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Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, New York
Popular cleric, Reverend Mother Esther Abimbola Ajayi, popularly known as Iya Adura, has debunked the story on social media that she has acquired a private jet.
Ajayi, who was part of the audience at the High-Level National Side-Event “Promotion of International Cooperation to combat illicit financial flows and strengthen good practices on asset recovery and return to foster sustainable development,” organised by the African Union Development Agency and New Partnership for Africa’s Development (AUDA-NEPAD) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on the margins of the 74th United Nations General Assembly, told newsmen that the story was actually twisted out of proportion.
The cleric was seen during her charity work to the island of Madagascar where she was on a life-changing mission, disembarking from the jet.
The pictures on social media declared Reverend Ajayi as one of the several Nigerian clergies who love to take pictures of them posing in private jets.
But when confronted to confirm if she indeed acquired a private jet, she said: “Let me tell you the story, I did not acquire a private jet. I went to Madagascar. Let me tell you how I got to know about Madagascar. Their former speaker came to my event on May 6 at the United Nations. I even sponsored him without knowing it. His sandals attracted me to him and I sought to know his country and when he mentioned Madagascar, I informed him that I was visiting there soon and we exchanged numbers.
“I went there and saw poverty every face. I went to a city called Nosibe after Madagascar, it is like what Abuja is to Nigeria.
“A plane flies there once a day and once you miss that you will have to get a private jet. Those that run private jets do so for tourism purpose and so I got there and for the first time, I was able to hire a private jet. And as I was coming down they took the pictures and splash it on social media saying that I had acquired a private jet. I said okay, at some point it is going to happen because a private jet has come to be a tool for evangelism.
“Once you acquire a private jet, the maintenance is not a joke, you will get a hanger and all that but the truth is I did not acquire a private jet.”
