Nigerian singer Timi Dakolo has found himself in a heated exchange with Apostle Femi Lazarus, as a contentious debate unfolds over the financial dynamics of spiritual engagements. The uproar ignited when Apostle Lazarus took to social media, sharing what he claimed was an invoice from a gospel artist demanding an eye-watering $10,000 honorarium. And that wasn't all; the artist purportedly required a 50% non-refundable deposit, first-class flights, and luxurious accommodations. For Lazarus, such requests seemed exorbitant and contradictory to the ethos of spiritual work, stirring an online debate among followers and critics alike.
Dakolo, known for his soulful melodies and strong opinions, quickly challenged the legitimacy of the invoice Lazarus presented. He argued that the logistics of a 40-person crew seemed implausible and urged the public to be wary of misinformation. But Dakolo didn't stop at refuting the invoice. He flipped the narrative back to Lazarus, drawing attention to the cleric's own financial operations. Pointing out that Lazarus' ministry school charges each student $150, with differentiated premium and standard packages, Dakolo questioned why gospel singers should face criticism for their fees while preachers, including Lazarus, monetize their teachings.
Delving deeper, Dakolo laid bare the potential earnings from the ministry school, estimating that if 1,000 students enrolled, the revenue could be substantial. This analytics-based critique underlined Dakolo's assertion that Lazarus, by setting varying charge tiers for spiritual education, effectively sails in the same boat of commercializing religious work—a point of hypocrisy, according to Dakolo.
For Dakolo, the heart of the matter lies in the ethical standards applied to those sharing and performing religious messages. He contends that charging for what should be divinely inspired spiritual guidance is akin to transforming hope and faith into tradable commodities. This, in his view, undermines the very essence of being a true minister of the gospel. Both gospel musicians and preachers, he argues, should be held to consistent ethical scrutiny, as the line between ministry and commerce increasingly blurs.
