Jimmy Odukoya, Nigerian pastor addresses naysayers, ‘Christian’ critics demeaning him for dreadlocks hairstyle (VIDEO)

Efosa Degbueyi Metro 22/09/2023

Jimmy Odukoya, the son of the late Pastor Taiwo and Bimbo Odukoya was confirmed as the senior pastor of the Fountain of Life Church (TFOLC) on Sunday, September 17.

The Nigerian thespian and preacher was appointed as the senior minister of the Lagos state-based church following the demise of his father, Pastor Taiwo Odukoya in August 2023.

Following his appointment earlier in the week, he received numerous criticism from cynics, including members of the Christian body and non-believers. Particularly, he was queried for his choice of hairstyle.

ALSO READ: Mohbad: Candle light procession takes place across Nigeria, London (PHOTOS/VIDEOS)

Reacting to the critics in a recent interview session with BBC Pidgin, Jimmy Odukoya stated that people’s opinion is different from the principles of the Holy bible.

ALSO READ: Why I find no fault in Jimmy Odukoya’s succeeding his father as GO

Odukoya said, “God called me the way I am, just as I am. As for my dreads, the story behind it is long but the thing is everything I do is backed up by scriptures. If you tell me something, I’d tell you ‘Let’s check the scriptures’. If someone says that long hair is wrong, I’d tell you to check the Bible where the Lord told Samson not to cut his hair.”

Speaking about his facial hair, he backed up his appearance by stressing that Jesus himself had a beard which was pulled when he was being crucified, therefore his beard cannot possibly be sinful.

He said, “When people say, ‘Oh he’s a pastor and he has a beard,’ remember the Bible said that when Jesus was tortured his beard was pulled from his face. If he didn’t have a beard, what hair did they pull from his face, was it fresh skin?”

Odukoya charged people to distinguish personal preferences and opinions from ‘sin’ because they are not always mutually exclusive.

“Personal opinion is different from sin, If you like short hair or long hair no problem, but if you tell me that I can’t have long hair because, ‘It’s a sin,’ my brother that’s where we won’t agree,” he said.