Our proposed economic empowerment programme has no political undertone” Pst.Tobi Adegboyega, SPAC Nation London
by editor November 23, 2019 in Interview 0


[www.livetimesng.com]


Oluwafemi Joshua, [05.09.19 14:10]
The Lead Pastor at SPAC Nation London, Pastor Tobi Adegboyega clocked 39 years old recently. His birthday party was lightly marked by his large congregation and admirers of the Church in the UK.

He spoke with newsmen and other media where he declared his uncompromising resolve to change the fortune of Nigerian youths through their empowerment. Our Correspondent was also there to cover the event.




Excerpts:

Question: We heard that you have a programme coming up next year in Nigeria. Can you talk about the programme and why Nigeria?



The programme is about empowering many people. I understand the economic climate in Nigeria and I think what the people need now is inspiration or someone to look up to. The programme will be called “Empower The Youths”. It has nothing to do with any political platform and it is not partisan at all.



Question: Can you expantiate on this?

Yes. It is about giving hope to the young people.

Question: So why Nigeria?

Firstly, I am a Nigerian. The number of jobless young people in Nigeria is so huge. If we don’t do something about Nigeria right away, it would become a mere criminal state. This is because these young people do not know where to turn to. They don’t know what to do and that means we all won’t live in safety because they won’t have any other alternative than to go into crime. So what we want to do is to empower them by way of employment.

Question: What kind of empowerment are you talking about?

Economic empowerment first of all. How do we locally create jobs?We have gone far in this here in London. We have empowered people who are farmers and people who want to go to vocational schools.

Question: Could you give us an instance?

Yes .We have a guy who has a large farm but was still planning to go to Canada because he wanted a better life. His employees looked up unto him. I thought if he leaves, that means we would have many people joining the already saturated unemployed market. We asked him how we could assist him and he said a certain amount would help him scale up his businesses and he would employ more people.

We obliged him because having him stay back would lead him taking more employees and reduce the number of unemployed folks. So what we want to do in Nigeria is take a look at things like this and create employment opportunities. We also want to create jobs by bringing companies from London and other parts of Europe through our own initiatives.

This means we are not going through the government. We call this sustainable philanthropy. What that will do is that the people who have the money will see how they will sustain their investment so that they don’t need the government. An example is one of the Executives of one of the biggest insurance companies in the world who was in Nigeria some months ago to meet captains of industries.

Like him, they will come in and establish themselves.We will use seed funding to help young people who will in turn employ other young people within the Nigerian economy.

Question: Aside empowerment, are there any other things in Nigeria you would engage in. I ask this because people know you as SPAC Nation Pastor. Also is there any plan to establish a branch of the church in Nigeria?

SPAC Nation has always been liberal.SPAC Nation as a whole, is more

than a Church. I will always be a Pastor. In Nigeria, we will likely set up a branch either in Lagos or Abuja. It is that Church that will be the springboard for everything we want to do meaning that the Church will have an arm of youth empowerment which is going to be here as well.We will have the Tobi Adeboyega Foundation which is the arm that sends people to school. So,we will have a Nigerian branch.

[www.civilsociety.co.uk]


Regulator urgently contacts SPAC Nation over concerns about party political activity
08 Nov 2019 News

The Charity Commission has said it is “aware of concerns” relating to church charity SPAC Nation, appearing to support a political candidate.

The Commission currently has an open regulatory compliance case into Salvation Proclaimers Ministries Limited, known as SPAC Nation.

Steve Reed, Labour's parliamentary candidate for Croydon North, tweeted that SPAC Nation appeared to be supporting the Conservative candidate in a local council by-election.

Labour's Caragh Skipper won the election, followed by Conservative candidate Jayde Edwards.

'Charities must not engage in party political activity'
The charity regulator said: “We are aware of concerns about a tweet linked to the charity SPAC Nation, which appears to support a political candidate. We will be contacting the charity on this issue as a matter of urgency.”

“Charities have a proud record of engaging in public debate and speaking up for the causes they serve. However, they also have a responsibility to do so within the rules. The public expects charities to be driven by their purpose and to represent their beneficiaries at all times. Charities must not engage in party political activity,” it added.

The Commission's ongoing regulatory compliance case is examining governance matters at the charity and the regulator has issued the trustees with an action plan under section 15(2) of the Charities Act 2011. It said: “Our regulatory compliance case was opened in February 2019 after we became aware of concerns about the charity.”

It said it will be assessing SPAC Nation’s response to the action plan to consider the next steps.

SPAC Nation: 'If anyone has any real complaints they want to make, we have proper channels'
In August, SPAC Nation told Civil Society News that the Charity Commission “does not have an active investigation regarding SPAC Nation”.

