By Ugochukwu Ugwuanyi
With Bishop David Oyedepo speaking in the same light as the comment that landed Apostle Arome Osayi in the eye of the storm, can the merciless dragging cease already? Can critics now see the sense in the point he was making? Had it not been for the promise that God will keep in perfect peace the one whose heart is stayed in Him, the Apostle would have been said to have known no peace since his juxtaposition of the destinies of Nigeria and China surfaced online. Agnostics have gone beyond the casus belli into having a field day cataloguing Arome’s alleged lies on the pulpit, like his account of an encounter with Jesus in Tanzania.
The founder of the Remnant Christian Network (RCN), while preaching to his congregation on September 22, 2026, told them that the next time they find someone hailing the Chinese for their exploits in manufacturing engines while deriding Nigerians for spending their time on prayers, they should know that such persons “don’t understand that nations have callings. Our calling as a nation is revival… We are supposed to be a nation that will fill the gap of missionary manpower so that the gospel of the Kingdom will cover the earth.”
This statement has attracted severe backlash, especially from the social crusader, VeryDarkMan, who went as low as mocking Arome’s facial palsy condition. Born Martins Vincent Otse, VDM slammed Arome’s message, arguing that an excessive reliance on prayer, fasting, and spiritual revival instead of practical innovation, infrastructure, and economic advancement holds Nigeria back. He also questioned why the cleric reportedly relocated his family to the United States – a country built on technology and innovation – if Nigeria’s primary calling was strictly spiritual.
While weighing in, Daddy Freeze accused Nigerians who are siding with Arome of having cognitive dissonance. In his words, “You cannot want a better Nigeria and still believe that China should be doing production and we should be doing revival. You cannot accommodate those two thoughts inside one brain. This kind of revival mentality is what brought us to where we are today… If the revival was working, why is he in America? I don’t agree with them insulting him for his facial palsy, but is it not easier for you to heal yourself so that people can see that it is working?” Now, how does one begin to convince people with such a fixated mindset?
What an irreverent generation the people of this age have become. Apostle Ayo Babalola (circa 1931–1959) had a vision that predates and relates to what Arome said, without any activist of that era shouting blue murder. Here is a report of the Christ Apostolic Church leader’s encounter with Heaven: “I saw an angel giving gifts to nations. Some were given gifts of rulership, some were given technology, some were given education. The distribution continued until all the gifts were finished, with me in the queue waiting to receive Nigeria’s portion. So I asked Jesus, ‘What of Nigeria?’ And He said, ‘I will give you the ultimate Gift: the Holy Spirit.’ He is the Spirit of revival; He is an all-in-one package.” Does this sound familiar?
Despite the arcane and esoteric dimension of Christianity, the uninitiated still claim to be custodians of its wisdom and praxis. They consider those who sit under men of God’s teaching to be gullible, as they emphasise reason over faith. But they keep missing it because “the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” (1 Corinthians 2:14).
There are, however, times when this plays out in the open, like the video where Pastor Mrs Folu Adeboye – wife of the Redeemed Church General Overseer – disclosed that “the former Vice President (Yemi Osinbajo) went to speak on my behalf at the United Nations. In the African missions meeting, we are collaborating with other nations on Vision 2033, where we want 100 million people to be saved.” Now, isn’t this the global revival that Arome is talking about and has been reiterated by Bishop Oyedepo? While announcing a 7-day prayer of vengeance against the enemies of the country, the Living Faith founder was categorical that “Nigeria by divine design is leading a wave of spiritual awakening globally.”
Read also:
- Chinese Pastors Visit Winners’ Chapel To Receive ‘Revival Grace’ From Bishop Oyedepo
- Michael Orogbo Tells VDM To Ask Questions, Stay In Your Lane Over Arome’s Revival Message
- Contextualising Bishop Abioye’s Yearning for Nigeria’s Prophet Elijah
With this assertion from the uber-enterprising proprietor of the iconoclastic Covenant University, it means that those who believe in the revivalist calling of Nigeria aren’t anti-GDP or against economic advancement as they are being presented. At least, his Winners Chapel was cited by the techpreneur Iyin Aboyeji, while ranking religious organisations as the second-largest employers of labour in Nigeria. Indeed, productivity and spirituality aren’t mutually exclusive. Pastor Chris Oyakhilome takes spiritual awakening to diverse nations, particularly Latin American countries. His missionary exploits didn’t preclude him from gifting the world its number one devotional or prevent LoveWorld from venturing into electronic vehicle manufacturing and other technological marvels.
What a situational irony that while Arome is harangued for saying that Nigeria’s forte is revival, not building engines like China, a popular pastor in China was at the Canaanland altar in Ogun State affirming the former. After Oyedepo introduced him as one of the great pastors in China with thousands of Churches under his oversight, the Chinese cleric said, “The revival grace right now in the world is in Nigeria. That’s why our pastors come to receive the grace of revival in Nigeria. God told me to come to Nigeria to visit the fathers of the land.” Make of that whatever you may. We are more interested in exposing the solution to the impassioned argument.
God, in His infinite wisdom, informed this His Very Important Servant (VIS) that the raging dissension wouldn’t be necessary if dissenters understood the import of Matthew 6:33. How could they have understood when they don’t believe in the Word? When put in context, that scripture pointedly addresses the naysayers. With the preceding verse stating that “the pagans run after all these things,” doesn’t that effectively describe those who value inventions from China over revival? Verse 33, as the clincher, then assures that even the very same advanced technology that fascinates unbelievers will be fringe benefits of nations that pursue spiritual awakening!
The scripture cannot be broken. The reality of Matthew 6:33 is yet to dawn on cynics because Nigeria hasn’t embraced its destiny. This shouldn’t be surprising, given that even in governance, human and systemic failures have prevented the 66-year-old country from actualising its potential. What makes Bishop Oyedepo repeatedly warn that “Nigeria is a secular state and shall ever remain so” contingents this expectation. Similarly, the dated observation by a visiting group of foreign intercessors, to wit, “The Nigerian Church is five miles wide, but one inch deep,” has remained valid in the present day. That’s to mention a few of the crippling factors.
Speaking about results and internal impacts, Genesis 7:20 can be paraphrased as: mountains can only be covered when the water prevails fifteen cubits higher. After all, it is deep that calleth unto deep!
VIS Ugochukwu is a sage, storyteller and branding specialist who welcomes feedback sent to nmiringwu@gmail.com
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