By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
Senior pastor of the Dunamis International Gospel Centre, Abuja, Paul Enenche has reacted to the backlash from Nigerians following an incident in his church on Sunday.
Enenche had questioned a testifier, Veronica Anyim who claimed to have graduated with a “BSc in Law” from NOUN.
He accused the lady of lying, saying she didn’t sound like a Law graduate, going by how she spoke.
He also told her that there is nothing like a “BSc in Law” and demanded that she leaves the pulpit.
The development had sparked widespread public outrage, prompting many Nigerians demanding a public apology from Pastor Enenche and the church.
Reacting to the backlash, the Dunamis Church in a statement by the pastor’s secretary, Sylvester Edoh, said it regrets every inconvenience, hurt, and embarrassment the scenario has caused the testifier.
Read full statement below:
A scenario was created on Sunday the 14th April, 2024 at the Glory Dome, the Global Headquarters of Dunamis International Gospel Centre, when Ms Anyim Veronica Nnenna came out to testify of how God helped her graduate from the University, thus making her the first person to attain that feat in her family.
“These were the immediate triggers for the said scenario:
“First, listening to the testifier’s expressions as it borders on basic spoken English, conveys the impression that the minimum standard expectation of a graduate, especially a graduate of Law, was not met.
“Second, stating that she studied Law for 10 years begged the question of what her degree actually was.
“Third, she was unable to state exactly what the correct degree was for Law which is LLB, rather she said it was a BSc in Law which is largely unknown as a Law degree in Nigeria and possibly globally.
“These prompted the Senior Pastor Dr. Paul Enenche to stop the testimony immediately as a product of ahe”. However, relief came when it was later confirmed that she actually graduated from a university.
“It must be pointed out clearly here that embarrassing the testifier publicly with the attendant media frenzy was never intended; whatever happened was under the spur of the moment.
“The action of the Senior Pastor was rather based on his and the church’s aversion to seeming mediocrity and any appearance of untruth.
“While we remain resolute in our passion for excellence, intolerance of mediocrity, and falsehood, we wish to reiterate the fact that no harm or hurt was ever intended by the Senior Pastor against Ms. Anyim Veronica. The Senior Pastor feels deeply concerned and had already reached out to her.
“As a Commission, we regret every inconvenience, hurt, and embarrassment this unfortunate scenario has caused to Ms. Anyim Veronica Nnenna. We remain committed to her physical welfare as well as her spiritual growth.
“God bless us all.”