It added: “If anyone has any real complaints they want to make, we have proper channels where this can be heard and addressed that can be seen on our website.”

In responce to concerns about the charity seeming to support a political candidate, the charity said: “SPAC Nation has no official affiliation with any political party. One of our members recently ran to be a Conservative councillor in a local election. We have many members in senior positions in the Labour Party as well.

“We will support anyone in our congregation to fulfil their potential, irrespective of the political party. But SPAC Nation itself has not promoted itself as supporting any political party but rather community leaders in their respective boroughs in which our members belong to, and who want to connect with the youths in our church.”

The data for the financial year ending 31 December 2018 on the Commission’s website puts SPAC Nation’s income at £1.2m and spending at £1.2m.

The main objectives of the charity are the advancement of Christian faith, the relief of sickness, poverty and the advancement of education in accordance with Christian principles.

Commission CEO: 'Taking a position on one side of a political divide undermines public confidence'
Helen Stephenson, chief executive of the Commission, recently wrote: “If charities appear to the public to be engaged in political debate not because they are representing their beneficiaries or bringing expertise, but because they are taking a position on one side of a political divide, this undermines public confidence in charity as something special, which can inspire trust where other institutions do not.

“The deeper the divisions in the country, the more important it is that charities are demonstrably driven not by their leaders’ own world views but by the needs of the beneficiaries they serve. Charities have the potential to build bridges and heal social divides, if that is damaged then everyone will lose out.”

For more news, interviews, opinion and analysis about charities and the voluntary sector sign up to receive the Civil Society News daily bulletin here.


- See more at: [www.civilsociety.co.uk]

ByTara O'ConnorLocal Democracy Reporter Martin Elvery

[www.mylondon.news]


HomeNewsSouth London NewsGeneral election
What you really need to know about SPAC Nation and its alleged links with Croydon's politicians
Our reporter Tara O'Connor investigates the allegations against the controversial church


ByTara O'ConnorLocal Democracy ReporterMartin ElveryLocal Democracy Content Editor
16:28, 21 NOV 2019UPDATED18:49, 21 NOV 2019
NEWS


Tkay Mukuna was a member of the SPAC Nation church for 10 months. The church holds services in locations all over London
Tkay Mukuna was a member of the SPAC Nation church for 10 months. The church holds services in locations all over London

SPAC Nation is a church organisation that has hit the headlines in a very big way recently, and not for good reasons.

Shocking allegations have flown around the press about the church - which meets every Sunday at different locations around London and describes itself as getting gang members to give up their weapons and join the church.


Parents of youngsters involved with it have spoken about their kids racking up huge debts after the church persuaded them to take out loans. There's been talk of this money being linked to political campaigns.

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But the church is a charity and not allowed to get involved in political campaigns.

There are rumours the church - which runs as a charity - is in the pocket of the Conservative Party and even claims about sexual abuse.

The church shelters young people who have joined it in what it describes as "trap houses".

It is believed that three of these are based in Croydon.

Tensions are running high, on Saturday (November 16) in Coydon, shouting and pushing broke out between pastors and followers from the SPAC Nation church and a group calling itself ‘Let The Youngers Go’ – led by former church members and gospel drill musician Tkay ‘Madmax’ Mukuna.

The group shouted slogans, including: ‘SPAC Nation is a scam!’ They shared stories of the distress caused to many by their involvement in the controversial organisation.

The police had to intervene and calm the situation down.

But if you combine all this with the fact that candidates from all political persuasions are gearing up to fight a general election in Croydon and their comments about the church are being made during their electioneering, the waters get even muddier.

Some media outlets have also resorted to some pretty wild speculation which has fuelled the flames.

So what do we actually know about SPAC Nation and its links to Croydon's politicians - our reporter Tara O'Connor went in search of the facts.

Tkay Mukuna was a member of the SPAC Nation church for 10 months. The church holds services in locations all over London
Tkay Mukuna was a member of the SPAC Nation church for 10 months. The church holds services in locations all over London
'An extremely dangerous organisation' - Labour Party candidate
Concerns continue to be raised about the relationship between the controversial church and the Croydon Conservative Party.

SPAC Nation has been described as an "extremely dangerous organisation" by Steve Reed who is standing for re-election as MP in Croydon North.

Mr Reed told us: "The church leaders encourage politicians and senior police officers to come to their churches and say they have stopped young people becoming gang members.

Steve Reed is standing for re-election as the MP for Croydon North. The Labour Party candidate has spoken out about SPAC Nation's alleged links with the Conservative Party
Steve Reed is standing for re-election as the MP for Croydon North. The Labour Party candidate has spoken out about SPAC Nation's alleged links with the Conservative Party
The Fairfield by-election
"Where it went beyond that was in the Fairfield by-election where the Conservatives put up a candidate that was a pastor in this organisation."

