“God called me the way I am, just as I am”- Pastor Jimmy Odukoya reacts to queries on why he keeps dreadlocks and beards

Pastor Jimmy Odukoya, an actor and senior pastor of the Fountain of Life Church in Ilupeju, has responded to criticism regarding his dreadlocks and beard.

In a recent BBC pidgin interview, Pastor Jimmy Odukoya, also known as Pastor J, addressed a frequently asked question: why does he chose to preserve his long dreadlocks?

In response to questions about his dreadlocks, Pastor J stated that one’s appearance should not indicate one’s relationship with God, emphasizing that spirituality transcends physical appearances.

Jummy Odukoya insisted that his calling as a preacher has nothing to do with his physical appearance.

He stated that nothing he undertakes is done on a whim but rather has a spiritual foundation.

He said:

“God called me the way I am, just as I am. As for my dreads, the story behind it is long but the thing is everything I do is backed up by scriptures. If you tell me something, I’d tell you ‘Let’s check the scriptures’. If someone says that long hair is wrong, I’d tell you to check the Bible where the Lord told Samson not to cut his hair.”

Regarding his facial hair, he defended it by pointing out that Jesus had a beard that was removed during his crucifixion; as a result, his beard cannot possibly be sinful.

Odukoya said:

“When people say, ‘Oh he’s a pastor and he has a beard,’ remember the Bible said that when Jesus was tortured his beard was pulled from his face. If he didn’t have a beard, what hair did they pull from his face, was it fresh skin?”

Because personal preferences and ideas do not always entail sin, Odukoya urged people to discriminate between the two.

“Personal opinion is different from sin, If you like short hair or long hair no problem, but if you tell me that I can’t have long hair because, ‘It’s a sin,’ my brother that’s where we won’t agree,” he said