If the average human has 24 hours in a day, someone needs to double-check Yul Edochie’s clock. Between managing six children from two marriages, tending to a newborn, dabbling in ministry, flirting with traditional spirituality, and now relaunching a church that never quite took off, Yul seems to be living in a different dimension entirely.
The saga hit a new high late last week when the Nollywood actor-turned-pastor-turned-prophet-turned-traditionalist announced that God Himself had instructed him to “lead my people back to their traditional ways.” “For their ways are approved by me, the Lord God Almighty,” Yul wrote, echoing what can only be described as the boldest divine endorsement of ancestral shrines since Old Testament times.
This latest proclamation came as he reopened his “True Gospel and Eternal Salvation Ministry,” a digital church he initially launched on YouTube earlier in 2024. The ministry was unceremoniously shut down after failing to host a single successful service.
Yul blamed “unavoidable challenges,” but what truly caught public attention was the viral video of him and his second wife, Judy Austin, clinking beer bottles just days before his scheduled broadcast.
And this isn’t Yul’s first time playing hopscotch with religion. Back in March 2024, he boldly declared that Nigerians should stop burning shrines and traditional symbols, insisting they were “not evil” but rather sacred expressions of culture.
While some Nigerians nodded in agreement, others began to suspect the “True Salvation Ministry” might soon rebrand into “True Shrine Ministry.” One critic even quipped, “By December, Yul might be an ‘Oluwo of YouTube’ if care is not taken.”
But his ever-morphing spiritual identity isn’t the only thing that has kept him in the spotlight. Yul’s personal life has served as tabloid fuel since April 2022, when he stunned fans by announcing his marriage to actress Judy Austin, despite still being married to his first wife, May, whom he had been with since 2004.
The move, considered illegal under Nigeria’s Marriage Act, sent the internet into a frenzy. The public outcry turned sombre in 2023 when their son, Kambilichukwu, tragically passed away. Even then, Yul never seemed to take a break from the limelight.
Fast forward to February 11, 2024, just hours before the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final between Nigeria’s Super Eagles and hosts Ivory Coast, Yul took to social media with yet another bold prophecy.
In a now-viral Facebook post, he declared: “Today’s game will not get to a penalty shootout. Nigeria will comfortably defeat the Ivory Coast. It’s a spiritual prediction. Take it to the bank.”
Unfortunately for both Yul and millions of hopeful Super Eagles fans, reality had other plans. The match ended in a 2–1 defeat for Nigeria. Despite taking the lead in the first half through a William Troost-Ekong header, the Ivorians came back strong and claimed the trophy.
This wasn’t Yul’s first prophetic fumble. Just four days earlier, on February 7, ahead of Nigeria’s tense semi-final clash with South Africa, he had posted another so-called prophecy, declaring that Nigeria would win convincingly.
Though Nigeria did edge out South Africa, it was by the skin of their teeth, via a nerve-wracking penalty shootout, once again defying Yul’s confident “comfortable win” prediction.
Reactions poured in across social media. On February 12, actress Sarah Martins took a jab, saying: “The moment Yul prophesied, I knew we were going to lose. Bro should sit this prophet thing out.”
The internet didn’t let up either. Users dubbed him the “Opposite Prophet,” a man whose predictions seemingly guaranteed the reverse outcome. Memes circulated with captions like, “Yul predicts victory? Bet on defeat.”
Some fans, half in jest, began calling for a “national prophecy ban” ahead of future major matches.
But prophecy, controversy, or politics, it all seems to be part of a grand strategy. Let’s not forget that in 2021, Yul publicly touted his 2023 presidential ambition. He briefly flirted with a presidential run under the APGA platform but ultimately dropped out, citing structural challenges within the party. He even floated the idea of crowdfunding, one that died faster than it was born.
If there’s one thing Yul seems to understand, it’s that controversy sells. He’s not the first celebrity to blur the lines between public performance and personal truth, but there’s something especially exhausting about watching him pivot from one media frenzy to the next.
But the question remains: how long can this circus last? To be clear, this isn’t to say Yul Edochie lacks talent. Nigerian movie lovers still remember the power of his voice, the commanding presence he brings to the screen, and his early promise as the son of legendary actor Pete Edochie.
Yet, unlike his father or veterans like Mr Ibu, Sam Loco Efe, or Patience Ozokwor, icons who built careers on discipline and storytelling craft, Yul appears to be building a legacy out of chaos and shock value.
And so, we’re left to ask: What exactly is Yul Edochie searching for? Is it validation? Relevance? Redemption? Or is this simply a well-calculated performance, an endless audition for attention in a country where fame is a currency?
Still, he says his next church service will be held soon. We’ll wait and see, hopefully, it is not live-streamed from a shrine.
Until then, one thing is certain: whether as a man of God, a confused traditionalist, or simply Nigeria’s loudest self-promoter, Yul Edochie will always give netizens something to talk about.
