The Senior Pastor of Dunamis International Gospel Centre, Dr. Paul Enenche, has declined a N30 million cash donation offered by Kebbi State Governor, Dr. Nasir Idris, during a church crusade in the state.
The incident occurred at the Kebbi Healing and Deliverance Crusade, where the donation was announced by the state’s Commissioner for Social Duties, Zayyanu Umar Aliero, who represented the governor. Addressing the crowd, Aliero stated that Governor Idris had approved the cash gift to support the crusade’s organising committee.
“Our Governor, His Excellency Dr. Nasir Idris, has graciously approved the donation of N30 million to this gathering,” Aliero said. “Whenever His Excellency makes a donation, he brings it in cash. So, before I leave this stage, I will present the N30 million in cash.”
However, Pastor Enenche took the stage shortly after to respectfully reject the donation, requesting that the money instead be used for charitable causes.
“If there is anything like an orphanage or similar initiative, please apply this amount to it. It will not be received by us,” he said.
Later explaining the church’s stance, Enenche stressed that public funds should be strictly used for public purposes, not for religious events.
“We believe government money should be used for government projects, and church money should be used for church matters. They should not be mixed,” he stated. “From the land to the building of the Glory Dome, not one kobo of government money is in it.”
He further encouraged the body of Christ to rely on divine provision, suggesting that any such donations should instead go through official religious bodies like the Christian Pilgrims Welfare Board or the Christian Association of Nigeria.
“This is how we retain our dignity as a church and speak boldly when necessary,” he added.
In response, Commissioner Aliero acknowledged the church’s position with respect and appreciation:
“They didn’t accept it because Pastor Enenche is doing this for the sake of God. We truly thank him for what he is doing in our state.”
