Pastor Femi Lazarus vs Timi Dakolo: Ali Baba Reacts to Gospel Singers' Fee, "Spiritual Manipulation"

• Ali Baba has shared three poignant stories of church musicians facing hardship to underline the challenges they encounter while serving in local parishes
• Pastor Femi Lazarus recently stirred controversy by criticising gospel singers for charging performance fees, insisting that ministry should not be a money-making venture
• However, Timi Dakolo countered Lazarus, defending gospel artists by highlighting the professional and financial demands of their craft that justify payment

The feud between Pastor Femi Lazarus and Timi Dakolo has gained traction, and Nigerian comedian Ali Baba has joined the fray.

Pastor Lazarus, leader of Light Nation Church, recently kicked off the debate by condemning gospel singers who demand payment for church performances.

In a widely circulated video, he recounted an instance where a singer requested N5 million. He argued that genuine ministers should rely on divine provision rather than turning worship into a business.

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However, Timi Dakolo, a celebrated Nigerian artist, didn’t hold back in his response. He argued that gospel music, while a calling, is also a profession requiring significant investment. He noted that studio sessions, production costs, and promotion aren’t cheap.

Dakolo stressed that these artists have responsibilities like feeding their families and urged pastors to stop guilt-tripping them and either pay for their services or stick to church choirs.

Ali Baba’s take on churches and gospel artists

Joining the conversation, Ali Baba brought a raw, relatable twist to the saga with his Instagram post on March 21, 2025. He shared three real-life stories of church musicians to illustrate their struggles. Gbenga, a keyboardist, sought accommodation help from his church after shuttling between the mainland and Victoria Island for services, only to find his belongings dumped outside after months of waiting.

Eze, a skilled bassist, endured suspensions for gigging with a "secular" jazz band, eventually quitting the church after his deaconess aunt warned of a final ban. Sammie’s tale ends with his death, though details are scarce, leaving a sombre note.

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Ali Baba’s caption framed these as examples of talent stifled by unpaid labour, unpaid bills, and what he termed "well-manicured blackmail" from church leaders. He pointed out the irony: musicians who leave parishes to chase their dreams often return as paid stars, invited by the same churches that once ignored their pleas.

His Instagram caption ended with,

"In the end, the ones that stayed in the local parishes, see the ones that launched out on their own apursued the gospel ministration, became popular, accepted, paid, & invited, by the same parish that refused to even give them tokens of particles from tithes, to ease, their tight corner"

See the post here

Reactions to Ali Baba's views about gospel singers

@uchennaji said;

"If only I can share my story as to why I walked out almost 2decades ago after serving at a prominent-elite RCCG church in VI. Maybe someday ...🚶🏾🚶🏾🚶🏾"

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@holy_ake commented;

"Where is the lie? You invite foreigners and pay them, why not show love to those that are dedicated in your church doing the work"

@minjoechristian said;

"I went through this exact experience."

@ola_bass said;

"Thissss!!!!!! If the so called body of Christ/Pastors dey do Artistes/Musicians/Choir well, they wouldn’t have to put a price tag on their talents. Emphasis: Treat your Musicians well 🙏🙏🙏🙏"

@loladefacetalk said;

"I saw something similar first hand, I just told myself, my dear get up and go and make some money. No one will rate you if you don’t polish yourself and add some value. I mean premium value."

@rappo_oosa noted:

"One of the reasons I left Christ Embassy was because; when the zonal pastor then needed to upgrade his accommodation, he came to all the branches under the zone to minister and was using that avenue to solicit for funds and people were donating massively cos they wanted to bless the man of God so they can also be blessed. After all that, there’s this sister in church who’s a very good singer, when she ministers you’ll definitely be under God’s anointing, she needed help for accommodation and she told our branch pastor, he called her out on Sunday service and told the whole church her ordeal and ordered us to lay our hands towards her and pray that God should provide for her so she will be able to raise her rent. Till date each time I remember this scenario, it really annoys me off and I regretted ever donating for the zonal pastor’s accommodation cos he bought a mansion with the money donated in Ikeja."

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@michaelfreesoul commented:

"Big Boss, sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. Let us not stop at paying musicians and “Worship leaders”. They are not the only professionals working in the church. My department (Children’s church) has an Associate prof, two head teachers and several other professional teachers. They should be paid. The women of God who look after babies so their mothers can attend service should be paid. They’re providing Nanny services. Where else can Mothers leave their babies for hours for free? Shall we also consider every member of the choir as well? Surely the “Worship leader” needs back up singers and the Instrumentals without singing voices doesn’t gel as well. Let us not forget the graphic designers, script writers, photographers and video editors in the multi-media team. There are many other professionals serving with their professional skills in the church. They should all be paid. Let everyone get their fair share."

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Gospel music isn't just ministry - Entertainment analyst

Anthony Udugba, an entertainment business analyst, has weighed in on the ongoing debate about gospel singers charging fees for performances. Speaking with Legit.ng, he emphasised that gospel music operates within both ministry and business frameworks.

“It’s an industry and it’s a business,” Udugba stated.

According to him, some gospel artists give the impression that their sole intention is to serve God.

He likened gospel music to pastoral work, pointing out that:

“It’s just the same with being a pastor trying to start a church. The pastor depends on the contributions of the church in order to build more branches to reach out to more people.”

Addressing the financial structure of gospel music, he explained that it is:

"Just as the gospel artist will also depend on people streaming his/her songs (as that is the new way of music consumption) to get paid well enough to pay for more studio sessions to make more songs or albums to spread the message of God.”

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Ali Baba shades popular musician over lavish lifestyle

Recall legit.ng reported how Ali Baba threw subtle jabs at a popular musician.

He narrated how a famous artist dropped N1.5 billion on a Maybach and bling during an overseas shopping spree.

Ali Baba contrasted the lavish spending with the everyday struggles of Nigerians, raising eyebrows about priorities.

Editorial assistant Ololade Olatimehin provided exclusive commentary from an entertainment business analyst for this report.

Proofreading by James Ojo, copy editor at Legit.ng.

Source: Legit.ng