A renowned Nigerian cleric, Rev Sam Oye, has admonished the country’s political and religious leaders to refrain from unguarded statements over President Donald Trump’s threat to invade Nigeria over alleged “Christian Genocide”.
Rev Oye, who is the founding and senior pastor of The Transforming Church, Gwarinpa, Abuja, warned that since words, particularly rhetoric always cause wars, Christian and Islamic leaders as well as the political class should not inflame the current tense situation in the country with careless statements.
Since Trump issued the military invasion threat to flush out terrorists killing innocent Nigerians, there have been diverse comments on the issue, with most of them inflammatory.
Addressing journalists in the church premises in Gwarinpa yesterday ahead of the TTC’ s annual praise and worship programne, The Encounter, Dr Oye said the event, which starts at 8pm till dawn on Friday, November 7, 2025, will be devoted to praying for Nigeria and its leaders for the wisdom to tackle the security and economic crisises facing the country.
The Encounter is the church’s year-end global praise concert that began in 2015. It is a divine setting for believers to experience the tangible presence of God through worship and praise.
The purpose of this year’s event, according to the cleric, is “rooted in creating an atmosphere for lives to be transformed, faith is renewed and hearts are aligned with God’s will.”
To ease the movement of worshippers to the venue, the church will deploy free buses to major bus stops in the Abuja metropolis and the satellite towns as well as the neighbouring Nasarawa State to convey them.
It has also liaised with security agencies, medical and emergency responders to ensure the safety of life and property during the programne.
The chairman of The Encounter Organising Committee, Pastor Isaiah Emmanuel, said the venue will be made crowd-friendly with green carpet grass to protect worshippers with health challenges.
Among the top 15 Nigerian gospel singers featuring in the event are Tope Alabi, Chioma Jesus, Moses Bliss, Segun John and Naomi Classik.
Commenting on Trump’s threat, Oye urged Nigerians to support the current administration to handle the diplomatic row and security challenges wisely.
He said the Nigerian Armed Forces which have fought wars and brought peace to Liberia, Sierra Leone and other countries are capable of handling rhe terrorists and bandits in the country if well-motivated and equipped with technology.
The cleric urged the government and the military hierarchy to deemphasise the use of foot soldiers and deploy drones and aerial strikes at the terrorists’ enclaves to end their menace.
On the role the church can play in the unfolding scenario, the clergyman said’, “It is not the responsibility of the church to protect the citizens. It is the sole business of government. The church can only pray and advise the government.
“So, at The Encounter Conference, we will pray for the country and the leaders. The country needs stability and the leaders need wisdom to tackle the security challenges
*We don’t need foreign intervention. There are already inter-tribal and ethnic crises. Any foreign intervention will worsen the situation. We know what happened to countries where there were such foreign interventions.
“The United States is not the only country with interest in Nigeria. China, Russia, India, Brazil or BRICS have interests in Nigeria. Nigeria could go into multiple directions if there is any foreign intervention,” Rev Oye warned.
