Pastor Adeboye: Late-night work made me stop having female secretaries

Pastor Enoch Adeboye, the General Overseer of Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), has revealed why he no longer employs female secretaries.

Speaking at the ongoing Holy Ghost Congress 2025, he explained that when his work began to stretch late into the night, he decided to end the practice.

He said the decision wasn’t about discriminating on the basis of gender, but about avoiding situations that might compromise his spiritual integrity.

Recalling his time working in Ebute Metta, Lagos — when he did employ a female secretary — he described her as a devoted Christian and “a wonderful child of God.”

However, after relocating to the church camp and knowing he would often be working until 2 or 3 a.m., he felt it prudent to end that working arrangement.

He further shared stories of other ministers in his church who, at his advice, dismissed female secretaries.

In one case, the pastor followed the advice and went on to lead a thriving ministry; in another — who refused — the pastor reportedly deviated morally and later had to be removed from his post.

Addressing members of his congregation, Adeboye urged believers to cut off relationships or associations that pose spiritual risk or threaten one’s destiny.

He likened such relationships to the biblical story of Jonah — suggesting that “Jonah must go.”