The General Superintendent of Assemblies of God Church, AG, Reverend Dr Chidi Okoroafor has come under severe attacks from students of Evangel University Okpoto, Ebonyi State owned by the church over management rule that final year students who fail to meet up to 75 percent chapel service attendance will not be allowed to graduate.
Some students of the institution have taken to social media to castigate the institution and the General Superintendent who is the Chancellor of Evangel University. They expressed their angst against the church authorities in an open letter to the General Superintendent, Rev Okoroafor published on the social media platforms.
One of the aggrieved students who wrote on his Facebook wall as Sampson Cherish described what is happening in the institution in respect to the compulsory 75 percentage chapel attendance for final year students as madness. He said “That’s madness coming from a supposed spiritual leader”.
Continuing he said “Can someone please remind this man that he has no right whatsoever to lay curse on any graduating student who take this case to the media? Worshipping God is not time bound, so why forcing them to attain a certain % chapel service attendant before he/she would be graduated?
“Attacking the students over their protests against injustice simply means the school management is either uncivilized or agents of modern slavery whose actions are contrary to laid down rules, regulations, policies and procedures. Whatever the students do to the school authority at this point in time will be justified in any Court of law as their decision is in conflict with the National University Commission laid down rules and regulations. The school management should apologise to the students and resolve with them amicably within 5 days in order to save themselves and the University from public embarrassment”, he adds.
But Clement Okereke another Facebook user spoke in defense of the management of Evangel University. He said “I have a daughter and three other children from my local church in that institution, this is one of the requirements every student must meet to graduate. Even Covenant University does same why should we make noise about what is meant to help a child grow in a balanced way. Let’s stop this evil practice and allow our own to grow, he wrote.
There are those who argued that the school authorities should make the rule known to prospective students before entry so that the student will be aware of it before registration, so as to prevent any such protests in future.
Others called on the students to stop further attacks on the person of the spiritual leader of the church, saying that he is only the Chancellor of the Evangel University, and does not have the power to reverse the school’s policy without following the due process.
“I total condemn the actions of some of these Graduating Students who instead of reaching the General Superintendent with their protests rather choose Facebook to write him “Open Letter” this action shows they lacks parental training and respect to constituted authorities, said a concerned member of the church.
“I can confirm that the General Superintendent has made calls to the management of Evangel University as you may know, he is just a Visitor and our General Superintendent will never be in support of any decision that is not in tandem with the extant rules of the University.
“It is a Public Knowledge that the Vice Chancellor and his team in a bid to ensure Spiritual upbringing of graduating students of the University introduced the Chapel Service which even holds around 12noon each day in the University.
“Coming to Social Media to insult the Number one man in Assemblies of God Nigeria is most condemnable and those who are engineering these students should better call them to Order before it’s too Late.
