Africa
On Pastor Chris Okafor’s Apology -By Albert Afeso Akanbi
The church is meant to be a refuge, not a marketplace of deceit. Until leaders are held accountable, scandals like Okafor’s will continue to erode faith in religious institutions. Nigerians deserve pastors who embody integrity, not performers who kneel today and exploit tomorrow.
For me, Pastor Chris Okafor’s public kneeling and apology over the Doris Ogala scandal is not a sign of repentance but another chapter in the long playbook of false prophets who use theatrics to manipulate followers. If anything, this apology is an admission of guilt, meaning Doris Ogala has been right all along!
So, at best, what Pastor Okafor did is simply a familiar script of gimmicks. Pastor Chris Okafor of Grace Nation Bible Ministry kneeling before his congregation to beg forgiveness after Nollywood actress Doris Ogala exposed their years-long affair and made many other scandalous accusations, is just déjà vu. We’ve witnessed this spectacle before: remember Stephanie Otobo’s explosive revelations about Apostle Johnson Suleman of Omega Fire Ministries? He too knelt, cried, and staged a dramatic plea. These gestures are not acts of humility but gimmicks designed to pacify followers and preserve their trade and influence.
These are tears without transformation. The pattern of these men is clear: a decadent life of wrongdoing, exposure, denial, kneeling, tears, and continuation of the old ways. This is the way of these men. And one of the evidence to prove this is Apostle Sulieman’s own confession, long after the Otobo scandal. Sulieman said he walked in on one of their so-called fathers of faith having something with a lady. He said he cunningly took the woman’s phone afterwards and deleted the evidence from the phone. That’s is why if one observes Sulieman very well today, one would see that he has made himself a safe haven for fake upcoming pastors to gravitate towards, so much so that his phone recording with one Prof Ex was leaked, and in that phone conversation, he was begging on behalf of Pastor Jeremiah Fufeyin.
Look, I am not saying anybody is perfect, but if you stand in front of an altar to preach, simply practice what you preach. If you know you can’t, then leave the altar and come and join the rest of us on this other side!
False prophets know their empire rests on falsehood and emotional manipulation. They cry today, but tomorrow they return to the same exploitative practices. The question remains: what happens to the countless people they have swindled, cheated, and spiritually abused?
Too many pastors speak as though they are invincible, untouchable, and above human frailty. Pastor Chris for example, once said he can’t fall sick, and that he raised over 50 people from the dead. How do you expect people to process these sorts of comments from these men? How do you expect them to react when they see him taking drips in a hospital? This arrogance breeds abuse. Religious leaders must stop presenting themselves as demi-gods. They are human, prone to error, and must be held accountable like everyone else.
Chris Okafor must resign. Leadership in the church is a sacred trust, and once broken, it cannot be patched with crocodile tears.
The government must look into Doris Ogala’s confessions and then prosecute where necessary. And there is still the pending case of the woman with a bad hand that this same Chris Okafor and about five other pastors fraudulently used to fake a miracle. The woman confessed, saying they only paid her 3000 naira! Chris needs to answer for that and many others.
Allegations of fraud, money laundering, manipulation, exploitation, or abuse, etc., that have been trailing these men should not be swept under the carpet because of clerical robes.
PFN (Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria) and CAN (Christian Association of Nigeria) must act, especially CAN, which should take a break from chasing after Ini Edo and face its pastors who are doing more harm!
These umbrella bodies must establish strict vetting and disciplinary measures to keep charlatans from the pulpit. Silence only emboldens wolves in sheep’s clothing.
The church is meant to be a refuge, not a marketplace of deceit. Until leaders are held accountable, scandals like Okafor’s will continue to erode faith in religious institutions. Nigerians deserve pastors who embody integrity, not performers who kneel today and exploit tomorrow.
Pastor Chris Okafor’s kneeling is not repentance—it is performance. The time for crocodile tears is over. The time for accountability, resignation, and prosecution is now.
Albert Afeso Akanbi is Creative Director @DopplerFilmz Production LTD
