In a forceful sermon addressing Nigeria's ongoing security and religious tensions, Bishop David Oyedepo, founder of the Living Faith Church (Winners' Chapel), has declared that Nigeria can never be overtaken by Islamic domination, framing recent international military intervention as part of a divine plan.
Speaking at the church's headquarters in Ota, Ogun State, Oyedepo directly referenced the Christmas Day US airstrikes in Sokoto State, suggesting that the international action aligns with a spiritual assurance he claimed to have received. "For the first time in nearly 20 years the persecutors are smelling," he stated, drawing a connection between geopolitical events and a perceived shift in the spiritual battle over the nation.
A Blunt Declaration of National Destiny
The influential Pentecostal leader made his core message unequivocal, invoking a powerful metaphor: "I said it with a very loud sound of the trumpet that Nigeria will never be Islamised and can never be Islamised." This statement reinforces his long-held position on Nigeria's religious future, asserting that the country's current pluralistic landscape is both permanent and divinely protected from transformation into an Islamic state.
Oyedepo framed the fight against terrorism as a "broader battle" requiring both unwavering faith and practical engagement. He argued that persistent extremist violence threatens not only lives but the nation's foundational "moral and social cohesion." In his view, the combination of "spiritual commitment" and cooperation with "national and international partners" like the United States is essential to preserving Nigeria's character.
Framing International Intervention as Spiritual Victory
The bishop's sermon positioned the US military action as more than a geopolitical event; he portrayed it as evidence of growing "international awareness and intervention" that he believes was spiritually foretold. He recalled previous personal divine assurances that Nigeria's struggle against terrorism was "already secured," suggesting that recent developments are the materialization of that spiritual promise.
Oyedepo concluded by reaffirming his belief in Nigeria's resilient destiny, encouraging citizens to remain steadfast. His message aimed to reassure his congregation and the wider public that external forces, whether militant or ideological, cannot ultimately alter the nation's divinely guided path, which he sees as secured by faith and now bolstered by international alliance.
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