Gospel singer Femi Lazarus has joined the ongoing conversation surrounding Apostle Arome Osayi’s recent sermon, calling on Christians to handle disagreements with respect rather than resorting to insults, mockery or personal attacks.
Lazarus shared his thoughts on social media as the debate over Osayi’s comments continued to generate reactions from Nigerians and Christian voices online.
Femi Lazarus defends respectful disagreement
While acknowledging that preachers can make mistakes and that Christians may hold different interpretations, Lazarus urged people to approach such disagreements with grace.
He described Apostle Arome Osayi as an important figure within the Christian community and condemned the personal attacks directed at him.
“We will not always agree. Preachers will not always be right. Context matters, and we must learn to extend grace always. Apostle Arome is ours. A gift to the body. That attack on him and mockery is unacceptable. We can disagree while maintaining ethical boundaries.
Unfortunately, this is what we get when we in the body ourselves tear each other down. Apostle Arome is a gift; we can disagree honourably.”
Controversy over Arome Osayi’s sermon
The debate began after Apostle Arome Osayi delivered a sermon in which he spoke about what he described as Nigeria’s divine calling.
Osayi argued that the country’s purpose should not be judged solely through economic performance or comparisons with industrialised nations such as China.
He maintained that nations could have different spiritual assignments and described Nigeria as having a significant role in global Christian revival.
The cleric also linked some of the country’s challenges to spiritual factors and urged ministers to prepare themselves for what he described as greater responsibilities.
His comments subsequently attracted criticism from several social media personalities and commentators.
VDM and Solomon Buchi react
Social media activist Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, strongly disagreed with Osayi’s position.
VDM argued that an excessive focus on miracles and religious intervention could discourage Nigerians from pursuing innovation and technological development.
He also maintained that Nigerians have the intellectual ability to compete globally, while defending those who travel abroad to acquire technical knowledge and later return home to apply it.
Meanwhile, social commentator Solomon Buchi approached the issue from the perspective of morality and civic responsibility.
Buchi questioned whether the large number of churches in Nigeria has translated into corresponding improvements in the conduct of citizens.
He also recalled a period when Christianity was strongly associated with honesty and integrity, arguing that the perception has changed over time.
Femi Lazarus calls for restraint
Amid the growing disagreement, Lazarus urged Christians to separate criticism of an idea from attacks against the person expressing it.
His intervention adds another perspective to the debate, which has continued to centre on the role of religion, spirituality, innovation and moral responsibility in Nigeria’s development.
The discussion has generated varying opinions online, with different personalities defending their interpretations of Osayi’s message and what they believe the church’s role in society should be.
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