Senior Pastor of Dunamis International Gospel Centre, Dr Paul Enenche, has explained the reason behind his widely discussed rejection of a N30 million cash donation presented by representatives of Kebbi State Governor, Mohammed Nasir Idris.
Enenche, addressing his congregation during a Sunday sermon at the Dunamis headquarters in Abuja, said the rejection of the donation was not a personal affront to Governor Idris, but rather a long-standing principle he has maintained throughout his ministry.
“For some people, that may be a surprise because they don’t know who we are. But those who know us, that’s no surprise at all.
“That’s how we’ve lived, and that’s what we’ve stood for,” he told the church, referencing over two decades of consistently declining financial gestures from government quarters.
It would be recalled that the incident occurred during a recent large-scale outdoor crusade held by the Dunamis Church in Kebbi State.
During the event, a delegation from the state governor reportedly attempted to donate N30 million in cash to the ministry, a gesture that Pastor Enenche firmly rejected on the spot.
Expanding on the philosophy behind his actions, the fiery preacher recalled several other instances where he had declined monetary or material gifts from political or government-related sources, even when such offers came in the name of honorariums or goodwill.
He narrated how, in 2014, he was invited to Jerusalem on a presidential pilgrimage alongside then-President Goodluck Jonathan and other government officials.
Despite being officially selected as a guest speaker for the Sunday service during the trip, Enenche said he paid his airfare personally, turning down the Christian Pilgrims Welfare Board’s offer to foot the bill.
“By the time we returned, the board chairman, John Kennedy, then Professor John Kennedy, brought an offering and said this is their honorarium to me for going. I said no,” Enenche recalled.
He further stated that despite Jonathan attending services at the Dunamis Church on at least two occasions during his presidency, there was never any financial exchange between the former president and the church.
Pointing toward the church structure during his sermon, Enenche declared, “Government funds are not in this project, not one naira.”
The pastor emphasised that his public clarification was necessary to affirm that the Kebbi incident was not isolated, but part of a long-standing standard he upholds in his ministry.
“This is not new. This is a principle I have lived with for many years. What happened in Kebbi wasn’t about the governor or politics, it was about what I believe in,” he stated.
Further illustrating his resolve, Enenche recounted another event involving former Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom.
The pastor said Ortom invited him to Makurdi to offer leadership talks and prayers during the inauguration of his cabinet. Again, Enenche said he funded his trip independently.
He added that although one of Ortom’s commissioners was instructed to offer him an official honorarium, the governor personally told the commissioner not to bother as “he will not receive it.”
Despite the commissioner’s persistence in delivering the package, Pastor Enenche declined.
“I said I would rather not touch any dime of government money,” he said.
He also recounted how Ortom once offered him some pocket money, which he refused after asking whether the funds came from security votes.
“I said, ‘I’m sure this is not from security votes. Please keep it, I’m okay.’”
In another striking account, Enenche said he once turned down a vehicle donation from a childhood friend who had become a minister.
The bus was believed to have been acquired with public funds, and the pastor said he couldn’t accept it in good conscience.
“I refused because I wasn’t sure the money used was clean. I would rather not be compromised,” he noted.
Enenche explained that his refusal to accept government money is deeply rooted in a desire to maintain the moral independence required to speak truth to power.
“Whatever I receive from the government, I may not be in a position to tell the government the truth. That’s not a price I’m willing to pay,” he concluded.
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