Veteran actor, Patrick Doyle, recently shared his thoughts on social media about what he sees as an insensitive act by some church members. Doyle criticized congregants for gifting their church founder, Bishop David Oyedepo of Living Faith Church, two Rolls Royce cars during his 70th birthday celebration. This gesture, according to Doyle, comes at a time when many Nigerians are facing economic hardship, struggling to afford food and basic needs.

In Doyle’s view, it was inappropriate for the church members to spend such a large amount of money on luxury cars when the country is going through tough financial times. He believes that the money used for the Rolls Royce gift could have been spent on building facilities or providing resources that would benefit the wider community, especially those suffering from the effects of the economic downturn.

Doyle’s comments come after news spread of the extravagant birthday gift, sparking discussions about the priorities of religious institutions and their role in addressing social issues. Doyle’s message highlights the growing tension between displays of wealth within certain churches and the financial struggles faced by the average Nigerian. He called for more thoughtfulness and care for those in need, rather than extravagant gifts for church leaders.

At a time when many people are barely surviving, Doyle’s criticism raises important questions about the responsibility of churches to help their communities and whether such displays of wealth are appropriate during periods of economic difficulty. His post read’s;

‘’In these austere times, we all need to be sensitive how we mark landmark celebrations for ourselves or in honour of persons we hold in high esteem. We should even be sensible enough to tone down the public appearance of our affluence. Now is not the time to ride around our streets filled with hungry and despondent Nigerians in our luxury cars. 

I personally know of a friend of mine who has a Rolls Royce and many other luxury cars in his fleet. He now drives around in a  Ford Escape, not as a show of false modesty, but as a gesture of sensitivity to the prevailing hardship in the land. Sadly, not many others in his socio-economic class are doing the same thing. The insensitivity of the elite may very well provide the spark for the long anticipated revolution Nigeria needs for a reset. I am still in a wonder bubble how or why congregants of a denomination chose to celebrate the birthday of their founder by buying him a Rolls Royce at this time. 

In my naive opinion, I find it to be insensitive  in the extreme. While I appreciate the importance of celebrating a man like their founder, a more sensitive gesture would have been to build a socially relevant  facility or institute a scholarship scheme in his honour. The cost of the Rolls Royce could certainly have funded any of the things I just mentioned. We appear to be a people who get stuck on old formats and ways of doing things. When congregations used to buy cars for their pastors, it was at a time many of the pastors could not on their own muster the resources to buy one themselves. This is certainly not the case in this instance. The celebrator, in this case, already has a fleet of luxury autos and even aircrafts. A more befitting birthday gift might have been the construction and equipping of a vocational training centre in his name or any other such thing.  

The public already has the impression that as the founder of 2 elite private universities, he is not sufficiently acquainted with the sufferings of the masses. So, a gesture such as I have suggested might have helped to mitigate that impression.  This is my humble opinion offered from the depth of my affection for the great man who I personally hold in the highest esteem.”