So, self-styled Nigerian preacher Chris Ojigban i checked into Nairobi and blew his bullhorn. Women came out in droves, single women to be precise, women looking for love, looking for men. Billed as “Your Set Time for Marriage,” the preacher – laughably -- came to deliver Kenyans from hindrances to marriage.

The pastor, of the non-denominational Singles and Married Ministry focuses his outreach to single people seeking spouses, and married people seeking help in troubled unions. He promises an instant cure to their malevolent maladies. I still can’t figure out Kenyan’s obsession with the whole drama. It seems like the more theater one can cause, the more legit he or she is seen as.

But this overexcitement with the promise of a mate instantly reveals the simplistic approach many people have adopted, especially women (who, as always, were the major shareholders in the meetings). So if men are missing in your life, you go shopping for them in prayer lines? Sister, please! Single people are single for a reason, and they have made decisions in their lives that have contributed to their singleness. Unless they are willing to look in the mirror and face these issues, I’m sorry, but this is just another Band-Aid.

Ojigbani’s claim that a two-hour prayer and some pep talk can fix your life is a complete con! Come-on! So what happens if things don’t go as he claims? Do you blame God or yourself? The whole idea that there is a special one for everyone and that they can be made to suddenly marry you is erroneous. Marriage is all about free will. God never forces it on any of us, and prayer can never be used as a tool to coerce someone to marry you.

Not even in the sappiest of romantic movies. The very notion that prayers can cause a man to propose to a woman is worrying. That is how cults get started. Pastor Ojigbani’s credibility as a man of God is sorely wanting; he is not attached to any denomination. This is important because any genuine man of God must submit to a counsel of elders that approve his ministry while providing personal and ministry accountability.

Unfortunately, people jump at these “rock preachers” and when they are screwed, abused or have their money taken, they begin to give all pastors a bad rap. Without accountability, Ojigbani is a lone ranger. He will swing whichever way he pleases and no one can hold him accountable. The truth most people are refusing to face is that marital problems are a result of poor choices made over time. To correct those problems means starting to look within.

Teaching instant results, instead of discipline, does not only cheapen the grace of God’s work in a marriage, but also helps to fuel this reprobate and nonsensical teaching. There is also the issue of money and the church. When a preacher says the size of your offering has to match the size of your need, something is off! You run, dummy! But no, trust

Kenyans to buy into this madness wholesale! Ojigbani is here to get rich. It means he groups people according to the amount of financial “seed” they are sowing, and then tells them that the size of their giving determines their receiving. This stuff is not even in the Bible! Scripture only encourages us to give to those who feed us the word and care for our souls.

Truth is, Pastor Ojigban and his ilk will not fix your desperation. You need some good common sense in relationships to see any change. That is, unless you want to keep digging your head into the sand and taking another load of Naija drama.