Joshua Mike-Bamiloye Responds to Peter Obi’s Comments on Church Vigils and Productivity

 

Joshua Mike-Bamiloye, the son of celebrated Mount Zion filmmaker and evangelist Mike Bamiloye, recently responded to comments by Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, regarding the role of church activities in Nigeria’s productivity. Speaking on the Honest Bunch podcast, Obi suggested that church night vigils should be replaced with night shifts to improve work productivity. He expressed concerns that frequent church activities might be detracting from work culture, stating, “We are going to turn night vigil into night shift so that people can be productive.”

During the podcast, Obi remarked, “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, are in church morning and night. If I go from here to my house, the only signboards you see are those of churches. If you go to the East, it’s burials, and that’s not a country.”

Joshua Mike-Bamiloye, a gospel artist and filmmaker in his own right, responded sharply to Obi’s statements, calling them misguided and dismissive. He argued that church gatherings, particularly night vigils, are not to blame for Nigeria's productivity issues and criticized the notion that these activities detract from the workforce. In a tweet, he said, "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."

Mike-Bamiloye suggested that the true causes of Nigeria's productivity challenges lie elsewhere, pointing to deeper systemic issues rather than church activities. He added a humorous note to his response, attributing Obi’s perspective to the hot Nigerian weather, joking that it might be “impairing some people’s thinking.”

The exchange has sparked debate on social media, with opinions divided over the role of religion in national productivity and the balance between spiritual gatherings and work culture in Nigeria.