By Sola Ojewusi
Pastor Dr. Paul Enenche of Dunamis International Gospel Centre has issued a heartfelt apology to Ms. Veronica Anyim Nnenna following a misunderstanding that occurred during her testimony at the church’s Glory Dome on April 14, 2024.
Ms. Anyim, who recently graduated from the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), was sharing her achievement of being the first university graduate in her family when discrepancies in her account led to an interruption of her testimony by Pastor Enenche. Concerns were raised over her description of obtaining a BSc in Law, which is not typically recognized as a Law degree in Nigeria, and her language proficiency, which seemed below the expected standard for a Law graduate.
The interruption, meant to address perceived inaccuracies, inadvertently caused Ms. Anyim public embarrassment and sparked a media frenzy. The church later verified Ms. Anyim’s credentials and confirmed her graduation, recognizing that the degree nomenclature and her expression might have been misunderstood.
In a statement released by Sylvester Edoh, the Personal Assistant/Secretary to the Senior Pastor, Dunamis International Gospel Centre expressed regret over the incident, stating it was never their intention to embarrass Ms. Anyim or question her achievements inappropriately. The statement highlighted that the incident occurred spontaneously and was influenced by the church’s high standards for truthfulness and excellence.
Pastor Enenche personally reached out to Ms. Anyim to apologize, ensuring that her physical welfare and spiritual growth remain a priority for the church. The church reaffirmed its commitment to supporting her and rectifying the unfortunate misunderstanding.
Below is the text of the press release :
“AN OFFICIAL STATEMENT ON MS ANYIM VERONICA NNENNA’S TESTIMONY.
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. We remain committed to her physical welfare as well as her spiritual growth.
God bless us all.
Sylvester Edoh,
Personal Assistant/Secretary to the Senior Pastor,
Dunamis Int’l Gospel Centre.”