Elder Dr Samuel Amo Tobbin, Group Chairman of Tobinco Pharmaceuticals Limited (TPL), has attributed his vindication in his longstanding legal dispute with the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), to his practice of paying tithes.
The controversy dates back to September and December 2013, when Dr Kwabena Opuni, then Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the FDA, initiated a series of actions against TPL. These actions were based on allegations that the company had imported counterfeit drugs into the country.
As part of these measures, the FDA locked Tobinco’s warehouses nationwide, causing significant embarrassment for the company and its chairman. The regulator also disposed of Tobinco’s products, resulting in substantial financial losses as the products expired rapidly.
Speaking on the Point of View on Channel One TV on Wednesday, Elder Dr Tobbin emphasised that his tithes paved the way for his vindication.
“I came out of this because I pay my tithes to church,” he stated.
Responding to why the Church of Pentecost (CoP) had great businessmen, Elder Dr Tobbin told Bernard Avle that the CoP made him and other businessmen who are now regarded as great.
He explained that the teachings of the Church had encouraged them to support and give selflessly and cheerfully.
“We were not like that when we came in. It is the church that made us who we are by the teachings that the church gives. Through tithing and offering. Tithes and sacrificial offerings. You give sacrificially, nobody pushes you, nobody forces you to give out and we teach you how to tithe.
“Give at least one-tenth of your income, your profit to God. Those that do it you see them big. All the big guys you go to their account you see what they pay the church monthly.
You support the church. You support the church means you are building the church. The church has a lot of liabilities… Also, in Pentecost we are in 170 countries and all the pastors there and their families the church must take care of them. So, it is the businesspeople that the church has that support the church. We give freely,” he stated.