Social media critic, Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, has sparked debate after questioning the motive behind the distribution of one million copies of the Holy Bible to mark the 40th birthday of Seyi Tinubu, son of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The initiative was reportedly announced during a thanksgiving service held at the National Christian Centre, Abuja. The event, coordinated by Hon. Belusochukwu Enwere, National Chairman of the Youth Wing of the Christian Association of Nigeria (YOWICAN), was said to be organised by friends of Seyi Tinubu to honour him on his milestone celebration.
Reacting to the development in a video posted on his verified social media handle, VeryDarkMan expressed suspicion over the idea, questioning the intent behind sharing Bibles across the country.
He said, “That is very suspicious. You are not even a Christian; you are a Muslim. Why are you sharing a Bible? This brings us to what I always talk about: religion is meant to control. Instead of sharing something that could probably be beneficial to Nigerian youths, you are distributing Bibles. Of course, he is not in government, but somehow, he is part of the system. Why Bibles if not to cage people with the mindset of religion?”
In the caption accompanying his post, he further wrote, “Happy birthday ooo, but bro, what is your game with the one million Bible sharing? It doesn’t look ordinary to me. This doesn’t look like a genuine gesture. What is this about?”
While some Nigerians agreed with his position, others criticised him for attaching ulterior motives to a seemingly charitable act.
Oma Eze commented, “Them say make we read the gospel dey go nah.” Benz Materials added, “Bible wey everybody get for phone already.” Another commenter, Judith Amechi, claimed, “Na donate people donate for her mother birthday time oh. This one na Bible he go dey share. Our mumu no too much for people wey go dey accept am?”
However, a few netizens defended Seyi Tinubu’s gesture. One user wrote, “Seyi Tinubu said, ‘Let the Word spread.’ Literally, he shared Bibles for his birthday instead of ignoring the Christian community.”
The distribution, which has generated widespread conversation online, has also reignited discussions around religion, politics, and influence in Nigeria.
