PAPA ADEBOYE GOES TO CANADA

By Akin Ojumu

Papa Adeboye tells a lot of stories. He does this to impress upon his admirers that he has some type of special relationship with “Daddy” that they don’t have. These tales that the old man spins are meant to make his followers regard him as an extraordinary man who is highly favored by God and imbued with power.

The special relationship Papa Adeboye has with “Daddy” also puts him in a position to determine the course of the lives of his followers. If they revere and honor him, and sow seeds to him, untold blessings and good fortunes will come their way. If, on the other hand, they say bad things about him or fail to bring generous donations to his coffers, they should expect misfortune to pay them a visit.

This short video clip is another instance of Papa Adeboye spinning a yarn. This time around, it’s a story about how God singled him out for special favor. This is a story about that time, 50 years ago, when he attended the World Conference of Applied Mathematicians in Canada. Although he wasn’t exactly sure which year, he thinks it was either in May 1975 or May 1976.

Being the trust but verify guy that I am, I decided to fact-check the claim. Well, what do you know! By asking two simple questions, I discovered gaping holes in Papa Adeboye’s story.

1. Was there an International Conference on Applied Mathematics held in Canada in May 1975 or May 1976?

There was no World Conference of Applied Mathematicians held in Canada in either 1975 or 1976.

The only international conference on mathematics held in Canada between 1974 and 1976 was The International Congress of Mathematicians which took place in Vancouver, Canada, from 21 August to 29 August 1974.

2. Was the weather in Canada unseasonably cold in May 1975 or May 1976?

Papa Adeboye claims that during the conference he attended in Canada in either May 1975 or May 1976, it was a very cold season in Canada. It was so cold that while standing in line to register for the conference he was shivering.

Well, I checked the Canadian Government Weather History website to look up what the weather was back in May 1975 and May 1976.

Footnote: Unlike in Nigeria and the rest of Africa, governments can and do actually keep good records in civilized societies. They do so for posterity’s sake.

In May 1975:

There was an average high temperature of 18°C (64.4°F). This is the temperature during the day.

The average low temperature was 7.3°C (45.14°F). This is the temperature at night.

In May 1976:

The average high temperature was 16.6°C (61.9°F) i.e., the temperature during the day.

The average low temperature was 6.8°C (44.24°F). This is the temperature at nighttime.

I have attended many scientific conferences. The sessions typically run during the day and not at night. So, a weather temperature of 18°C (64.4°F) or 16.6°C (61.9°F) is considered mild. It’s definitely not cold enough to cause anyone to start shivering.

Right there, you begin to see a problem with Papa Adeboye’s story.

Let’s even give Papa Adeboye the benefit of the doubt and assume that he got the year mixed up, and that the conference he attended was actually The International Congress of Mathematicians held in Vancouver, Canada, in August 1974, which was the only international conference on mathematics held in Canada between 1974 and 1976.

Again, I checked the Canadian Government Weather History website for what the weather was like for August 1974.

In August 1974:

The average high temperature was 23.9°C (75.02°F).

The average low temperature was 13.1°C (55.58°F)

August is the heart of summer in Canada. By any objective measure, these temperatures are high. So, the fact that anyone will feel so cold as to start to shiver is very unlikely.

Cold season or no cold season aside, though, there’s actually a more troubling issue with Papa Adeboye’s claim and here it is.

I checked the program for The International Congress of Mathematicians held in Vancouver, Canada in August 1974, which is the only international conference on mathematics held in Canada between 1974 and 1976.

Guess what? Papa Adeboye’s name is missing from the list of attendees. This makes his claim of attending such a conference highly suspect.

In case you think names of attendees from Nigeria were deliberately omitted from the list, here are notable attendees from Nigeria included:

ABIODUN, Rufus (Nigeria)

ABUBAKAR, Iya (Nigeria)

ANYANWU, Donatus (Nigeria)

EMA, Emmanuel (Nigeria)

EZEILO, James (Nigeria)

IYAHEN, Sunday (Nigeria)

NASSIF, Maher (Nigeria)

OBI, Chike (Nigeria)

OLAOFE, G. Oluremi (Nigeria)

OSHOBI, Emmanuel (Nigeria)

PAL, Laszlo (Nigeria)

SABININ, Larissa (Nigeria)

SABININ, Leo (Nigeria)

As usual, I expect the defenders of the Daddies in Lord to take up arms against this critical review of Papa Adeboye’s story. I’d be surprised if they’ll pause, think, and open their eyes to the old man’s many lies.

2 Thessalonians 2:11

“For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie.”