Celestial City, Imeko

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Celestial City, Imeko

Celestial City, Imeko is the Holy City of the Celestial Church of Christ (CCC). It sits in Imeko Afon in Ogun State, Nigeria, near the border with Benin. For CCC members, it is known as Jerusalem and is meant to be a major pilgrimage site. The area around Imeko is a small, hilly farming village where people grow tomatoes and cassava.

History and beliefs
The CCC was founded by Samuel Oshoffa in 1947 in Dahomey (now Benin) and moved to Nigeria in 1979. In 1973, a vision told Oshoffa that Celestial City should be built in Imeko, at Igbo-Ifa, the home of the Orunmila deity, with a prophecy that Mecca would close and Jerusalem would move to Imeko. Construction of Celestial City began in 1983. Oshoffa died in Lagos in 1985 and was buried at Celestial City on October 19, 1985, near his mother’s land as he had wished.

Leadership, pilgrimages, and disputes
After Oshoffa’s death, Alexander Abiodun Adebayo Bada was named the second Pastor in December 1985 and was enthroned in December 1987. Imeko became a Christmas pilgrimage site for Celestials from Nigeria, nearby West African countries, and even from Europe and the United States. When Pastor Bada died in 2000, Philip Hunsu Ajose became pastor but died in 2001. From 2003, the church split into four factions, each led by different claimants. By 2010 the church was still divided, and the Supreme Court said no one could call himself Pastor until a new constitution was in place.

Celestial City project and the site today
There were plans to build a grand cathedral at Celestial City, along with a prayer garden, conference hall, living quarters for the pastor, and a mausoleum for Oshoffa. Some work began, but by 2002 the site was still largely unfinished. A market grew around the area selling religious items, food, and drinks, and pilgrims often camp on-site because there were few formal facilities. In 2001, Ajose moved the Makoko seminary to Imeko and ordered that future pastors live there.

Pilgrimage and climate
Travel to Imeko can be expensive and difficult for many pilgrims. Imeko has a hot, tropical climate with a long rainy season and a hot dry season. Temperatures typically range from the low 70s to the low 90s Fahrenheit (about 21–34 Celsius). December and January are usually the best months for hot-weather visits. September is the wettest month, while January tends to be the driest, and December is often among the clearest months.

Today, Celestial City remains a symbol of the CCC’s faith and a site of pilgrimage, even as plans for its full development have faced delays and ongoing leadership disputes.