Earlier this month one pastor from the church, Jayde Edwards ran for the Conservative Party In a Croydon Council by-election.

The 20-year-old got 537 votes, missing out on being elected to represent Fairfield to Labour's Caragh Skipper, with 849 votes.

Mr Reed added: "I tweeted my concerns about SPAC Nation and I got inundated with phone calls from people, people telling me they have been criminally exploited. I took the allegations to the police.

"I think the Conservatives covered it up. It is immoral to say the least and illegal possibly.

Mr Reed has also pointed the finger at his rival, Mario Creatura - Conservative Croydon councillor and parliamentary candidate for Croydon Central. He claims Mr Creatura has been helping the church in a campaign to help Jayde Edwards get elected.

Mr Reed is concerned that the church is operating across the capital and he thinks that more than a dozen local authorities, including Croydon, should be looking into the safeguarding issues.

But Mr Reed is trying to get re-elected and it's only natural he should seek to link his rivals to an organisation facing some very serious questions.

Tkay Mukuna (centre) left the church in October
Tkay Mukuna (centre) left the church in October
The head pastor's response
After he raised initial concerns he had a meeting with head pastor Tobi Adegboyega.

Mr Reed said here the pastor told him that the allegations were from "disgruntled individuals".

But he believes that politicians across the board were taken in by the organisation.

"Politicians of all parties have been hoodwinked into going to church services, believing it was a church. I don't criticise the people who were hoodwinked in this way," said Mr Reed.

"But the Croydon Conservatives went one step further to outsource a campaign to the church. When the allegations came they did not disown their candidate."

Conservative denial
Cllr Creatura did not respond to a request for a statement but Conservative colleague, Councillor Jason Cummings, was adamant that the local party has no connection to the church.

Cllr Cummings said: "We don't have any involvement with the church at all.

"Jayde Edwards is a member of that church and a member of the Conservative Party. In the same way a significant number of our activists are members of other churches, mosques or gurdwaras.

"There is no difference between Jayde and anyone else. We have no professional relationship with SPAC Nation at all.

"If people have any information about any criminal activity they should take it to the police. It is not our responsibility to look into.

"Anytime anyone raises concerns of this nature about any organisation it is right that they are investigated. That is a matter for the investigating authorities.

"One of the things that should be looked at is the links the Labour party has had. Sarah Jones was on Victoria Derbyshire promoting SPAC Nation. It is a little bit rich that things are thrown at us."

Mario Creatura is the Conservative candidate for Croydon Central. He has been accused by his Labour rival of backing SPAC Nation's Fairfield by-election candidate
Mario Creatura is the Conservative candidate for Croydon Central. He has been accused by his Labour rival of backing SPAC Nation's Fairfield by-election candidate
SPAC and Sarah Jones
In February 2018 Labour's Sarah Jones, who is standing to re-election in Croydon Central, appeared on the BBC 2 programme alongside SPAC Nation members praising the church for its work with gang members.

She has since raised concerns about the group herself. On November 8, she tweeted: "Over recent months I have been passed increasingly concerning reports about the SPAC Nation church, regarding safeguarding of Croydon young people and allegations of financial fraud."

Ms Jones added that she passed on the information to the Charity Commission and police.

As for what happens now, Mr Reed wants to see the church closed down and support for young people leaving the church.

He said: "There has to be a through investigation into the allegations and I would like to see the church closed down and see the the authorities take protective measures to stop them recruiting vulnerable young people.

"There are an awful lot of highly traumatised and damaged young people who need help they are not getting."

Mr Reed accompanied a group of former SPAC Nation worshippers to speak to police officers about the allegations.

He said: "The allegations of financial exploitation is very worrying, but really grim allegations of sexual abuse was the most upsetting.

"I think this is an extremely dangerous organisation that is targeting vulnerable young people."

A spokesperson from the Metropolitan Police confirmed that it is looking into allegations made against the church.


“We have received allegations that pertain to potential fraud and other possible offences that relate to SPAC Nation," said the spokesperson.

"Officers are reviewing the allegations to identify if any criminal offences have potentially been committed. Once this review is complete, a decision will be made as to whether a criminal investigation is launched. We cannot comment any further at this time.”

Jayde Edwards, Conservative candidate for the Fairfield by-election and a SPAC Nation member
Jayde Edwards, Conservative candidate for the Fairfield by-election and a SPAC Nation member
'Serious and troubling concerns'
The Charity Commission issued a statement on Thursday (November 22) saying: “ We are aware of a range of serious and troubling concerns about the charity SPAC Nation, which have been the subject of media reporting over the past week. Protecting people and safeguarding should be a governance priority for all charities, not just those working with children or groups traditionally considered at risk.

