Testimony: Pastor Enenche apologises for humiliating Vera Anyim
The Senior Pastor of the Dunamis International Gospel Centre, Pastor Paul Enenche, has apologised for branding Ms Anyim Veronica Nnenna a liar during her testimony at the church on Sunday.
Eneche had stopped Anyim while testifying how she emerged as the first graduate in her family at the Dunamis International Gospel Centre, Abuja.
Anyim had said that she read law at the National Open University of Nigeria(NOUN).
However, when Pastor Eneche asked what degree she graduated with, she said ‘’Law”, and on further questioning, she said she was awarded BSc.
The Pastor then accused her of lying and asked her to leave the altar.
The incident has gone viral on social media with many condemning Enenche for shaming an innocent lady who truly got a degree.
However, Dunamis, in a statement on Monday apologised, saying a scenario was created on Sunday the 14th April, 2024 at the Glory Dome, the Global Headquarters of Dunamis Intemational Gospel Centre, when Anyim 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 10 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 Fnenche 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,” the church said in the statement issued by Sylvester Edoh, Personal Assistant/Secretary to Pastor Enenche.
The church said “it must be pointed out clearly that embarrassing the testifier publicly with the attendant media frenzy was never intended,” saying whatever happened was under the spur of the moment.
It added that 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, 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 had 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. We remain committed to her physical welfare as well as her spiritual growth,” the church stated.