The headquarters of the Dunamis International Gospel Centre in Abuja has said that its senior Pastor, Dr. Paul Enenche, has no plan whatsoever to harm, hurt or embarrass Ms. Anyim Veronica following the incident at the church service about her academic status on Sunday.
Veronica had testified that she graduated from the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) the previous day on Saturday and obtained a B.Sc degree in Law. But, a livid Pastor Enenche interjected, accusing the lady of lying because, according to him, it’s either she obtained an LL.B or she didn’t attend the school at all as there was no B.Sc degree in Law.
However, social media has been abuzz with photos of Miss Veronica Anyim from her graduation day and a list confirming her as a graduate of the Department of Law at NOUN, a development that has subjected the church and her senior Pastor to a barrage of criticisms from netizens with many calling for an apology for the lady.
But, in a statement on Monday evening signed by the Personal Assistant/Secretary to the Senior Pastor, Sylvester Edoh, the Dunamis International Gospel Centre defended itself and its senior Pastor, saying reports of the incident in both conventional and social media were done out of context.
“A scenario was created on Sunday the 14th of 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,” it said.
The church noted 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. God bless us all,” it stated.
