After diving into research, we found out that several Nigerian pastors topped the list as the world’s richest pastors of all time. A major contribution to the massive increase in the wealth of these Pastors is that churches in Nigeria do not pay taxes. So, basically, all the income the churches make from various business moves stay in the church where the founder or General overseer decides how and when the money would be spent.
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Most people up till this day still find it shocking, especially as Nigeria, a third world country in Africa since 2018, overtook India in becoming the poverty capital of the world. Apart from politics, oil, and gas, football, music, and maybe yahoo-yahoo, one of the fastest ways to become rich in Nigeria is pastoring a church. Gone are the days when anointed men of God relied on their heavenly reward. Nigerian pastors now amass wealth here on earth from tithes, offerings, donations, book publications, church-affiliated companies, universities and many other tax-free revenues and spend it livin’ la Vida Loca.
They acquire private jets, fleets of luxury cars, send their kids to Ivy League schools abroad, build ultra-modern mansions, splash on designer clothes, Rolexes, Patek Philippe, and even bespoke Italian suits. Some even go the extra length to beat king Solomon’s records with their overflowing wealth, spending huge sums on concubines and mistresses. Indeed, the lord is good. A perfect example of these pastors is TB Joshua, the founder of Synagogue Church of All Nations, who passed on to the great beyond on June 5 of 2021, following a brief illness.
Even though he gave selflessly to the poor, his sudden death exposed his secret life of luxury. As of 2011, Forbes named him the third richest pastor in Nigeria with a net worth of 10 million dollars, and he topped the list until his demise in 2021. He was reportedly the owner of one of the most expensive private jets in the country, among several things. Of course, the late TB Joshua is just one out of many rich pastors in Nigeria.
