Originally published in Punch
The President and founder of LoveWorld Incorporated, better known as Christ Embassy, Pastor Chris Oyakhilome, has said the fire incident at the church’s headquarters in the Oregun area of Ikeja, Lagos State, Nigeria, on Sunday was not an accident but an avenue for bigger and better things.
He said this during a live Sunday service at the church’s campground in Asese, Ogun State where worshipers were taken after the HQ fire broke out at 7am while church workers and members were preparing for the service. The administrative block and the main auditorium of the church were destroyed in the fire whose cause was unknown at the time of posting this report.
However, Vanguard reports that unconfirmed reports blamed the incident on a power surge from the electrical appliances.
Speaking on the incident, Oyakhilome said: “Nothing happens in the life of a child of God by accident. During the 2001 Ikeja Cantonment bombing incident, the building vibrated so much and we thought it was going to collapse.
“I thought to myself that if it collapsed, I was going to build a bigger, better one. At the end of the day, it didn’t collapse and we called the engineers to see if there was any need to bring it down and rebuild but it was still okay.
“Now that this has happened, we will build a bigger, better, and more glorious one and the devil will lick his wound.”
Officials of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service responded to the situation. Sharing a video from the location, Augustine, tweeting as Chief_Augustin1 on X.com, wrote, “Christ Embassy Church on Billings Way, Oregun, is on fire.
“Serious fire is raging, and men of the Lagos State Fire Service are working hard to put it off. Thank God service hasn’t commenced fully.”
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