The General Overseer of the church, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, in a message on marriage, stirred a widespread debate on social media, with thousands taking to the Internet to protest or support his positions on the categories of people Christians should not marry.

Pastor Adeboye, who is fondly called Daddy G.O. by members of his church, advised a congregation of bachelors and spinsters at the convention to avoid marrying certain individuals in order to enjoy their marriages.

He advises bachelors to shun ladies who could not pray “non-stop” for at least an hour. He also advised them against marrying “lazy” women as well as those who could not cook.

He also warned ladies against accepting marriage proposals by “jobless” bachelors. He said those who could not earn incomes should not marry.

In one of the videos, Adeboye advised, “Marry a prayer warrior! Don’t marry any girl who cannot pray for one hour non-stop. Don’t marry a girl who is lazy! If she is lazy when she is single, what will happen if she is married?”

In another one, he warned, “Don’t marry a man who has no job. Before God gave Adam Eve, he gave him a job. He said, ‘This is the garden, keep it.’ So when anybody comes to you and say, ‘Sister, thus saith the Lord, you are going to be the star in my firmament,’ ask him — ‘What is your job?’

“If he tells you he is a contractor, ask him to show you evidence of all the contracts he has done because the contract he is talking about is you. He wants to live off you.

“Don’t be a fool. If he hasn’t got a steady income, don’t marry him. A man is to provide for the house and not the other way round. If he has no income, he should not marry. Those who do not work should not eat. And if they can’t eat, they can’t even marry.”