Reported by Simon Daniel Yusuph l Journalist at Weng Global
Nigerian singer, filmmaker and entrepreneur Bankole Wellington, popularly known as Banky W, has revealed how his defeat in the 2023 general election became a turning point in his life, prompting him to seek God’s direction and eventually embrace pastoral ministry in the United States.
Banky W shared the experience while marking his first anniversary as a pastor, reflecting on the emotional impact of losing the election and how the disappointment influenced his understanding of purpose, faith and professional responsibilities.
The entertainer, who contested the Eti-Osa Federal Constituency seat in the House of Representatives under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said the election outcome left him heartbroken and forced him to reconsider what the next chapter of his life should look like.
In a personal reflection shared on social media, he explained that he initially struggled to determine whether his future should focus on politics, entertainment, business or ministry.
However, he said the experience eventually helped him understand that these different interests did not necessarily have to compete with one another.
Banky W now combines his work in entertainment and business with responsibilities in pastoral ministry and academia. He serves as an associate pastor and global ambassador at We Are Union Church, while also working as a teacher and leader at Union College.
His account offers a personal perspective on how a political setback can influence an individual’s priorities and lead to a reassessment of long-term ambitions. It also highlights his decision to maintain his established professional interests while pursuing a new role in religious service.
Banky W Describes Election Defeat as Emotionally Painful
Reflecting on the 2023 election, Banky W said the experience affected him deeply, despite the lessons he gained from participating in the political process.
He explained that the disappointment forced him to confront questions about his future and the direction he wanted his life to take.
In his social media post, he wrote: “In 2023, I lost an election. And while the experience inspired me in many ways, it also broke my heart into a million little pieces.”
The statement captures the emotional weight he attached to the defeat, which ended his immediate ambition to represent the people of Eti-Osa in the National Assembly.
Rather than describing the election result solely as a political disappointment, Banky W presented it as an experience that prompted him to reconsider his priorities and seek spiritual guidance.
He said that after the election, he turned to God and surrendered his plans, asking for direction on what he should do next.
“When the dust settled, I took those pieces back to God. And I surrendered,” he wrote.
He also recalled questioning whether he should concentrate on leadership and politics, entertainment and business, or devote himself to ministry.
The questions reflected the uncertainty he faced after the election and his desire to understand how his existing interests could fit into his future.
According to his account, the process eventually changed how he viewed his professional ambitions and religious responsibilities.
Rather than seeing ministry as a replacement for entertainment or business, he came to believe that the different aspects of his life could coexist.
He explained that he had been asking God to choose between paths that, in his understanding, did not need to be separated.
“It wasn’t either/or. It was all of the above,” he said.
His reflection suggests that the election defeat was not the only factor in his broader personal journey, but an experience that encouraged him to reconsider how he understood his calling and future responsibilities.
From Nigerian Politics to Pastoral Ministry in the United States
Banky W’s transition into pastoral ministry represents a new chapter in a career that has included music, entrepreneurship, filmmaking and politics.
He became widely recognised in Nigeria’s entertainment industry through his work as a singer and music executive. He also built a public profile through business activities and later entered electoral politics.
His decision to contest the 2023 House of Representatives election in Eti-Osa, Lagos State, brought him into direct competition for an elected position in Nigeria’s political system.
Running under the PDP, he sought to represent the constituency in the National Assembly. However, he lost to Labour Party candidate Thaddeus Attah.
The result ended that particular electoral ambition, although it did not mean that his involvement in public life or his other professional interests had to end.
In reflecting on the period after the election, Banky W said he initially struggled to determine which direction he should follow.
His questions concerned whether to concentrate on leadership, continue with entertainment, expand his business interests or pursue ministry.
He eventually concluded that he did not have to abandon one area of his life to pursue another.
That understanding has become central to how he describes his transition into pastoral service.
Banky W said he continues to identify as a filmmaker, musician and entrepreneur while also serving as a pastor and professor.
His account therefore presents the transition as an expansion of his responsibilities rather than a complete departure from his previous career.
The development also demonstrates how public figures sometimes combine professional pursuits with religious service, although the practical demands of managing those responsibilities can vary considerably.
For Banky W, the challenge now involves maintaining his existing professional interests while meeting the expectations associated with his work in the church and academic environment.
His own explanation places faith at the centre of that decision, while acknowledging that the path he is following differs from the plans he had before the election.
Banky W Says His Calling Has Expanded, Not Narrowed
One of the central messages in Banky W’s reflection is that his entry into ministry has not required him to abandon his previous professional identities.
He explained that he initially approached the question of his future as though he had to select a single direction from several competing possibilities.
Those possibilities included politics, entertainment, business and religious service.
Over time, however, he said he came to understand that the different interests could form part of a broader purpose.
“Turns out, God wasn’t trying to put me in a box. He was expanding my assignment,” he wrote.
The statement reflects his personal interpretation of the changes that followed the election defeat.
Rather than presenting pastoral ministry as a decision to leave music or filmmaking behind, he described it as an additional responsibility alongside his established activities.
