The newly appointed lead pastor of the Fountain of Life Church, Jimmy Odukoya, has revealed that his calling into the ministry was by God Almighty.

The pastor, who also doubles as an actor, made this known in an interview with BBC News Pidgin on Wednesday.

According to him, his new position as a lead pastor is a big responsibility, adding that his focus at the moment is on how to take the ministry further.

Speaking on his dreadlocks, which have continued to generate reactions from social media users, he stated that he has scriptural backing for his mode of appearance.

He said, “Na God called me as I am. This new position is a big responsibility. So all of my focus is here. As for my dreads, most people edon’t know I can back up everything I do with scripture.

“If you say I’m wrong to keep my hair as a pastor, I can tell you that God told Samson not to cut his hair in the Bible. That means long hair is not a bad thing. Also, if you say the pastor is keeping a beard, I can tell you that the Bible says that when Jesus was tortured, they pulled hair from his face.

“If you say this pastor is putting on earrings, I can tell you that in the book of Exodus, when the children of Israel got out of Egypt and wanted to do golden calf, they collected jewelry, rings, and earrings from their sons and daughters.

“Anybody can do what they want. A personal opinion is different from saying something is sinful. You should not use your own personal opinion to judge me,” he added.

He, however, dismissed claims that he is new into ministry, saying that he has been ordained as a minister since 2009 and became a pastor in 2012.

“I was ordained as a minister in 2009 and became a pastor in the church in 2012. I was the lead pastor of the youth church until 2020 or 2021. (Courtesy, excluding headline, Nigerian Tribune)

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