Nigerian singer Timi Dakolo has voiced out to stand for gospel musicians in Nigeria.
On march 24 2025, Dakolo, via his Instagram handle, called out Apostle Femi Lazarus for what he perceives as hypocrisy.
This follows the pastor’s recent comments about the fees charged by gospel musicians.
The controversy arose after Apostle Lazarus, shared an alleged invoice from a gospel artist that included a $10,000 honorarium, a mandatory 50% non-refundable deposit, first-class flights, and luxury accommodations.
He shared this during his sermon on Sunday march 23 2025, Apostle Lazarus criticized these financial demands as excessive within the context of ministry.
In response, Dakolo questioned the authenticity of the invoice and urged Nigerians to be careful of misinformation.
In his post he stated;
“Nigerians, you should not believe everything you see.
“Nobody has a 40-man crew in Nigeria.
“Name the artist to justify this.
Dakolo added with a touch of sarcasm.
He further challenged the pastor’s position by highlighting what he saw as a contradiction.
He pointed out that Apostle Lazarus also charges for his School of Ministry, in which he shared screenshots of two emails he received when he applied for the school.
Dakolo went ahead to show a fee of $150 per student as an evidence backing up his statement.
Aren’t you, too, selling the gifts?
He wrote;
“All this is said with love and respect, sir. I am not a gospel artist but a Christian raised in the church. Let’s not shift the goalpost.
“ By your logic, if anyone charges for ministry, they are performers, not gospel artists.
“ And by that same reasoning, if a preacher charges to teach and minister, they too would be merchants of hope or motivational speakers.”
He continued, “Sir, you charge $150 per person for your school of ministry, likely teaching hundreds of students.
“ Let’s do the math. You even have different tiers—premium and standard— for the house of God?
“Aren’t you, too, selling the gift and revelation that was freely given to you? Again, let’s not keep shifting the goalpost.”
Dakolo also criticized the inconsistency in perspectives on costs within the industry, adding, “Such hypocrisy.
“The School of Ministry has expenses, but music creation doesn’t? The running costs, production, promotion—none of that matters?
“Most people don’t even understand how much a producer charges, let alone the marketing and promotion involved, or the countless hours it takes to complete a song.
“Keep shifting the goalpost, guys.”
Dakolo’s statement stands for gospel musicians in Nigeria.
