The debate over the comment of the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 elections, Peter Obi, on Nigerians spending more time attending church vigils rather than working, has persisted online, with Netizens using a sermon by Pastor Sam Adeyemi of Daystar Christian Centre, Lagos, to counter Pastor Apostle Emmanuel Iren, who faulted the position of the former Anambra State governor.
Despite Obi’s explanation, Iren, the Founder of Celebration Church International, went on to release a video in which he criticised his position.
He accompanied the video with a write.
He said in the post on X: “I see that this video has made rounds on this platform.
“These days, one has to clarify everything because most of us see everything to the lenses of our bias. Few things to note.
“1.For the records, I have been an avid Peter Obi supporter. I posted a picture of us on this platform. Ironically, just about a month ago, I praised him for his culture of modesty, and how Christians should emulate that.
“2.There are indeed Christians who rather than working towards a great nation are ‘only’ praying that the nation “moves forward”. No amount of prayer will be substitute for productive labour, and electing the right people to lead the nation.
“What then is my issue with the statement?
“1. To insinuate that instead of vigils we should have night shifts is a fallacy of false dilemma. Even in more developed countries, most people don’t work night shifts. Church Vigils are not the reason people don’t work night shifts. If you want more morning, afternoon or night shifts, hold the government accountable! Even then, let people do what they want to do with their personal time
“2. Almost no Church holds vigils “Mondays to Fridays and both morning and night”. I know this will still fly over some heads so let me break it down;
⁃ Thrice a week may be a lot but it is not everyday.
⁃ Having 20 days of vigil is still not everyday.
⁃ Also, most multiple meetings in Churches are had by different subgroups of people in Church and not everyone.
“So why say ‘Mondays to Friday’? It’s called a ‘straw man’ argument – to present the worst possible scenario so you can win an argument.
“Like I said, if the average Christian does not go to Church more than twice (or at most thrice) a week, the generalization reflects a bias.
“Going to the gym that many times is not too much.
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“Socializing that many times a week is not too much.
“But going to Church is hurting the productivity of the nation? That is simply dishonest.
“If you aren’t a believer and you see no point in spiritual exercise, I understand. But even then, people should have the right to do what they want with their personal time.
“4.The Church has helped the nations productivity in a tangible way. There are a lot of soft skills that are developed in Church. Music, photography, videography to mention a few. Even most of the secular artistes horned their gift in Church.
“This is not to discredit the person of Mr Peter Obi. I just beg to differ, which I very well have the right to as a stakeholder.
“I remain a supporter of his ideologies.”
However, Netizens took up Pastor Iren, with only a few backing him, with one using a semon by Pastor Adeyemi, the Senior Pastor of Daystar Christian Centre, Oregun, Lagos State, Nigeria.
D A N N Y 🪂 @AjeboDanny: “‘I’m a supporter of peter obi but…’ Lol go and sit down somewhere abeg. Your fangs only come out when your source of income is threatened. He didn’t mention your church so why are you crying? Nobody with brains in their head will have a problem with what peter obi said.”
👑S.A.L.A.K.O🕊 @UnkleAyo: “Emmanuel,
“There are churches who hold vigils for 15 days, 30 days, 45 days. Ask around.
“If you want to circle around literal ‘everyday’ as in 365 days per year, then it becomes a game of semantics.
“If a church organizes 30 days vigil, thrice a year – that is 25% of the entire year. 25% of anything is statistically significant, so the use of ‘everyday’ is relationally relevant.
“Using gym appearances and friendship meet ups as combative arguments is weak.
“Vigils run for about 6-7 hours
“- nobody goes to the gym for 7 hours daily except it is their daily bread
“- no one meets up with friends daily, for 7 hours.
“Based on your argument, the only acceptable time for people to attend vigils in that frequency, is if it is their daily bread.
“2. Peter Obi didn’t demonize acts of devotion. He accurately described the laxity in our communal approach to productivity whilst pointing out indices, hence the “vigil” reference. Maybe, watch the entire clip?
“3. In what capacity are you indirectly asking Peter Obi, if he has provided jobs for them?
