Ifedayo Olarinde aka Daddy Freeze, the radio broadcaster, who insulted the presiding bishop of the Living Faith Church, David Oyedepo, has apologised to the clergyman.
Olarinde’s apology came after he was threatened and warned to desist from abusing Oyedepo by some of the latter’s spiritual sons.
The broadcaster had, in a 2018 video, but which resurfaced online recently, described the bishop as a “baldheaded fowl.”
He also recently criticised some of Oyedepo’s teachings on marriage.
Olarinde has a track record of abusing, criticising and making jest of men of God in Nigeria.
Pastor David Ibiyeomie, a mentee of Oyedepo, was the first to descend on Olarinde, warning his to desist from mocking and insulting the bishop or risk his life.
Ibiyeomie, who is the founder and senior pastor of Salvation Ministries, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, threatened to kill the broadcaster if he continued with his attack.
Another of Oyedepo’s spiritual sons, Pastor Paul Enenche, founder and senior pastor of Dunamis International Gospel Church with headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, soon joined the fray, describing Olarinde as a “mad dog suffering from bipolar disease.”
Enenche, a trained medical doctor, who recorded a special broadcast on the matter on September 11, said the broadcaster would amount to nothing in life.
He said somebody from the U.S. drew his attention to a video where Olarinde was abusing Oyedepo. He described the broadcaster as jobless, wifeless and homeless.
Justifying his response with the biblical passage where Jesus called Herod a wild fox, Enenche, said African culture values respect for elders and that if Olarinde truly had a father he would not descend so low to pull down successful people.
The senior pastor of Covenant Christian Centre, Poju Oyemade, Lagos, in a Facebook post, also condemned Olarinde, saying it was wrong to mock an older person.
“To openly mock someone much older than you and also a person who is in authority should be roundly condemned,” Oyemade said.
“The principle of publicly speaking out against such behavior is right for if left unanswered in the public square, it will become the culture and many who are young and impressionable people will follow suit.”
Apology
Olarinde, who is also the leader of the Free the Sheep Movement, in a new video, said he did not intend to dishonour, disrespect or disregard Oyedepo.
“My attention has been drawn to a video I released circa two years, seven months ago while addressing some pertinent issues that arose back then. I apologise for the delivery of my message and for any insult to Bishop David Oyedepo in that video as I didn’t in any way intend to dishonour, disrespect or disregard the person of the bishop,” he said in a report by Church Times Nigeria.
“The perceived intention to the contrary is regretted. My methods of addressing doctrinal issues have long since devolved to a more scriptural and less confrontational approach. I was and still am very passionate in my quest to address what I believe are unresolved doctrinal issues, however, from a more amiable perspective.
“I am of the firm belief that for our faith to thrive we as Christian believers should be open to absorbing new theological and doctrinal frames of reference as against the faith model that is subsumed in unchallengeable beliefs. This I believe can be achieved in love for the furtherance of our faith. So help me God.”