Nigeria Pastor Emmanuel Iren Slams Peter Obi Over Night Vigil Comments

Pastor Emmanuel Iren responds to Peter Obi's comments about transforming religious vigils into night shifts, arguing that such remarks are misguided. Iren suggests that a lack of job opportunities, rather than religion, is the reason Nigerians attend vigils.

Pastor Emmanuel Iren has strongly criticized Peter Obi’s recent comments about Nigeria’s focus on religion, specifically his suggestion to transform night vigils into night shifts. Iren challenged Obi by asking if he would make the same criticism about people who spend time in the gym or socializing with friends, questioning whether these activities also wasted "economic hours." He argued that it was inappropriate for someone with a governmental background, like Obi, to make such a suggestion, calling it “gaslighting.”

Iren went on to assert that if the government provided more jobs, Nigerians would not resort to prayers or vigils to cope with their economic struggles. The pastor’s response came after Obi’s remarks in an interview on the Honest Bunch podcast, where he expressed frustration with Nigeria’s widespread poverty and low productivity. Obi blamed the nation’s preoccupation with politics and religion for these issues, suggesting that the time spent in church attending vigils would be better spent working during the night.