Actress Juliana Olayode has weighed in on the ongoing conversations surrounding Nigerian religious leaders and their response to the country’s security challenges, defending clerics who have been criticised for not publicly addressing the issue.
In a series of posts shared on Instagram, Olayode said she anticipated backlash for her position but felt it was important to offer another perspective.
While agreeing that influential voices—including pastors, imams, sheikhs, and public figures—should speak up more often, she argued that silence on social media does not automatically mean indifference or inaction.
According to the actress, pastors are not activists, even though they may choose to speak on societal or political matters when they feel led to do so.
She stressed that spiritual leaders also carry responsibilities that may involve prayer, intercession, counselling, and engaging people in positions of authority privately rather than publicly.
Olayode acknowledged that public trust in some religious leaders has been affected by negative experiences and misconduct by individuals claiming to act in God’s name.
However, she maintained that genuine clerics still exist and should not all be judged by the actions of others.She encouraged people to avoid measuring impact solely through public statements or social media visibility, noting that meaningful work is not always seen online.
