David Oyedepo comes from rather humble beginnings, but during the span of his career he became the founder and presiding Bishop of Living Faith Church Worldwide and the Faith Tabernacle megachurch, which are of the most successful religious organizations in Africa, with the Faith Tabernacle being able to sit up to 50,000 visitors.
Over the years, Oyedepo’s personal wealth grew as quickly as his religious following. There have been many reports on the state of his fortune, although not all of them have been true. However, we know for a fact that Mr. Oyedepo is currently worth over $150 million, which means he’s definitely no longer the poor Kwara State boy.
But Sometimes, we just have to wonder if a person needs a personal airplane for his or her happiness. We can understand if the head of a country needs a plane for work duties. It is undoubtedly and not obligatory to explain the reason. What about a big businessman? He will probably buy a jet if he owns a large transnational company. From time to time, he probably has to be at one region or another, available to solve any important issues concerning the business and well-being of thousands of people.
Take a Muslim Sheikh for instance, Does he need a private airplane? Is it considered a sign of success and prestige among his peers or should he just buy one on a whim? And a Pastor of a Protestant Church. Does he need a private jet too? When it comes to talks about pastors, many questions arise. For what purpose does he need it? Where does he get the money to buy a plane? What happens when he has not one plane, but four? What does he need four planes for? What will he do with all of them? Who will service the aircraft and a lease him a hangar? How much will the Pastor pay for it? We are talking about a large amount of money, even if the church has a large parish. In Nigeria, some not-so-rich believers often give donations to church from their heart. But some of them don’t even have enough to eat.
In recent years, the “battle” between Pastors of the largest church parishes takes place on the African continent. Ordinary people argue whose plane is cooler, more expensive and more powerful. Today we shall talk about the Head Pastor of one Protestant church. They say he has a fleet of personal aircraft.
David Oyedepo and his private jets
Bishop David Oyedepo is arguably the richest pastor in Nigeria. His net worth is considered to be from 100 to 200 Million dollars. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle. In addition to the luxury house, cars and a huge bank account, the pastor has several personal jets.
David Oyedepo is the Head Pastor and Minister of Living Faith Church Worldwide. The head office is located at the Canaan Land in Ogun State. David Oyedepo founded the Faith Tabernacle. It has the largest church auditorium which holds over fifty thousand believers. He is also an educationist and the author of a vast number of books and articles about God, Faith and Church. He has become one of the most famous Pastors in the world. The Church gave him the ability to make millions of dollars. He likes to spend a lot of money on all things expensive and exclusive. Davide Oyedepo receives a lot of gifts and offerings through his church. It’s not just money but also cars and many other valuables. For many years several thousand cars were donated to Living Faith Church Worldwide. You can see Bishop David Oyedepo often in his luxurious cars and of course, his private jet.
His church has its branches in 45 African countries and other parts of the world. Perhaps in order to visit his flock without obstacles, regardless of the schedule and other circumstances connected with the planned airplanes, Davide Oyedepo purchased the aircraft.
How many private jets does Bishop David Oyedepo have?
The first jet Davide Oyedepo bought was in 1996. By the end of 2011, he had four planes already. e He is also the owner of a private aircraft hangar at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport. The hangar can take five planes.
Various Internet publications show a different number of aircraft belonging to the richest Pastor in Nigeria. Most websites indicate four aircraft. Others say the pastor has only two jets or even one. How many jets does Davide Oyedepo actually have? Only the pastor himself, his entourage or staff at his hangar can answer this. The cost of planes is also indicated differently. It’s reported that among the aircraft belonging to the pastor there are:
• Gulfstream I
• Gulfstream IV
• Bombardier Challenger 604 (N664D)
• Gulfstream V Jet
For example, the value of one of his aircraft Gulfstream V Jet is indicated by some Internet publications in the amount of 35 million dollars. The others say it is about 32 million. Some even asserts the sum of 30 million dollars. Let us share a few info about the Gulfstream V Jet. It was a recent purchase by David Oyedepo and his Church. This model of aircraft can fly without refueling for almost twelve thousand km (one-third of the globe). Its flight altitude is 1,550 m. The maximum time in the air is thirteen hours. The number of passengers is fourteen. It is considered to be the world’s best business jet. Such an aircraft is acquired by the countries for the transportation of high-ranking government officials.
We should admit that besides the jets, Davide Oyedepo and Living Faith Church Worldwide own the company Dominion Air which is engaged in aircraft maintenance. The popular Pastor assures that the aircraft were purchased exclusively for the needs of the church. And that they are extremely necessary. Obviously, without aircraft, church affairs will not go as well. In conclusion, the only thing we want to note is that you will not be closer to God even if you buy the most expensive and high-tech jet. You can only come to Him by doing good deeds, sincerely helping all the poor, sick and suffering.
