Joshua Mike-Bamiloye, son of renowned Mount Zion filmmaker and evangelist Mike Bamiloye, recently responded to statements made by Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, about the impact of church activities on Nigeria’s productivity. Obi, speaking on the Honest Bunch podcast, suggested that church night vigils should be replaced with night shifts to boost the nation’s productivity. He suggested that the extensive presence of churches and frequent vigils detract from work culture, stating, “We are going to turn night vigil into night shift so that people can be productive.”
Obi said at the podcast;
“It’s attractive, politics and church but it has to be dismantled. We are going to turn night vigil into night shift so that people can be productive.
“I go to church and believe in God but we can’t have it that people Monday to Friday, be in church morning and night. If I go from here to my house, the only sign boards you see are those of churches. If you go to the East, it’s burials and that’s not a country.”
In a sharp response, Joshua Mike-Bamiloye, who has made a name for himself as a gospel artist and filmmaker, expressed his disapproval of Obi’s comments, calling them misguided and even insulting. He argued that blaming church attendance for Nigeria’s productivity issues fails to address the real underlying problems. “Vigils are commonly held on Fridays, right before the weekend. If we want to be productive, why not also ban recreational events, comedy shows, concerts—in fact, ban every social gathering,” he countered in a tweet.
Joshua went on to suggest that Nigeria’s productivity challenges are not caused by church gatherings but rather by deeper, unresolved issues. He ended his response on a humorous note, attributing such ideas to Nigeria’s hot weather, which he joked might be impairing some people’s thinking.
