Why the British government sanctioned Chris Oyakhilome’s LoveWorld TV
A television station, Loveworld TV UK, owned by the Believers Loveworld aka Christ Embassy has been sanctioned in the United Kingdom for making a series of false claims about the COVID-19 pandemic, Office of Communications (OfCom) said in a statement on Monday.
OfCom said the religious channel got axed for breaking broadcasting rules with a news programme and a sermon broadcast on the channel which contained “potentially harmful and unsubstantiated claims about causes of and treatments for Covid-19”.
OfCom is the government regulatory authority for the broadcasting, telecommunications and postal industries in the UK and LoveWorld is the third broadcast station sanctioned by OfCom for making potentially false claims about coronavirus. According to Independent UK, London Live and radio station Uckfield FM had been sanctioned for airing similar false claims without them being sufficiently challenged.
A 30-minute news programme on LoveWorld, broadcast from South Africa on April 7 titled: “Why is 5G linked to Covid-19?” which claimed the technology was fuelling an outbreak of the virus was the major reason why the channel was sanctioned.
In the programme, a reporter had said “With the classification of a weapon, 5G technology is very dangerous. When it comes into contact with a human body it can provide some poisons to the cells…When it comes into contact with a human body, it causes cell poisoning because our bodies try to fight the radiation, kicking out some protein and some DNA cells in a form of a chemical, which is called a virus. This shows that what’s killing people, it’s not coronavirus, but 5G. The president of Loveworld incorporated: Reverend Dr Chris Oyakhilome explains”.
LoveWorld’s founder, Pastor Chris Oyakhilome, who has been in the middle of controversy in the last one month over his conspiracy theory linking 5G technology to COVID-19, was shown in the programme sharing a diagram of a flowchart with his members linking ‘fear’ (caused by the pandemic) and ‘embrace’ (5G) to a vaccine. “This is real. The power is so much that plants that were close to the cells that were already set up in certain streets burnt,” he said.
OfCom said the broadcasts on Loveworld TV linked the pandemic to 5G; “said that it was the subject of a ‘global cover-up’; and presented hydroxychloroquine as a proven ‘cure’. These claims were potentially harmful and made without adequate protection”.
“These broadcasts risked undermining viewers’ trust in official advice with potentially serious consequences for public health. We have directed Loveworld Limited to broadcast statements of our findings, and are considering whether to impose further sanctions,” the agency said.
In a series of sermons aired on the church-owned television stations viewed in several countries across the world and online channels, Oyakhilome had criticized the Nigerian government for imposing lockdown under the guise of laying 5G cables in Lagos and Abuja.
In a sermon about two weeks ago, he also tackled pastors across the world for complying with government’s directive to shut churches as part of measures to curb the spread of the deadly virus.
Oyakhilome had said: “Is the church of Jesus Christ not a place of healing? In different cities, ministers of God gathered together and shut down the congregations of the Lord. How many said, let us pray; give us time to pray? They consulted you in different nations and states. How many of you said, let us pray? Instead, you said oh yes.”
His views have been criticised by many Nigerians and preachers including – Pastor Matthew Ashimolowo of Kingsway International Christian Centre (KICC), Sam Adeyemi of Daystar Christian Center and Poju Oyemade of The Covenant Nation.
“If coronavirus is caused by 5G, why is it in his village that does not have a 5G?” Ashimolowo asked in a recent sermon in reaction to Oyakhilome’s comment.
“It has always been the nature of Christian leaders to plant fear in their members whenever there was going to be a major world occurrence. The church should be more concerned about preparing their members for the Second Coming of the Lord instead of condemning a major technological breakthrough. Its fake news to associate 5G to coronavirus,” he added.
In order to remedy the potential harm caused by LoveWorld’s broadcast, Ofcom said it has directed “the Licensee (LoveWorld) to broadcast summaries of OfCom’s Decisions in a form and manner to be decided by Ofcom.”
It also said it is considering whether to impose any further sanction in addition to these directions.
When Neusroom contacted LoveWorld UK for reactions, a female representative who picked the call directed our correspondent to send an email. Asked if the email will receive a response, she said “I won’t be able to say, but direct your enquiry to the email”.
As at the time of filing this report, LoveWorld is yet to reply the email sent by Neusroom to its official email address.
