An Instagram reel has brought renewed attention to comments attributed to Nigerian evangelist Rev. Isaac Omolehin, founder of Word Assembly Ministries and The Word Commission International in Ilorin, Kwara State.
In the video, Omolehin said that the richest man of God in Nigeria is Roman Catholic priest Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Edeh, with an estimated net worth of about $500 million.
According to the reel’s caption and related social media posts, Omolehin highlighted that Fr. Edeh took an oath of poverty. As a result, the assets associated with his work—including educational institutions such as Madonna University (Nigeria’s first private Catholic university), Caritas University, and OSISATECH Polytechnic—belong to the Roman Catholic Church rather than to him personally.
Omolehin has previously criticized what he views as a focus on personal wealth among some Nigerian pastors. In earlier remarks that went viral in 2025, he referenced a disputed claim (later denied by the World Council of Churches and Forbes) that five of the world’s ten richest pastors were Nigerians, while no Nigerian church ranked among the world’s richest churches.
He contrasted this with the Roman Catholic Church, describing it as the wealthiest church globally whose leader, the Pope, does not own a private jet.
Fr. Emmanuel Matthew Paul Edeh, born in 1947 in Enugu State, is a well-known Catholic priest, educator, and philanthropist. He founded several institutions focused on education and has been linked in various online reports to banking and other enterprises.
Estimates of his net worth circulating online have ranged widely over the years (from around $90–100 million to higher figures such as $200 million or $500 million). These remain unverified speculative assessments; no official ranking from Forbes or similar outlets provides a confirmed valuation for clergy. Under Catholic religious vows of poverty, priests typically do not hold personal ownership of institutional assets.
The Instagram post framing Omolehin’s remarks has drawn engagement, aligning with ongoing public debates in Nigeria about prosperity teachings, transparency in ministry finances, and the distinction between personal enrichment and building lasting church or charitable institutions.
Omolehin’s comments, as presented in the circulating video, appear intended to underscore a difference between controlling or establishing large-scale works and personally owning their wealth.
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