“4. Where was this energy when an official legislation for Sharia law floated publicly? Do you know it is still in reading?
“5. Peter Obi isn’t the problem of Nigeria. He raised a valid concern across multiple indices pointing out lazied approach to communal productivity.
“6. Where was the smoke for Sam Adeyemi for has repeated, verbatim, what Obi insinuated?
“What has made Peter the outlier, the easier target? Or in your own words – what is the hidden bias?
“You purport to provide balance – since when did balance become a monoclonal rebuttal?
“What say ye to Sam?
“You’re indirectly egging the Christian polity, majoring on the minor, in this manner has only one repercussion – ‘that base won’t vote for him’.
“The consequent repercussion wouldn’t be his to bear, but of course it’ll be good for the church, as there’ll be more prayer points to raise.”
Ramotu Olaniyi @RamotuOlaniyi: “God bless your, Ayo, for this lucid submission. Rest assured that the Emmanuel deliberately distorted his own understanding of Peter Obi’s message. His motive will be clearer in the coming months as we approach 2027.”
matticus @matticus2218: “God’s given gift to humanity is the decision of how man chooses to use his time.
“If you choose to party(5pm-6am) then head to work mon-sun that’s your choice.
“You chose to pray night vigils the entire calendar year: your choice still.
“Let’s not dictate how one lives their life.
“A correct balance is needed: definitely
“Work and pray🤷♂️
“Work and party🤷♂️
“Every choice is one’s own responsibility.
“As long as you can sustain yourself and meet your needs🤷♂️.”
Phil Dubem 𓃵 @phildubem: “That Iren guy actually shot himself on the foot comparing churches to gyms.
“One pays taxes the other is paid for to go on excursions to another man’s land with said taxes.
“If you keep emotions aside even night clubs are a 100% more economical to a country than a church.”
EmmaCraft @emmanuel_nzube: “First off, I appreciate your openness to clarify. But as someone attending the CCI Canada branch, It’s worth mentioning that a good number of us take on night shifts here, especially as casual jobs or side gigs. Many are balancing work and faith- striving for better opportunities.”
DON “Tobechukwu” Ade @Row_Haastrup: “I love this. This is just common sense to a large extent. The % of churches that even do the everyday vigil, they are less than 1%. The major churches don’t. So stopping the 1% is what will make us progress as a nation? The bias and general hatred for the church is what’s causing this fuss, otherwise, this is just common sense.”
Chisomaga @__thechisomaga: “Like ehnn, if it’s not that they hate the church, this thing is common sense. I’m not even surprised anymore. Our Lord kuku said they will not like us.”
X Factor @mastermelli: “What Obi by God’s grace has done for the church, you cannot do it in 10 lifetimes… Someone passed an opinion in an over 2 hours podcast, and that part has been spinned and spunned to the point you now see it as ‘bias and hatred for the church’… Well, Christ knows his own.”
It will be recalled that while reacting via a statement issued by his media aide, Ibrahim Umar, in the wake of the statement, Obi said his account was twisted and blown out of proportion.
Umar said in the statement: “Our attention has been drawn to a huge twist in his recent media interview, saying erroneously that he called for the dismantling of churches in Nigeria.
“By the headline given to the interview, the import of Obi’s message has been greatly overturned and grossly distorted to serve a mischievous end.
“The Labour Party leader is well known as a man of strong faith who has enormous respect and love for every religion and tried in the referenced interview to bring to Nigerians how religion can be more effective in their lives.
“Obi, in the interview, was merely underscoring what Apostle James said in ‘Faith without Works is unhelpful.’ When Obi said that he would turn night vigil into production night, he was only stressing the importance of worshipping God through work.
“Even Jesus Christ never picked any of his 12 disciples where they were praying but where they were working as fishermen and tax collectors, among others.
“What we are doing in Nigeria, which Obi’s interview is highlighting as wrong and should be discontinued, is exchanging work for prayer when the two should go together.
“There is no evidence in the scripture that Jesus blessed an idle person. The problem In some of Nigeria’s worship communities is that they are not following St James advisory that we should be doers of the words.”
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