Pastor Sarah Omakwu has advised married couples to prioritize their spouses and children when choosing a next of kin, saying they should be regarded as the immediate family.
Speaking during a sermon, she said, “Men, you don’t put next of kin as your brother or your father, because your brother is not going to take care of your children. He will take care of his children first before your children.”
She stressed that a man’s wife and children should come first, adding, “Your people are your wife and your children first. They are your next of kin, not your mother, not your father, not your brother.”
Addressing married women, Pastor Omakwu said the same principle applies to them, stating, “The same thing with your wife. Wife, your husband is the next of kin, and not your sister or your family.”
She further not to list both their spouse and sibling as joint next of kin on official workplace documents, citing organisations such as the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) as examples.
“Don’t put two people’s names on the thing and put your brother and your wife in NNPC or CBN. Put only your wife’s name. That is the will of God. Any other thing is outside the mind of God,” she said.
