Dunamis Church apologises to woman after questioning testimony

Paul Enenche, the senior pastor of Dunamis International Gospel Centre, has addressed the recent situation involving a woman, Ayim Vera, who testified about graduating from the Open University of Nigeria (NOUN).

Enenche said he didn't mean to embarrass Vera when he interrupted her testimony.

In a widely circulated video, Vera shared her achievement of obtaining a "Bachelor of Law" degree from NOUN on April 13.

During her testimony, Enenche interrupted and asserted that a Bachelor of Science in Law doesn't exist, raising questions about its validity.

This sparked widespread discussion online, with Nigerians calling for an apology from Enenche.

In his defence, Enenche explained that his actions stemmed from his and the church's aversion to dishonesty or mediocrity.

Sylvester Edoh, Enenche's Personal Assistant, mentioned that the church had privately contacted Vera to address the situation.

The signed statement reads: "A scenario was created on Sunday April 14 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 ten 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 a "lie.

"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 and 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 has 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."