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 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.
This was revealed in multiple videos from the scene shared on X.com on Sunday.
Speaking of 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.”
Meanwhile, the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service said that the cause of the fire at the headquarters of the Christ Embassy on Sunday is yet to be determined.
The Director of the Service, Margaret Adeseye, in a statement made available to journalists, said an investigation is ongoing to ascertain the origin of the fire.
According to Adeseye, the fire outbreak was reported to the Fire and Rescue Service at 07:27hrs and fire fighting units from Alausa and Ikeja fire stations were promptly dispatched and arrived at the scene by 07:36hrs.
“The church auditorium was found to be engulfed in flames. The fire is currently under control.
“In addition, an excavator is being used to pull down some parts of the building to ensure complete extinguishment and to prevent further structural collapse.
“The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, and investigations are underway to ascertain its origin. No casualties have been reported at this time. Updates will be provided as more information becomes available,” the statement read.
The fire service director also called for calm and assured Lagosians that the fire was under control. She added that no life was lost in the inferno.
“This is to tell Lagosians to be calm, the fire outbreak at Christ Embassy headquarters in Ikeja is under control right now. As at the time of the voice note, no life involved.”
