As the Headquarters of the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) is yet to come out of the crisis that has engulfed one of its biggest churches in Jos which is currently in court, there is a problem in one of its biggest churches in Abuja due to the financial indiscretion and maladministration of the Senior Pastor of the church.
The Senior Pastor, ECWA Wuse II, Rev. Dr. Nash Azaki whose stewardship has been under serious scrutiny, has overwhelming allegations of financial indiscretion and maladministration hanging on him and over which the leadership of the denomination has failed to act.
A petition to the Headquarters of ECWA, signed by eleven concerned members of the local church, alleged that Rev(Dr) Azaki violated the financial guidelines and bylaws of ECWA within two months of his appointment as the Senior Pastor of the church. As a result of his financial indiscipline coupled with his amateur administrative approach, the population of the assembly has been depleted from over 3,000 to about 1,500 members within a space of two years of his stewardship.
Investigation revealed that Azaki’s impudence led him to fraudulently obtain two debit cards with which he accessed the church’s naira and dollar accounts and this was done without prerequisite approval of the Church Board as specified in ECWA’s Bylaws. The petitioners said that “the Senior Pastor withdraws cash from ATM (sometimes he sent people) and spent church funds using the debit card without the knowledge or approval of Local Church Board LCB)”.
Confirming that his actions were gross misconduct and in breach of the ECWA Bylaws, it was learned some Elders collected and destroyed the two debit cards, but the Senior Pastor has continued to explore other illegal means, which include, giving verbal instruction to one of the church’s banks for a release of N4m of the church funds without following due process.
The Cleric who is currently in the eyes of the storm over his maladministration was said to have also been promoted and posted to ECWA Wuse II to head two other Pastors who are his seniors in the ministry while he was still a student in the US. This was said to have breached ECWA’S Bylaws and Ministerial protocols too.
It was gathered that the Cleric’s indiscipline which has adversely affected the Church’s spiritual well-being and even financial status, has continued unabated due to his alleged links with certain cabal in the Headquarters of ECWA.
In the petition, it was alleged that his indiscipline and impunity was traceable to the wrong process that imposed him over his seniors in the ministry. According to the petition, Rev. Azaki was ordained in 2019 and posted to ECWA Wuse II to head the two pastors who were ordained in 2016 and 2017 respectively.
A reliable source in the Church who pleaded anonymity, confirmed that soon after the embattled Cleric assumed duties in the local church in 2020, there was an unprecedented exodus of youthful population of the church membership due to several allegations and complaints against the him.
Another letter also obtained during investigation revealed that, “the current state of affairs in the LCB was caused by the failure of the LCB to carry out due diligence on Rev. (Dr.) Azaki as all previous LCBs had done for incoming Pastors.”
When approached with the allegations, the embattled Cleric neither denied nor admitted to be guilty.
Instead of giving personal responses to defend himself, he invited the Church’s Secretary to respond on his behalf and agreed that such responses suffice as his own.
According to the Church Secretary, every issue of concern raised in the document by the aggrieved members have been resolved during series of meetings held with them.
