Betting Not a Path to Wealth, Oyedepo Warns Nigerian Youths
The founder of Living Faith Church Worldwide, also known as Winners Chapel, Bishop David Oyedepo, has cautioned Nigerian youths against engaging in betting, warning that it is not a reliable path to financial success.
Speaking during a church service in a video that has since gone viral, the renowned cleric urged young people to abandon the habit, insisting that the pursuit of quick money through betting could jeopardise their future.
Oyedepo encouraged youths not to lose hope over slow progress in life, stressing that genuine success built on hard work, discipline and integrity may take time but ultimately endures.
“Young people, betting is not the way to financial fortune. Stop wasting your destiny, stop wasting your destiny, stop wasting your destiny. I have never been once deceived.
“Stop! Things may be slow, but it’s sure,” he said.
The cleric’s remarks come amid growing concerns over the increasing rate of betting among Nigerian youths, many of whom see gambling as a shortcut to wealth.
Analysts have attributed the trend to rising unemployment, economic hardship and the desire for quick financial gains. Others argue that the growing dependence on betting discourages many young people from pursuing entrepreneurship, acquiring vocational skills or exploring other productive means of earning a living.
Oyedepo has consistently advocated diligence, entrepreneurship and value creation, urging young Nigerians to embrace legitimate opportunities capable of delivering lasting prosperity rather than relying on games of chance.