Pastor Enoch Adeboye, who is the head of the Redeemed Christian Church of God and one of the wealthiest pastors in Nigeria, sparked a social media furor after a video of him telling men what kind of woman they should marry made its way to Twitter.
"Don't marry a woman who can't cook," Adeboye says in the video. "A girl who cannot cook will not be a good wife."
He also advised men not to marry lazy girls who cannot pray for at least an hour, and avoid girls who love worldly things. "Don't marry a girl who is worldly! If you do, you have carried what you'll worship for the rest of your life!" he warns.
Adeboye also wants members of his congregation to find marriageable partners within the church, because church leaders will find it difficult to handle marital problems if the issue comes from someone outside the church.
"Don't ever marry outside the church, and you have no reason to marry outside RCCG. The reason is that if you are both from the same church, even when trouble comes it is easier for the pastors to handle it," he says.
He also has some advice on what kind of man Christian women should marry. "Don't marry a man who has no job," he says. "A man is to provide for the house, not the other way around."
Surprisingly, a lot of people found his words of advice useful. Kermi Ariyo, the guy who posted the video, wrote in the comments section: "Young men, Pastor Adeboye has given you honest advice. If you go ahead to marry such lady, don't come here crying." Many others think he gave "fatherly advice" that are "helpful."
On the other hand, a lot of women got upset with Adeboye's comments. "Ladies, please don't marry a man who thinks it's your job to cook. It is marriage, not slavery. People like Pastor Adeboye are ignorant," writes a woman who goes by the username KvnG.
Amara Nwankpa adds, "I think most women here will cook for their husbands, but what they object to is that sense of entitlement that it is a duty to do so."
