Nigerian pastor explains why women between 40, 50 remain unmarried

A Nigerian pastor has stirred major controversy after a sermon clip surfaced online in which he offered a blunt take on why many women over 40 remain unmarried. The video, shared on X (formerly Twitter), has since gone viral, triggering a wave of mixed reactions across social media.

In the now-trending footage, the clergyman, preaching in a packed auditorium, claimed that most women in their 40s and 50s who are still single have themselves, not Satan to blame. His exact words were:
“Any girl that is above 40, 45 maybe close to 50 who is not married, 90% it’s not Satan… It’s over-selection and overrating herself.”

The pastor argued that many women miss out on marriage because they are too picky or fail to respond positively to men showing interest. He described a scenario where a woman in her mid-40s ignored friendly gestures from a potential suitor. “How can you be forty-five, and someone is being friendly to you and you’re not picking calls?” he questioned.

He also recounted an incident involving a 44-year-old woman who rejected a man because he was “too short.” Dismissing such standards, the pastor referenced the biblical figure Zacchaeus, humorously noting:
“At least Zacchaeus in the Bible has a wife.”

The preacher urged women to stop focusing on physical attributes like height, broad chests, or six-packs, insisting that inner values and financial wisdom matter far more than appearance. He even quipped that most wealthy Nigerian men are not particularly handsome, reinforcing his argument that success trumps looks.
“People who go to the gym from Monday to Saturday are jobless,” he added, ridiculing men who prioritize fitness over financial stability.

Reactions online have been deeply divided. While some users praised the sermon as “raw truth” and encouraged more pastors to speak out boldly, others slammed it as judgmental, misogynistic, and insensitive.

Read some netizens’ reactions below;

@Blessing: That’s true

@legacycapitals: They have raise the agenda now to 45 instead of 35 small time nah 50

@Africantech: So many pretty ladies who ended up single suffered such fate because majority of them operated with the wrong Mindsets

Example
1) He is not rich enough for me
2) He is not handsome enough for me
3) He is too old for me
4) He is not my spec
5) He is not from my town/ethnicity

@Dejaga: You guyz will leave relevant issues and be fixated on irrelevancies