Being a pastor’s wife makes such women vulnerable. This is a topic not discussed quite often, but it’s true. These women have their private lives just like everyone else. At times, they could have their heads in the cloud but married to men whose jobs; whose ministries are public. Ostensibly, the contemporary church holds the notion that pastors and their wives belong to a special category of Christians. It was in this light that many have viewed with mixed feelings, what has been tagged the guilty pleasure of Mrs. Siju Iluyomade, the wife of Pastor Idowu Iluyomade of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, City of David, Victoria Island, Lagos.
A lawyer by training and believed to be rich and privileged, Iluyomade’s love for high fashion, especially diamond, is said to be legendary. As the wife of the senior pastor of what has arguably been rated as one of the richest RCCG parishes in Nigeria; attended by rich and elegant women who adorn pricey designer couture to church, Iluyomade has not been found wanting. Sophisticated and highly respected within and outside the church, the pastor’s wife matches the high end congregants with her designer clothes and other accessories–which are top-notch as well. Insiders in the church squealed to Spotlight that her wardrobes harbour designers’ labels including Christian Louboutin, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Hermes and Marc Jacobs brands. Quoting the wife of a famous American pastor, she said, “pastors’ wives are just like others—sinners with seasons of spiritual drought, children of God who long to be known and heard.” Iluyomade, according to her admirers, irrespective of how humans may judge her guilty pleasure has combined effectively, her love for fashion with her calling as a cleric’s wife.