If Nigeria carries a spiritual assignment, the question cannot end with revival. The late T.B. Joshua provides an important bridge to this debate. In a documented interview, he argued that Nigeria should exchange its mineral resources for technology rather than merely foreign currency. His argument was fundamentally developmental: a nation cannot prosper by continuously exporting what it possesses while importing the capacity it lacks.
That perspective gives fresh meaning to the current debate involving Apostle Arome Osayi and VeryDarkMan. Arome has presented revival as central to Nigeria’s national calling, while VDM has questioned whether spiritual language can overshadow the practical demands of innovation, technology and nation-building. Beneath the personalities lies a legitimate national question: Can Nigeria pursue a spiritual calling without neglecting the intellectual and technological capacity required to build a functioning nation?
T.B. Joshua’s position points towards a different answer from the usual either-or argument. He did not present development as an alternative to faith. His emphasis was on converting Nigeria’s abundant resources into technological capability, employment and human development. The principle is profound: resources should not merely generate temporary income; they should create knowledge, productive capacity and opportunities that endure beyond a single generation.
That principle should reshape the language of revival. If spiritual awakening transforms people, then its consequences should eventually reach the institutions those people build. Revival should produce scientists who pursue discovery, engineers who solve problems, entrepreneurs who create employment, teachers who cultivate disciplined minds and public servants who regard office as stewardship rather than private entitlement. A nation cannot claim transformation while leaving its human potential systematically underdeveloped.
This is where the argument becomes uncomfortable. Nigeria has extraordinary religious energy, yet religious visibility alone does not guarantee institutional competence. A full church does not automatically produce a functional hospital. A powerful sermon does not construct a railway. A prophetic declaration does not replace scientific research. Faith may inspire the human being, but disciplined knowledge, ethical institutions and competent execution are still required to transform society.
Neither should technological ambition become an alternative religion. Development without moral restraint can produce sophisticated systems serving destructive purposes. Wealth without character can deepen inequality. Innovation without responsibility can magnify exploitation. Nigeria therefore needs neither secular materialism nor spiritual escapism, but a synthesis in which moral conviction supplies direction while knowledge, science, enterprise and institutional discipline supply capacity.
Seen this way, the Arome–VDM controversy is larger than either man. One side foregrounds spiritual purpose; the other foregrounds practical development. The more consequential question is whether Nigeria can hold both responsibilities simultaneously. The country does not have to choose between the altar and the laboratory, between prayer and invention, or between spiritual renewal and economic competence. The real failure would be to possess one while deliberately neglecting the other.
Perhaps this is where the language of national calling must become more demanding. If Nigeria’s spiritual heritage is genuine, it should produce citizens capable of carrying responsibility at every level of society. If its natural resources are a gift, they should become instruments of human development. If its young population is an asset, it must receive education and opportunity. And if revival comes, it should leave behind more than testimonies—it should leave transformed character, stronger institutions and measurable public good.
The ultimate question, then, is not whether Nigeria can export revival. It is whether Nigeria can demonstrate what happens when revival meets responsibility. Can faith generate integrity, education generate discovery, technology generate productive capacity, enterprise generate employment and leadership generate institutions that outlive personalities? That would move the national conversation beyond competing slogans. Nigeria would not have to choose between spiritual fire and technological advancement; it could demonstrate that a genuinely transformed people are capable of building a nation worthy of the future they proclaim.
– Inah Boniface Ocholi writes from Divine Drops Ministry International– Kogi State, Nigeria.
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