Kingsley Okonkwo’s Mentor To Marry platform sparks debate over N700,000 fees

Pastor Kingsley Okonkwo, founder of David’s Christian Centre and a well-known relationship coach, has drawn mixed reactions online after launching a faith-based matchmaking platform, Mentor To Marry, with annual membership packages ranging from N70,000 to N700,000.

The pastor has described the service as a way to connect Christian singles who want intentional, marriage-focused relationships through mentoring, assessments and guided matchmaking. The pricing, however, has become the centre of the argument. Many users asked how a message against the commercialisation of relationships sits beside a paid tier list that includes Regular, Premium and VIP.

On X, @gatsegwasiPhD wrote that the offer contradicted itself: if men without money are told relationships should not be reduced to cash, who except the wealthy can pay N700,000 to meet “godly” women? @DaraMoren1 said relationships were already commercialised and that the pastor had gone ahead and commercialised them further. @ndilichi1261151 asked what N700,000 would do in the Gen Z dating scene compared with putting it into the platform. Similar comments appeared on Facebook, including from King Phill and Comfort Bassey Bee, who both framed the launch as repeating the problem the pastor had named.

Others defended the project. They noted that professional matchmaking and relationship coaching are not new and that people may pay for a service they value. Former Big Brother Naija housemate Neo said the pastor did nothing wrong and that paying for counselling might help people who struggle to choose well. Supporters also pointed out that the platform is not only an introduction service: participants are expected to go through mentorship and assessment before a match is proposed.

The split is structural rather than personal. One side treats marriage guidance as a ministry that should not carry a luxury price. The other treats it as a professional product whose cost is justified by process and screening. Whether the fees become a lasting barrier or a filter that some singles accept will depend on what members actually receive after they pay—and on whether cheaper tiers deliver the same substance as the top package.