Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Retired Bishop Thomas Aremu of the Living Faith Church Worldwide, popularly known as Winners Chapel, has ignited a fierce debate across Nigerian social media after advising husbands to give their wives money generously, arguing that financial support is the surest way to earn a wife's affection and strengthen the marital bond. Speaking at a conference, the cleric, who retired in October 2024 after decades of service as Vice President of the ministry, urged men who have the means to spend on their wives, particularly those who also bear the responsibility of caring for the children. His remarks, captured in multiple reports on August 11, 2026, have drawn both praise and sharp criticism from Nigerians grappling with the intersection of faith, finance and modern marriage.
The bishop's advice was characteristically direct. "Women like money. So if you have money, spend it on them oh. Are you hearing me? And take care of the… give them money. Is she not taking care of the children? And she will like you," Aremu said. He encouraged husbands not to dismiss their wives' desires for items they might consider unnecessary, using gold as a poignant example. "She may see one gold now and say she want to buy. Don't say canality. No. The street of heaven is made of gold. So it doesn't destroy godliness," he added.
The retired bishop, who was ordained in December 1999 and served as one of the church's most senior leaders before his retirement alongside Bishop David Abioye, also shared a personal anecdote about his own marriage to Pastor Elizabeth Moradeyo Aremu. He said he gives his wife money even when he initially questions what she wants it for. "If my wife is asking for anything, even though I feel for what, if she insist, I will give her money. Number one, to have rest. Number two she is my wife, she is not everybody else's wife. So, and I have the money. Are you hearing me? From level to level. So please take care of her," Aremu said.
The bishop's comments struck a nerve in a country where economic hardship has become a daily reality for millions. His assertion that financial support can "strengthen affection and peace in marriage" was met with a flood of reactions on social media, many of which questioned whether money alone can sustain love. One commenter, Edo Dada, quipped: "If we give them now..na who go come give us..as a man you're in trouble". Another, Aniekan Tim, countered: "Normally, man supposed take care of his wife naw". The most searing response came from Humble Gazama, who wrote: "'Make her like you' Shey this werey get madness promax ni??? She no like me nayin she marry me??? If na my money she wan ehnnn, make she comot my house go follow sugar daddy. Na my children I need!".
Others, however, offered more measured reflections. Chinwe Alaribe observed: "Money without tender and gentleness can,t work out love in marriage". Grace Webber, seemingly in agreement with the bishop's counsel, commented: "Na this church me and my husband go Dey attend". The debate highlighted a deeper societal tension: in a nation where financial strain is a leading cause of marital discord, the bishop's call for generosity struck some as pragmatic, while others saw it as a reductive view of love.
Aremu's background lends weight to his words. A former accountant who ventured into full-time ministry after a successful career, he has spent decades in pastoral leadership, serving as the pioneer pastor of Living Faith Church in Ibadan. His retirement in 2024 marked the end of an era for the Winners Chapel movement, where he was one of the last of the seven bishops consecrated in November 1999. His counsel on marriage, therefore, carries the authority of a man who has shepherded countless families over a lifetime of ministry.
Yet the bishop's advice raises profound questions about the role of money in modern Christian marriage. Is generosity a spiritual discipline, or does it risk reducing a sacred covenant to a transactional arrangement? By framing financial provision as a pathway to a wife's affection, Aremu has inadvertently touched a nerve in a society where many women are financially independent and where the "provider" model of marriage is increasingly contested. His assertion that "women like money" was seen by some as a pragmatic recognition of economic reality, while others viewed it as a caricature that diminishes the complexity of female desire.
The bishop's personal example—giving his wife money even when he questions her request—offers a nuanced counterpoint. It suggests a trust that transcends the transaction, a willingness to honour his wife's judgment even when he does not fully understand it. This, perhaps, is the deeper wisdom in his counsel: that marriage requires a generosity that goes beyond the wallet, a willingness to give not just money but the benefit of the doubt.
As the debate rages on, with some hailing Aremu as a realist and others dismissing him as out of touch, one thing is certain: the retired bishop has succeeded in sparking a conversation that extends far beyond the walls of the church. In a country where the cost of living is rising and the pressures on families are immense, his advice on money and marriage has become a mirror reflecting the anxieties and aspirations of a generation trying to build lasting love in the shadow of economic uncertainty.
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