Senior Pastor Paul Enenche of Dunamis International Gospel Centre has addressed the recent situation involving Ayim Vera, who testified about graduating from the Open University of Nigeria (NOUN).
Enenche made it clear that his interruption during Vera’s testimony wasn’t meant to embarrass her. Vera shared her accomplishment of earning a “Bachelor of Law” degree from NOUN in a widely circulated video on April 13.
However, Enenche’s interruption, questioning the validity of a “Bachelor of Science in Law,” triggered widespread online discussion, prompting calls for an apology. Yet, in his defense, Enenche explained that his actions were rooted in the church’s commitment to honesty and excellence.
Sylvester Edoh, Enenche’s Personal Assistant, mentioned that the church had reached out to Vera privately to address the situation. He stressed that the interruption wasn’t meant to publicly embarrass Vera, but rather to maintain standards of truth and excellence.
“A scenario was created on Sunday, April 14, 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,” the statement reads.
“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 ten 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 and 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 has 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.”