"We are following up on the new concerns raised with the trustees and are considering our next regulatory steps. We have not drawn any regulatory conclusions on these matters.

“The charity was already subject to a regulatory compliance case when the most recent concerns were aired in the media, and are engaging with the trustees on the charity’s compliance with an action plan we had set them in June.”

What the council says
When contacted, Croydon Council could not confirm whether it was investigating the organisation.

A spokesperson said: "We do not comment on safeguarding concerns related to individuals or specific organisations, but we are there to offer support. If anyone is worried about someone at risk, or feels at risk themselves, please contact our safeguarding team on 0208 726 6400, or on 0208 255 2888, if urgent."


SPAC Nation and Jayde Edwards did not respond to requests for comment.

So clearly there is a lot more investigation to be done before the complete truth about SPAC Nation is revealed, but it doesn't see as if the General Election campaign is going to make it any easier for the truth to emerge.

If you have a story for us about this or any other Croydon issue, please email our reporter tara.o'connor@reachplc.com

BBC news report from the Exposer [www.youtube.com]


Includes an interview with Dami Balogun, a SPAC spokesperson.



Panorama will also run their report on 16th September. Other main stream reports will come out shortly.

BBC report is here

[www.bbc.co.uk]


Panorama is on 16th December not September

London crime-buster church is accused of defrauding members



[www.patheos.com]


Extract

The HuffPost UK investigation found evidence that some pastors at the church – whose leader was pictured in the second row for Boris Johnson’s speech at this year’s Conservative Party conference – have pressured the young people they supposedly help into taking out loans of up to £5,000.


Once these loans arrive in their bank accounts, the congregation member is asked to transfer the money to the SPAC Nation pastor, sometimes on the basis that the clergymen will set them up as “crypto-traders”.
While young people are left in debt, SPAC Nation’s pastors put on an extravagant show of wealth – flashing rolls of £50 notes, buying Rolex watches, driving Lamborghinis and other sports cars, buying Louboutin shoes and hosting cash giveaways to tempt more youngsters in.

Toye-Mary Sofidiya, who lives in east London was one of several former members of the church to speak with the online news site. She said:

I feel like I was targeted. I feel like they took advantage of me. I feel like I was deceived, lied to because they knew I trusted them.

Responding in the Huffington Post report, Daniel Ogoloma, a spokesman for SPAC Nation, said:

We see it as an intentional smear campaign also based on gossip. SPAC Nation has never and will never coerce anyone.

Spac Nation's founder says the allegations relate to issues between members in the church and not mismanagement on his part.

News correspondent @Noel_Phillips


[news.sky.com]


A church which helps young people at risk of knife crime is under investigation after a series of allegations about fraud emerged, Sky News has learned.

A Met Police spokesperson said: "We have received allegations that pertain to potential fraud and other possible offences that relate to Spac Nation.

"Officers are reviewing the allegations to identify if any criminal offences have potentially been committed."

The church's founder and lead pastor Tobi Adegboyega, told Sky News there has not been any wrongdoing, misconduct or mismanagement on his part.

"These are issues between members in the church. Some of these issues relate to business disputes where people have come together to takeout money together to run a business.

The church's founder and lead pastor Tobi Adegboyega
"We don't always know about these things, but once we find out something has gone wrong it is our duty to address these issues and ask the people involved to make restitutions," said Mr Adegboyega.


Mr Adegboyega told Sky News: "Should there be cases where we have found our pastors have acted incorrect, we can only apologise to the people affected and then hold those pastors responsible.

[www.bbc.co.uk]

This was published in September 2019 and Tobi claimed they had 23 houses. Later that statement was contradicted as concern arose about accountability and oversight of those houses. Rev Dapo, PT's brother is mentioned in this article.


[www.keepthefaith.co.uk]


London church offers homes to gang members wanting to leave life of crime
A church in London is offering refuge to people who want to change their lives.

Senior Pastor Tobi Adegboyega of SPAC Nation Church says they now have 23 safe houses for gang members who are willing to turn their life around and escape from a life of crime.

Adegboyega says, “In our community now, teenage years are drugs and knives. Most times it’s [the project] their first chance. These guys haven’t seen the other part of life. Then they can make a decision if they want to live right or not.”

The 100 young people who have taken part in the program have also been helped with education and employment during their stay.

The church has been known for focusing on tackling violent crime and it is reported that 55 per cent of the congregation has been previously involved in crime.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/03/2019 09:33AM by Loriwoke.

The Exposer Youtube channel continues to post on a daily basis

This one is about Mariam Mbula who sees herself as a celebrity pastor and looks to Kim K as a role model.
[www.youtube.com]


This is just one clip from an extensive library