Aboy Chibuzor, the autistic adopted son of Omega Power Ministries founder Apostle Chibuzor Gift Chinyere, got married on Sunday, March 29, in a church ceremony described by the ministry as joyful and faith-filled, just three days after a viral social media post seeking a bride for the young man ignited fierce debate about disability, consent, and the ethics of incentivised marriage.
The groom was abandoned as a child at the gate of OPM’s headquarters by unknown parents who reportedly discovered his condition and left him in the pastor’s care. He has been raised under Apostle Chinyere’s guardianship since then, requiring full-time support with daily activities, including feeding and bathing.
The viral post that started it
The controversy began when Apostle Chinyere published a post on Facebook seeking a wife for Aboy and offering a package of financial incentives to any willing woman. The offer included lifetime accommodation, a monthly salary for life, a house to be built in both names, free medical care, and overseas vacations. The woman could be a single mother or older, he said, but must not be autistic.
Chinyere explained his motivation as compassion, saying he had observed what he described as uncontrollable urges in Aboy and felt a responsibility to find a lawful and dignified solution. He said he had considered and rejected the alternatives, abandoning the young man or allowing a situation outside marriage, and concluded that a paid marriage arrangement was the most ethical path available to him.
The backlash
The post drew immediate and widespread condemnation across Nigerian social media. Many critics argued that women are not rehabilitation centres and that the proposal reduced both Aboy and a potential bride to transactional figures. Others said the young man needed proper autism specialist care and psychological evaluation rather than marriage, and questioned why the pastor’s widely reported healing powers had not been applied to Aboy’s condition directly.
Faced with the backlash, Apostle Chinyere issued a public apology, stating he had not intended to demean women. “I never knew it hurt you like this. If you Google the internet, you will find many autistic men marrying normal ladies; it’s not a crime. But I am sorry to our beautiful ladies who feel embarrassed by my proposal,” he wrote. He reiterated that he cares for over 500 children abandoned at his church gate and that Aboy’s case was one of compassion.
The wedding
Despite the controversy, the wedding proceeded on Sunday, March 29, at OPM headquarters. Aboy married a woman described by the church as a single woman of God, with church members and well-wishers in attendance.
The financial package announced for the couple included a ₦10 million wedding gift, a free house, an overseas vacation, and a pledge of ₦20 million after 10 years, subject to Aboy being alive at that time. Church members also made additional contributions, with one member donating ₦1 million and another ₦200,000 at the ceremony.
A moment that moved Apostle Chibuzor
Apostle Chinyere shared what he described as a remarkable development at the reception. For the first time since reaching adulthood, Aboy fed himself at the dining table without any assistance, something the pastor said had never happened before. “Surprisingly, for the first time since Aboy attained adulthood, he fed himself without assistance at the wedding. Already, miracles have started to happen,” he wrote on social media after the ceremony.
While this story has generated significant public celebration, disability rights advocates have raised legitimate questions that are worth noting for readers. Autism is a neurodevelopmental condition, not a spiritual one, and individuals on the autism spectrum have varying levels of capacity and independence. Organisations that work with autistic individuals generally emphasise person-centred support, specialist therapy, and informed consent in all major life decisions, including marriage, as the global standard of care.