Paul Enenche, senior pastor of Dunamis International Gospel Centre, spoke out on Monday about the scandal involving a woman who claimed to be a “B.SC graduate of law” from the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN).
The pastor claimed that when he interfered during Vera Ayim’s testimony on Sunday, he had no intention of embarrassing her.
On Sunday, Vera appeared on the altar of Dunamis Church to share her testimony of how God made her the “only graduate in her family.”
During her testimony, Vera stated that she graduated from NOUN with a “BSc in Law”.
Pastor Enenche asked what kind of degree she graduated with, and she responded “B.Sc in Law.”
The preacher was outraged and accused Vera of lying.
The matter sparked a social media frenzy, with Nigerians demanding that Enenche apologise.
In response, Enenche stated that his actions were motivated by his and the church’s dislike of seeming mediocre and deceptive.
Enenche, through his Personal Assistant Sylvester Edoh, confirmed that he has personally contacted Vera.
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A statement signed by Edoh reads: “A scenario was created on Sunday the 14th April, 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 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 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, 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.”
Enenche promised Vera of his devotion to her physical well-being as well as spiritual development.
