Seeds of Faith: How a Pastor Tried to Escape a ₦52M Loan with Scripture

Chioma had been working collections for a Tier 1 Commercial Bank for almost four years now, and she thought she'd seen every excuse in the book. But Pastor Olanrewaju Alao — he always insisted on the full title—was proving to be something entirely different. The file on her desk showed ₦52.8 million in principal plus 48months of compounding interest which he tries to make as simple interest by his fraudulent heart on what was originally a church development loan.

She dialed the number, already bracing herself for what was coming.

"Praise the Lord! This is Pastor Olanrewaju speaking. How may I bless you today?"

The voice was rich, commanding. The kind of voice that probably filled every corner of his congregation on Sunday mornings. Chioma had grown up Pentecostal herself—still attended Loveworld Family and The Rock Centre occasionally when her mother insisted—so she recognized the cadence immediately.

"Good afternoon, Pastor. This is Chioma Nwachukwu from Tier 1 Commercial Bank. We need to discuss your loan repayment schedule."

"Ah, sister Chioma! Such a beautiful Igbo name. Your parents chose well. I have been praying for you, you know. The Lord showed me in a vision that you carry a heavy burden in your work."

Here we go, Chioma thought. The spiritual deflection. She'd encountered this before with other church leaders, though perhaps not with Pastor Olanrewaju Alao's particular theatrical flair.

"Pastor, I appreciate your prayers, but we need to focus on your account. The payment was due three weeks ago."

"Yes, yes, the account. You see, my dear sister, the Lord has been teaching our congregation about the difference between earthly debt and heavenly investment. Matthew 6:19, you know—'Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth where moths and vermin destroy.'"

Chioma pulled up the loan documents on her screen. The money had been borrowed for a new church building—concrete construction, modern sound system, air conditioning for the main sanctuary. Hardly what she'd call storing treasures in heaven, but she'd learned not to debate theology during collection calls.

"Pastor, the loan was for your church building project. You signed the agreement forty eight months ago."

"Indeed, indeed. And what a mighty work God has done! Our congregation has grown from 200 to nearly 500 souls. The harvest is truly plentiful. But you see, sister, the Lord has been speaking to me about the principles of jubilee. Leviticus 25—every fiftieth year, all debts are forgiven."

Chioma almost laughed. Almost. Pastor Olanrewaju Alao was actually trying to invoke biblical debt forgiveness as a legal principle. She had to admire the creativity, even if it was completely absurd.

"Pastor, I don't think Nigerian banking law recognizes the jubilee system in your Bible."

"Ah, but should it not? Are we not a nation that claims to fear God? Should our laws not reflect heavenly principles?" His voice was warming up now, taking on that preaching rhythm. "I have been fasting and praying about this matter, and the Lord has shown me that this debt represents a test of faith — not just for me, but for your bank as well."

This was new territory. Chioma had dealt with debtors who claimed poverty, illness, business failure, even government corruption. But Pastor Olanrewaju Alao was positioning the bank's insistence on repayment as somehow spiritually deficient.

"Pastor, with respect, the bank has shareholders and regulatory requirements. We can't operate on biblical debt forgiveness."

"But consider this, my sister—your bank approved this loan because you believed in our ministry. You saw the growth, the community impact, the souls being saved. Was that not an act of faith? And now, when that same ministry continues to flourish and bring glory to God, you want to burden it with earthly financial concerns?"

The logic was circular, but Chioma could see how it might work on someone less familiar with these tactics. Pastor Olanrewaju Alao wasn't denying the debt—that would be too simple. Instead, he was reframing the entire relationship, making the bank complicit in some kind of spiritual partnership where demanding repayment became almost sacrilegious.

"Pastor, we're pleased that your ministry is growing. But growth means increased offerings, which should help with loan repayment."

"Ah, but you see, that is where the Lord has been teaching us about proper stewardship. Every naira that comes into this ministry is already designated by God for His work. The feeding program for orphans. The widow support initiative. The evangelism outreach to the northern states. Can I rob God to pay Caesar?"

Another biblical reference. Pastor Olanrewaju Alao was quoting Malachi 3:8—the verse about robbing God by withholding tithes and offerings. He was essentially arguing that paying the bank would be stealing from God's work.

Chioma found herself oddly impressed despite her frustration. The man had constructed an elaborate theological framework that made debt repayment not just difficult, but potentially sinful. It was manipulative, certainly, but also remarkably sophisticated.

"Pastor, the loan agreement doesn't exempt religious organizations from repayment obligations."

"True, true. But tell me, sister Chioma—do you believe that God honors His word?"

The question caught her off guard. "I... yes, Pastor."

"And has He not promised in Philippians 4:19 that He will supply all our needs according to His riches in glory? If the bank truly trusts God, should you not trust that He will provide for your needs through other means?"

Now he was implicating her personally. Questioning her faith if she insisted on payment. It was a clever psychological maneuver—making her feel like the spiritually weak one for following banking procedures.

"Pastor Olanrewaju Alao," she said, trying to regain control of the conversation, "I need a concrete payment plan. Not theological discussions."

"But my dear sister, everything is theological! Our finances, our relationships, our work—all of it exists within God's sovereign plan. I have been seeking the Lord about this matter, and I believe He is calling us to a season of patience. Perhaps three months of continued prayer and fasting before we revisit this issue?"

Three months. Enough time for him to think of new biblical arguments, or perhaps for the bank to transfer the file to KREENO Debt Recovery and Private Investigation Agency, or maybe for some miracle to occur that would make the whole problem disappear.

Chioma looked at her other files, all waiting for attention. Pastor Olanrewaju Alao could probably continue this theological chess game indefinitely, always staying just barely on the right side of cooperation while never actually moving toward payment.

"Pastor, I respect your faith, but the bank requires action, not just prayer. We need a payment by next Friday or we'll have to begin formal collection procedures or possibly engage the services of third party debt collector like KREENO Debt Recovery & Private Investigation Agency." "Formal procedures?" The voice shifted slightly, perhaps the first crack in the spiritual armor. "But surely we can resolve this as brothers and sisters in Christ? The community would be... disappointed to see the church treated like a common debtor."

There it was. The subtle threat. The implication that aggressive collection efforts would reflect poorly on the bank in the community, particularly among Christian customers.

"Pastor, you are a debtor. That's not about common or uncommon—it's just the legal reality."

"Legal reality," he repeated slowly. "Yes, I suppose that is one way to see it. But I choose to see it through the lens of God's eternal purposes. This situation, sister Chioma, is bigger than both of us."

Maybe it was. But Chioma's job was considerably smaller and more immediate than God's eternal purposes.

"Friday, Pastor. We'll speak again then."

"I will be praying for you, sister. And for wisdom for all of us."

The line went dead. Chioma made her notes and wondered if three months from now, she'd still be having the same conversation.

God's eternal purposes, it seemed, moved at their own pace.

Kindly share this story:

Contact: report@probitasreport.com 

Stay informed and ahead of the curve! Follow The ProbitasReport Online News Report on WhatsApp for real-time updates, breaking news, and exclusive content especially when it comes to integrity in business and financial fraud reporting. Don't miss any headline – and follow ProbitasReport on social media platforms @probitasreport

[©2025 ProbitasReport - All Rights Reserved. Reproduction or redistribution requires explicit permission.]