Acts 3:6, where Apostle Peter says, “Silver and gold I do not have…”, the church asked Fatoyinbo: “Was Peter still anointed or not?”
It ended with a call for humility and an appeal to Fatoyinbo to apologise to “millions of sons and daughters of Apostle Babalola around the world,” reiterating that “the measure of a believer’s anointing is not in material accumulation but in sacrificial service.”
Babalola died in 1959 at the age of 55. More than 60 years later, his name remains a central part of Nigerian Pentecostal history, attracting pilgrims to the prayer grounds associated with his ministry.
Fatoyinbo, one of Nigeria’s most prominent prosperity preachers, had not responded to CAC’s statement at the time of filing this report.
