Apostle Emmanuel Iren has weighed in on the ongoing debate regarding the impact of church vigils on national productivity.
The cleric was seen in a viral video dismissing Peter Obi’s comments on “turning night vigils to night shifts.”
The Labour Party candidate had made the statement while appearing on a podcast hosted by popular radio host, Chinedu Ani Emmanuel.
In a statement posted on his social media pages, Apostle Iren said: “For the records, I have been an avid Peter Obi supporter. I posted a picture of us on this platform.
“Ironically, just about a month ago, I praised him for his culture of modesty, and how Christians should emulate that.”
However, the apostle expressed concerns over the remark by Obi, which he found problematic.
Apostle Iren pointed out that while there are Christians who focus solely on prayer rather than taking action to build a better nation, “No amount of prayer will be substitute for productive labour, and electing the right people to lead the nation.”
Addressing the comparison between church vigils and night shifts, Iren argued that the suggestion was a false dilemma.
“To insinuate that instead of vigils we should have night shifts is a fallacy of false dilemma. Even in more developed countries, most people don’t work night shifts.
“Church vigils are not the reason people don’t work night shifts. If you want more morning, afternoon or night shifts, hold the government accountable! Even then, let people do what they want to do with their personal time,” he said.
Iren also criticized the generalization that church vigils are held “Mondays to Fridays and both morning and night,” stating that such claims misrepresent the reality of church activities.
“Almost no Church holds vigils ‘Mondays to Fridays and both morning and night.’ I know this will still fly over some heads, so let me break it down:
“Thrice a week may be a lot, but it is not everyday. Having 20 days of vigil is still not everyday. Also, most multiple meetings in churches are had by different subgroups of people in church and not everyone,” he explained.
He further described the argument as a “straw man,” used to present an exaggerated scenario to win an argument.
The apostle also pushed back against the notion that attending church multiple times a week harms national productivity.
“If the average Christian does not go to Church more than twice (or at most thrice) a week, the generalization reflects a bias.
“Going to the gym that many times is not too much. Socializing that many times a week is not too much. But going to Church is hurting the productivity of the nation? That is simply dishonest,” he said.
For those who may not share the same beliefs, Iren acknowledged, “If you aren’t a believer and you see no point in spiritual exercise, I understand. But even then, people should have the right to do what they want with their personal time.”
Finally, Iren pointed to the positive contributions churches have made to national productivity, saying: “The Church has helped the nation’s productivity in a tangible way.
“There are a lot of soft skills that are developed in Church. Music, photography, videography to mention a few. Even most of the secular artistes honed their gift in Church,”
Iren concluded by reiterating his continued support for Peter Obi’s ideologies, while respectfully disagreeing with the specific statement.
“This is not to discredit the person of Mr. Peter Obi. I just beg to differ, which I very well have the right to as a stakeholder. I remain a supporter of his ideologies,” he concluded.