Abuja-based furniture maker, Chukwudiaso Onyema, who went viral after demanding a refund of the tithe paid to a church, speaks to VICTORIA EDEME on his transition from Christianity to traditional religion
What kind of background do you have?
I am Mazi Chukwudiaso Onyema from the Oru East Local Government Area of Imo State. I am based in Abuja. I am a furniture maker, and I am 39 years old. I have five brothers and two sisters. I grew up in Imo State. My uncle took me to Abuja in 2000. I attended Junior Secondary School, Karo, but I later had an issue with my uncle, and I returned to Imo State to complete my secondary school education. I took the Senior School Certificate Examination at Mgbidi Secondary School, Imo State, after which I returned to Abuja to learn furniture making.
Are you married?
I got married in 2019 and I have two kids.
Were you born into a Christian family?
Yes, I was.
What was your experience growing up in a Christian home?
It was okay. I had no problems with my parents. They trained us well. The only issue I have is that there are things that my parents were not telling us. Even when I decided toq pull out from Christianity, some of my elders supported me.
What church were your parents attending?
My parents attended the Catholic Church.
Your video, in which you demanded a refund of your tithe and offerings from Dunamis Church, went viral last year. At what point did you move from the Catholic Church to Dunamis?
I first moved from the Catholic Church to Living Faith Church in 2004. In 2008, I moved to Dunamis Church.
Why did you move from the Catholic Church to the Living Faith Church?
The reason I moved from the Catholic Church to the Living Faith Church was because I frequently saw the miracles being performed in Living Faith. I pulled out of the Catholic Church to go and confirm if those miracles were real.
How did you go about confirming the authenticity of the miracles?
I wanted to be in their midst so that I would be seeing things live and direct, and not on the television. I later found out that they were not real. They were all packaged.
My eyes opened in 2018. I made the video on February 7, 2023.
What did you do after the realisation?
I decided not to follow any religion. I embraced humanity. When religion and spirituality are destroyed, we have humanity. So I embraced humanity to love my neighbour as myself so that the world would be better. For me, I believe in traditional religion because it was practised by my forefathers. Instead of me following foreign religions, I should follow traditional religions. If there is anything that is not good in traditional religion, we make it good rather than follow foreign religions. Foreign religions are not adding anything to Nigeria and that is why I quit. I’m not practicing traditional religion fully but I would rather claim it because it is better.
because she wanted to wear a white wedding gown like other women. I begged her and talked sense to her and she understood me. When I made the video, she was angry. She called me from school as she was schooling at a university then. In the end, she also realised what I was saying.
Does your wife have a Christian background?
She was born into a Catholic family but we both met in Dunamis. When I left the church, she refused to leave the church but after we got married, she eventually left the church.
When did you become open to traditional religion?
That was in 2018 because I believe that there is nothing like spirituality.
Do you mean that traditional religion is not spiritual?
It is spiritual and that is why I have not embraced it fully. As I am, I don’t understand anything about spirituality and it is not working.
It is possible. There is nothing impossible for man to do. If we are determined to change it, we will. The children we are giving birth to today are leaders of tomorrow. The right knowledge should be imparted to them. Let them know the right and the wrong. Don’t bring religion to them. When you have children today, you force religion on them and do not allow them to make their own decisions. Children are being forced into what they don’t understand.
What steps are you taking to ensure the change?
I am trying my best. I have started it in my house, in my workplace, and in my neighbourhood. Anywhere I go, I let them know that man is god and we are gods to our fellow men. The reason why we are still suffering is because we embrace religion and lack humanity. I will not force my belief on people but I will tell them where I stand.
From your experience, are there any similarities between Christianity and humanity?
There are no similarities at all. Humanity is based on reality, but spirituality and Christianity are based on illusions and stories that we are not sure of.