Pastor Sarah Omakwu of Family Worship Center, Abuja, has ignited a fresh debate online after warning young men against marrying women older than them.
The cleric made the controversial remarks during one of her church messages, where she described a young man marrying an older woman as a “red flag” and challenged men who dismiss women their age as immature.
According to Omakwu, some young men may be attracted to older women because they believe women of their generation are too childish, but she argued that such reasoning could itself be a sign of immaturity.
“I’m seeing young men these days marrying women who are older than they are. That is a red flag,” she said.
She noted that while marriages involving older women may have worked for previous generations, she questioned whether the same dynamics would necessarily apply today.
“You will say, ‘My parents did it, so it’s not a big deal.’ That was that generation when women were patient,” Omakwu said.
The pastor went further, aiming at young men who complain that women of their age are too childish.
“You say, your agemates are too childish. You, too, are childish. How did you finish with the senior person?” she asked.
Omakwu also questioned the expectation that an older woman would automatically adopt a submissive posture or defer to a husband who is younger than her.
In a particularly striking portion of the message, she said such a woman might be more willing to challenge her younger husband rather than quietly accept behaviour she considers unacceptable.
“That woman go look you for face tell you wetin your mama no fit tell you,” she said.
The pastor’s comments have since triggered conversations online, with her position likely to fuel the long-running debate over age differences, gender expectations, and power dynamics in marriage.
While acknowledging that her opinion may not sit well with everyone, Omakwu insisted that she was entitled to her position and had no intention of backing down because of online criticism.
“Anyway, it’s my opinion. Do whatever you want with it. If you like, nail me on the internet, I don’t care,” she said.
She ended the remark with a characteristic biblical reference, adding, “You can only nail me on the internet. You cannot nail me on the cross because you won’t find me to nail me.”
Her comments have now become a talking point across social media, with Nigerians weighing in on whether age differences should matter in marriage or whether compatibility, maturity, and mutual respect should take precedence.
