Apostle Chibuzor Chinyere, the founder of Omega Power Ministry, has sparked outrage with his announcement of financial inducement for any man willing to marry his 21-year-old autistic adopted daughter, with disability advocates raising concerns about consent, dignity, and the ethics of arranging marriages for people with disabilities .
One of
those who has lent their voices to the development is actor Damola Olatunji who
criticised the man of God, saying the situation “has crossed a line and must be
addressed seriously”.
In a
statement, Olatunji questioned whether the woman could genuinely consent to such
an arranged marriage, arguing that Apostle Chibuzor should instead establish a
proper care home for her.
Apostle
Chibuzor had announced the plan on Facebook, offering incentives to any man
willing to marry his daughter, including financial support and housing.
The
announcement was made on Tuesday by Chinyere, who described the arrangement as
being in the young woman’s best interests.
“I am
giving out another of my adopted daughters in marriage. Her name is Chiemeka
Chibuzor. She is 21 years old and has autism. She can speak and hear well,” the
statement read.
Chinyere
listed conditions for prospective suitors, stating that the man must be young
and “physically and mentally fit in all forms.”
In
exchange, he outlined a suite of benefits including lifetime financial support,
free housing for life, a jointly built property in both spouses’ names, and
regular unannounced visits by OPM staff to monitor the woman’s welfare.
“This
arrangement is to ensure that she is properly cared for, protected, and lives a
happy life,” the statement added.
But advocates
for the rights of persons with disabilities say the apostle’s action would
amount to buying a husband for the woman simply because she is a PWD. They argue
that persons with disabilities deserve to choose their own partners, not forced
to marry a man who, from all indications, would be attracted by the incentives
being offered and not necessarily because of his love for her.
Actor Olatunji
countered the plan, stating that people with autism deserve dignity,
protection, and better support systems, adding that exploiting vulnerable
individuals is unacceptable.
He
wrote, “This situation has crossed a line and must be addressed seriously.
Marriage is a decision that requires full, informed consent from both parties.
Rather than pursuing marriage, establishing a proper care home would be a far
more appropriate and compassionate solution.
“The
key question to ask is: would this person genuinely choose to get married at 21
under normal circumstances, free from any external influence? If the answer is
no, then that must be respected unconditionally.
“No
one should exploit a vulnerable person’s condition as an opportunity for
marriage. People living with autism deserve dignity, protection, and
better-structured support systems, not situations that could potentially be
manipulative or harmful. There are far more ethical and effective ways to
provide care and support for individuals with autism”, he said.
The announcement follows a similar and widely
publicised arrangement by the cleric in which he organised the marriage of a
non-verbal autistic man, widely known as Aboy, to an older woman in a ceremony
held on March 29.
That
wedding drew mixed reactions, with critics raising concerns about consent,
dignity, and the ethics of arranging marriages for people with cognitive
disabilities.
Chinyere
had subsequently responded to the backlash by gifting Aboy, now renamed Elijah,
a Lexus car and a plot of land, and appointing him as an ambassador for the
church’s free school for children with autism and Down syndrome.
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