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, Obi’s comments about vigils have sparked widespread debate online, with many questioning his stance on religious gatherings and their impact on Nigeria’s 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, “It’s attractive, politics and church, but it has to be dismantled.
“We are going to turn night vigil into night shift so that people can be productive.
“I go to church and believe in God, but we can’t 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.
“If you go to the East, it’s burials, and that’s not a country.”
Reacting to the comment, Bamiloye, who took to social media platform X amid the ongoing debate off Obi’s remarks, addressed what he described as a misrepresentation of the nation’s underlying issues.
He wrote, “So now vigils are the reason Nigeria isn’t productive? The mentality of blaming church attendance for Nigeria’s problems is very misguided and, at best, an insult.”
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.
“Vigils are commonly held on Fridays, right before the weekend. If we want to be productive, why not also ban recreational events, comedy shows, and concerts—in fact, ban every social gathering?” 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, “Peter 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.”
#Solomon Buchi also said, “It’s insulting to Christians to push a narrative that we are lazy because of church activities. Like Peter Obi shouldn’t have insinuated that, because it’s still those Christians supporting him to win and create a better Nigeria.”
#Lekan Olayinka also wrote, “Peter 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.”
