Paul Enenche, the senior pastor at Dunamis International Gospel Centre, recently addressed the incident involving a woman who claimed to have graduated in law from the Open University of Nigeria (NOUN).
He stated that his intention was not to cause embarrassment to the testifier, Ayim Vera, when he interrupted her testimony on Sunday.
A video that circulated on Sunday, April 14, showed the woman on the pulpit, testifying about her graduation with a “Bachelor of Law” degree from NOUN on Saturday, April 13.
During her testimony, Enenche interrupted her, stating that a “BSc in Law” does not exist, which led to doubts about the veracity of her claims.
The incident sparked widespread attention on social media, with many Nigerians calling for Enenche to issue an apology.
In his statement, Enenche explained that his actions were driven by his and the church’s aversion to apparent dishonesty or mediocrity.
Sylvester Edoh, the Personal Assistant to Pastor Enenche, also mentioned that the church had personally reached out to Vera.
A statement signed by Edoh stated: “A situation arose on Sunday, April 14, 2024, at the Glory Dome, the Global Headquarters of Dunamis International Gospel Centre, when Ms. Anyim Veronica Nnenna testified about how God assisted her in graduating from the university, making her the first in her family to achieve this milestone.
“The immediate causes for this event were as follows: Firstly, the testifier’s use of basic spoken English gave the impression that she did not meet the minimum standard expected of a graduate, particularly a Law graduate. Secondly, her claim of studying Law for 10 years raised questions about the nature of her degree.
Thirdly, she could not specify the correct law degree, which is LLB, instead claiming it was a BSc in Law, a qualification not widely recognized as a law degree in Nigeria or globally.
This led Senior Pastor Dr. Paul Enenche to immediately halt the testimony, deeming it a lie.
However, it was later verified that she indeed graduated from a university. It should be emphasized that the intention was not to publicly embarrass the testifier or to cause a media uproar; the incident occurred spontaneously.
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The Senior Pastor’s actions were driven by his and the church’s disdain for mediocrity and any semblance of dishonesty.
While our commitment to excellence and rejection of mediocrity and falsehood remains firm, we want to stress that the Senior Pastor never intended any harm or hurt towards Ms. Anyim Veronica.
The Senior Pastor is deeply troubled and has reached out to her. We, as a Commission, apologize for any distress, harm, or embarrassment this regrettable incident has caused Ms. Anyim Veronica Nnenna.
