Abel Damina Hits Back at Preacher Who Vowed “I Will Never Follow a Poor Pastor”

Nigerian preacher Abel Damina has fired back at a fellow minister who declared he would never follow a poor pastor. In a sermon, Damina accused Korede Komaiya of promoting greed and materialism. He also argued that the claim contradicts the central message of the gospel.

The exchange began with Komaiya’s own words. He repeated the line several times and insisted that nothing would change his mind. “I will never follow a poor pastor,” he said. Moreover, he invited critics to say whatever they wished about him.

Damina accepted that invitation. He called Komaiya “a money monger” and described him as a promoter of greed, materialism and discontent. In his view, the stance puts Komaiya against the gospel of Christ. “The true gospel is godliness with contentment,” Damina said. To support the point, he cited the apostle Paul’s words in 1 Timothy. People bring nothing into the world and take nothing out of it, so food and clothing should satisfy them.

Damina then questioned Komaiya’s own finances. He argued that Komaiya speaks this way because he is still fighting poverty, and he said truly wealthy people do not boast about it. He also pointed to a wedding photograph that, according to him, is circulating online. Damina claimed that people followed Komaiya when he looked poor, and he alleged that the same followers funded his ministry. Sojworldnews has not verified these claims, and Komaiya has not responded in the material reviewed.

Next, Damina addressed the Bible passages that Komaiya apparently used. Komaiya had cited the book of Proverbs, where Solomon observes that the poor lose their neighbors. Damina rejected that approach. “How can you even use Proverbs to be establishing doctrine?” he asked. He explained that Proverbs collects observations about human society, not binding teaching. Solomon simply noticed that people follow the rich only while the rich stay useful to them. Once a rich man loses his wealth, Damina said, his followers abandon him.

The preacher then turned the same chapter against his target. He read Proverbs 19 and stressed that a poor person who lives with integrity is better than someone who lies. Damina applied the verse to pastors. He said it condemns any minister who stands before the people who gave him offerings and lies that he is not poor. Consequently, he concluded that Scripture values integrity above wealth.

Damina closed with the book of Revelation. There, he noted, a church that thought itself rich heard that it was actually wretched, poor, blind and naked. He called such an attitude arrogance and a lack of humility. Furthermore, he said this is exactly why he preaches against what he calls the materialistic gospel. He added that he welcomes criticism, and he urged believers to study the Bible for themselves.

The clash reflects a wider split in Nigerian Christianity over prosperity teaching. Supporters see wealth as a sign of God’s favor, and they say churches need money to spread their message. Critics, however, warn that such teaching pressures struggling members and confuses blessing with bank balances. Neither side appears ready to back down, so the debate will probably continue. Sojworldnews will report any response from Komaiya.