The son of prominent Nigerian evangelists Mike and Gloria Bamiloye, Joshua Bamiloye, has tackled the recent comments made by the 2023 Labor Party Presidential candidate, Peter Obi, about church vigils.
Speaking on the Honest Bunch Podcast, Obiโs comments about vigils have sparked widespread debate online, with many questioning his stance on religious gatherings and their impact on Nigeriaโs productivity.
The former Anambra governor suggested that Nigeria might see more economic progress by reducing the frequency of church vigils and advocating for night shifts focused on productivity.
He implied that extensive late-night church gatherings could contribute to poverty in the country, encouraging a shift towards productive work during nighttime hours.
Obi said, โItโs attractive, politics and church, but it has to be dismantled.
โWe are going to turn night vigil into night shift so that people can be productive.
โI go to church and believe in God, but we canโt have it that people Monday to Friday, be in church morning and night.
If I go from here to my house, the only sign boards you see are those of churches.
โIf you go to the East, itโs burials, and thatโs not a country.โ
Reacting to the comment, Bamiloye, who took to social media platform X amid the ongoing debate off Obiโs remarks, addressed what he described as a misrepresentation of the nationโs underlying issues.
He wrote, โSo now vigils are the reason Nigeria isnโt productive? The mentality of blaming church attendance for Nigeriaโs problems is very misguided and, at best, an insult.โ
He further argued that if productivity was the primary concern, then other social events, including recreational gatherings, comedy shows, and concerts, should also be curtailed.
โVigils are commonly held on Fridays, right before the weekend. If we want to be productive, why not also ban recreational events, comedy shows, and concertsโin fact, ban every social gathering?โ he added.
In a follow-up post, the gospel artist and actor emphasized that Nigeria could be both religious and prosperous, rejecting the notion that the two are mutually exclusive
Also to the comment, several X.com users have shared their opinion
#Daniel Regha said, โPeter Obi is talking about politics & church, imagine the hypocrisy. Coming from the same person who was seen attending different churches during the campaign season? Why didn’t he talk about turning night vigils into night shifts back then, or the churches he attended don’t hold night vigils? Some things are better left unsaid, he made zero points.โ
#Solomon Buchi also said, โItโs insulting to Christians to push a narrative that we are lazy because of church activities. Like Peter Obi shouldnโt have insinuated that, because itโs still those Christians supporting him to win and create a better Nigeria.โ
#Lekan Olayinka also wrote, โPeter Obi was wrong to draw a correlation between church attendance and economic productivity. First, there are more Muslims in Nigeria than Christians so more than half of the workforce is not Christian. I don’t know any church that holds services every day. It’s flawed logic.โ
