Apostle Arome: Tonto Dikeh Reacts As Femi Lazarus Addresses Controversial Preaching on Nigeria

• Apostle Femi Lazarus took to social media to call out the mockery directed at Apostle Arome Osayi over his recent sermon on Nigeria
• Tonto Dikeh weighed in on the debate by reacting to Femi Lazarus' Instagram post, drawing attention from fans and netizens
• VeryDarkMan and Solomon Buchi both pushed back on Apostle Arome's message, raising questions about religion and Nigeria's development

Actress-turned-evangelist Tonto Dikeh has signalled where she stands in the growing online debate over Apostle Arome Osayi's controversial sermon by liking a post from cleric Femi Lazarus calling for restraint from those attacking the preacher.

Tonto's reaction drew fresh attention to the dispute, which has divided voices across Nigerian social media over the past several days.

Femi Lazarus stepped into the conversation after Apostle Arome's sermon on Nigeria's divine mandate began attracting sharp criticism from several prominent public figures.

Lazarus urged fellow Christians to practise disagreement without resorting to ridicule or personal attacks.

"We will not always agree. Preachers will not always be right. Context matters, and we must learn to extend grace always. Apostle Arome is ours. A gift to the body. That attack on him and mockery is unacceptable. We can disagree while maintaining ethical boundaries. Unfortunately, this is what we get when we in the body ourselves tear each other down. Apostle Arome is a gift; we can disagree honourably," Lazarus wrote.

What Apostle Arome said about Nigeria

The storm began after Apostle Arome Osayi delivered a sermon arguing that Nigeria carries a unique spiritual calling that cannot be reduced to economic comparisons with manufacturing giants like China.

He framed the country's ongoing struggles as a product of spiritual opposition rather than institutional failure, and urged ministers to deepen their readiness for greater responsibilities.

“Our calling as a nation is revival. God wants to generate something from here that He will export to the nations of the world. This is His covenant with this nation. We are a key player, we are a stakeholder in end time matters. We are not seeing beyond the Naira, we are not seeing beyond Aso Rock. He is using the ground to mature you so that He can send you to the place where you will manifest the strength of your scepter. We will not retreat! We will not surrender,” he said

See a picture of Tonto's action on Femi Lazarus' post:

VDM and Solomon Buchi push back

Social media activist Martins Vincent Otse, widely known as VeryDarkMan, offered one of the bluntest responses. He argued that the country's fixation on miracles has stifled innovation and genuine technological progress.

While conceding that Nigerians possess strong intellectual capacity, he maintained this talent is rarely put to productive use, and defended citizens who travel abroad to acquire technical skills.

Social commentator Solomon Buchi took a different approach, raising concerns about moral credibility. He questioned how a country with one of the highest concentrations of churches in the world continues to struggle with pervasive corruption and dishonesty, arguing that Christianity in Nigeria has lost much of the integrity it once carried.

The wider debate touches on a tension that frequently resurfaces in Nigerian public life: the relationship between religious fervour and national development, with deeply held views on both sides.

Apostle Arome Osayi's church member apologises for cheating

Legit.ng reported that a church member identified as Zamo Abraham mounted the pulpit to publicly confess to being unfaithful to his wife, Mbameng Christiana, in front of the congregation.

During his testimony, Zamo explained that his wife had discovered his affairs on multiple occasions, including once finding a woman identified as Gladys Pintus in his hotel room.

Despite his infidelity, he said his wife remained with him and continued to pray for him. The couple later renewed their vows, while Apostle Arome’s response to the testimony sparked widespread reactions online.