Femi Lazarus and Timi Dakolo Settle After Gospel Music Debate

Popular Nigerian pastor, Femi Lazarus, and singer Timi Dakolo have now made peace after a big online discussion about gospel music and money.

It all started when Pastor Lazarus preached about gospel singers asking for large amounts of money to sing at church events. He said that gospel ministers should not charge high fees if they are truly called by God. Instead, they should trust God to provide for them.

He also made a difference between “music artists” and “music ministers”. According to him, those who charge big money are more like artists doing business, not ministers doing God's work.

This message did not go well with Timi Dakolo. He asked the pastor to be fair and honest. Dakolo also revealed that Femi Lazarus charges $150 for each student attending his School of Ministry. He posted emails and messages showing the payment request and said it was not fair for the pastor to speak against singers when he also charges for ministry services.

Dakolo said:“You even have premium and standard classes for God's house? Are you not also selling what God gave freely?”

The situation became heated online. People took sides. Some supported Lazarus, while others agreed with Dakolo.

But soon after, Pastor Femi Lazarus shared a photo with Timi Dakolo and another pastor, Emmanuel Iren, showing that they had talked things through. He wrote:

He added that pain is real for both pastors and gospel singers, but with better understanding and better systems, everyone will do better in the future.

Lazarus also said that he sees his ministry school as a real school, which is why it has a fee. When someone asked him, “Isn’t it ministry?” he simply replied:

Now that the misunderstanding is over, both Femi Lazarus and Timi Dakolo have shown that talking with love and respect can solve even big problems.