08/09/2025
PASTOR UYEH ASSURES AGAIN ON RETIREMENT.... TO GO IN JULY 2026, AS APPROVED BY LAWMNA COUNCILS
By Tunde Adebisi, Editor
"I am over prepared to retire, let no one make mistake about it", Pastor Dr S.G. O Uyeh, the LAWMNA Territorial Chairman has said.
He said this while welcoming participants to the meeting organized by the LAWMNA Executive Council with the Legal Committee and Representatives of the Southern Elders' Forum at the Council Hall, International Convention ground, Olorunda Ketu Lagos on Saturday 6th September, 2025.
Going by the LAWMNA Council approved plan on retirement, presented at the meeting Pastor Uyeh and other affected principal officers are due to go by July, 2026.
According to Pastor Uyeh, as someone who has served the Lord in the ministry of the Church for 61years, and what he had experienced along the line he knows he is due for retirement.
He said that he had always wanted to retire as he was fully prepared, but was constrained by divine instruction that he should oversee the implementation of the policy to completion.
"The Lord instructed me to preach the message of salvation: I am not biased, I am not moved, I am not worried.
"When you talk about retirement, I am over prepared. Let this be clear to everybody, if possible, even the president", he declared at the opening of his speech.
Pastor Uyeh recalled that he was employed by Pastor S. G. Adegboyega into the ministry as a local worker in August,1964; " I am Adegboyega boy, I am not ashamed to say that; I am proud."
He reiterated that the LAWMNA Territory is led by the Holy Spirit as the fathers laid on the hands of the Church and "we don't want to deviate. We are purely (standing) on the word of God -- spoken and written.
"So the voice of the Lord we are not abrogating it from this Church in LAWMNA, as long as I am on this seat", the LAWMNA Chairman said.
Pastor Uyeh read passages of the scripture from Isaiah 1:18-20; John 3: 19-21; 1Corinthians3:16-17 and Revelation 22:10-12, saying God does not want the death of a sinner, but wants repentance from him and eternal life.
"I am not ready to curse, I am not ready to challenge anybody, he told the meeting but exhorted that all as children of God must be concerned about their salvation.
"Our doctrine says, a personal testimony of our salvation in Christ: if you are saved you know, if you are not yet saved you know; you can be chairman, you can be apostle, you can be in any office. Salvation has nothing to do with any office, he added.
He pointed out that God sees the secret places of everyone regardless of their status in the Church, whether Executive Council, Elder, Legal practitioner, even Chairman and the principal officers, and he knows us more than we are.
Pastor Uyeh said that salvation is the primary thing that Jesus required of everyone and that is what he, too, preaches, saying that condemnation should not be our message but salvation.
After a liberty prayer the meeting considered and discussed on the petition letter of Dr Olutayo Oyewale, the erstwhile Secretary of the LAWMNA legal committee that went viral on the social media. But Dr Oyewale who was absent from the meeting has rather sent a letter of resignation to the LAWMNA Administrative Secretary, Pastor M. O. Ogunibe ahead of the meeting.
The Chairman of the Legal Committee, Overseer A.O. Ayinmiro and other members of the committee while dissociating themselves from the petition letter, said that the writer never had their mandate to publish any such letter.
The Deputy LAWMNA Administrative Secretary Pastor A. B. Geoffrey presented the report of the LAWMNA retirement policy implementation committee that highlighted the approved phased retirement of all ministers above 75 years of age as provided in the National Constitution. It was noted that retirement has not been alien to the Apostolic Church Nigeria, and as such there was no cause for agitation from any quarters.
Analysis of the ongoing retirement exercise is as follows:
who are 79-80 years of age shall go latest by November 2025
who are 78 years of age shall go latest by December 2025
who are 77 years of age shall go latest by February 2026
who are 76 years of age shall go latest by April 2026
who are 75 years of age, and the Principal Officers shall go latest by July 2026.
According to the Implementation Committee report, Over 200 ministers have retired, voluntarily or due to ill-health among other reasons since the exercise begun.
Over seventy others are retiring or will be retired between August 1st 2025 to July 31st 2026, including principal officers and Executive Council members.
The report also indicated that the retirement policy for non-ministerial staff puts the maximum retirement age at 70 years with a minimum of 15 years in service before being entitled to monthly pension, and or on attainment of age 55 years.
A prophecy came through the LAWMNA Lead Prophet, Pastor N. O Awojide during the meeting declaring that the Lord has put the devil to shame over his attempt to destablise the Church. The prophesy further asked for apology from those concerned as well as the leaders to forgive them.
The meeting resolved that the leaders should maintain the peace in the Church regardless of provocation or embarrassment, while also reaching out to those concerned to bring them to reason.
A formal communique is expected on the outcome of the meeting.
Among those present in the meeting were the National President, Pastor Dr L. O. Oladele, Pastor D. O. Ajibade, and other principal officers and all Executive Council members, Elder Dele Peters, Overseer Dr E. O. Okebukola, Elder Barr Olasupo Ojo (National Legal Adviser, TACN), Pr/Elder Dr S. O. Davis, Elder Felix Ademola Akinyemi, representatives of the Southern Elders' Platform, members of the LAWMNA Legal Committee, including Barr Ebenezer Taiwo, LAWMNA Legal Adviser, as well as the LAWMNA press team.
The 24-member Legal Committee was inaugurated on Friday 16th August 2023, with Overseer A.O. Ayinmiro, a retired Magistrate as Chairman, and Elder Barr. Elijah Olufemi Adegelu as Deputy Chairman with Elder (Dr) Abel Olutayo Oyewale as Secretary and Mrs Felicia Abolade Davies as Assistant secretary.
Other members are; Presiding Elders Paulinus Godwin James, Prof Daniel A. Akhabue, Olorunyomi Onitan, Elders Innocent Onoseleaga Usifoh, Samuel Olugbenga Tolani Ajai, Nathaniel Olujide Okeniyi, Ebenezer Adebowale Adenigbagbe, Daniel Olufunso Oyeleye, John Oluwasegun Akintola, (Dr) Peter Oladiran Ayodele, (Prof) E.O. Okebukola, Samuel Oluwatoyin Oyenitun, Jacob Ayanlola Ayanyemi, John Dele Peters, Lawrence Kayode Dare, Deacon Abayomi V. Olorunfemi, Paul Adeniyi Olorunfemi, Enoch Temitope Ayangunna, Samuel Olakanmi Falade, Felix Olarewaju Adewumi, and Niyi Akinsola.