He also used humour to reflect on the unexpected development.
Banky W recalled joking that the letter “P” in his nickname, P.Banks, stood for Professor rather than Pastor.
He added that he now sees both descriptions as part of his life.
“I used to joke that the ‘P’ in P.Banks stood for Professor, not Pastor. I guess God heard and said, ‘Why not both?’” he wrote.
The remark provided a light-hearted element to his anniversary message while reinforcing the broader theme of his reflection: that professional development and personal purpose do not always follow a straight line.
His comments also indicate that he does not regard his new religious responsibilities as an end to his work in entertainment and business.
Instead, he intends to continue pursuing those interests while serving in pastoral ministry and academia.
The distinction is important because the announcement does not describe an immediate retirement from his previous occupations. It describes an effort to integrate them with a new role.
His future activities in music, filmmaking and entrepreneurship will therefore remain relevant to understanding how he manages his expanding responsibilities.
His Responsibilities at Union Church and Union College
Banky W disclosed that he now serves as an associate pastor and global ambassador at We Are Union Church in the United States.
He also works as a teacher and leader at Union College.
The roles place him in religious and educational environments alongside his established career in entertainment and business.
As an associate pastor, he participates in the church’s ministry, while his position as global ambassador forms another part of his responsibilities at the institution.
His work at Union College adds an academic dimension to his professional life.
The combination reflects the direction he described in his anniversary message, in which he said his responsibilities had expanded beyond the activities that initially defined his public career.
However, the announcement does not provide a detailed account of his specific pastoral duties, teaching schedule or administrative responsibilities.
It is therefore important not to assume that his new positions have displaced his other professional commitments or to overstate the extent of his responsibilities within either institution.
What is clear from his statement is that he regards both roles as important parts of his current life.
He also expressed gratitude to the people he credited with contributing to his faith, family and future.
His message presented the anniversary as an opportunity to acknowledge the journey that brought him to his present position rather than simply celebrate a new professional title.
For readers, the development offers insight into how the entertainer is redefining his public identity while maintaining links to the sectors in which he has previously worked.
Balancing Life Between Lagos and the United States
Banky W also acknowledged the practical demands of managing responsibilities across different locations.
He said travelling between Lagos and the Washington, DC, metropolitan area was not always easy, but described the experience as worthwhile.
The Washington metropolitan area, often referred to alongside Maryland and Virginia, is a major centre of activity in the United States.
Maintaining professional connections in Nigeria while fulfilling responsibilities in the United States requires time, planning and adjustment.
Banky W’s comments suggest that geographical distance remains one of the challenges associated with his current arrangements.
However, he did not describe the difficulty as a reason to abandon any of his professional or religious commitments.
Instead, he presented the travel as part of the effort required to maintain the different responsibilities he now considers important.
The arrangement also illustrates a wider challenge faced by professionals whose careers, family commitments and institutional responsibilities extend across national borders.
Such arrangements can involve demanding schedules and competing priorities, particularly when a person continues to maintain an established professional presence in one country while taking on new responsibilities in another.
Banky W’s reflection does not provide a detailed travel schedule or explain how frequently he moves between the two locations.
Nevertheless, his acknowledgement of the demands involved adds practical context to his description of an expanded professional and spiritual life.
It also reinforces the point that his transition into ministry has involved more than adopting a new title. It has required him to manage additional responsibilities while maintaining existing interests.
His account presents that balancing act as a challenge he is willing to undertake because of the personal significance he attaches to his current path.
Why the 2023 Election Defeat Matters
Banky W’s reflection has significance beyond his personal career because it offers an example of how an unsuccessful political campaign can become a moment of reassessment.
Elections often involve considerable emotional investment, particularly for candidates who have built public profiles and spent time campaigning for elected office.
For candidates who lose, the outcome can require them to reconsider their immediate plans, public responsibilities and future ambitions.
Banky W’s account provides a personal illustration of that experience.
He acknowledged the pain of losing the election but said the period afterward encouraged him to seek direction and reconsider the relationship between his different interests.
His experience should not be interpreted as evidence that electoral defeat inevitably leads to religious service or that one career path is preferable to another.
Rather, it demonstrates how an individual can interpret disappointment through personal beliefs and use the experience to reconsider future choices.
His account also highlights the distinction between losing an election and abandoning public life altogether.
Although Banky W did not win the Eti-Osa seat, his reflection suggests that he continued to examine how his skills, interests and ambitions could be applied in other areas.
The development is relevant to discussions about political participation in Nigeria, where entertainers, businesspeople and other public figures have entered electoral politics in pursuit of elected office.
A failed campaign does not necessarily erase a candidate’s existing professional identity or determine what they can accomplish afterward.
In Banky W’s case, his account emphasises personal reflection and faith rather than another immediate electoral ambition.
He has not, in the anniversary reflection cited by the reports, announced a new bid for political office.
Any suggestion that he intends to return to electoral politics would therefore require further confirmation.
For now, his public comments focus on his experience after the 2023 election and his decision to combine ministry with his existing professional pursuits.
The wider lesson is not that political defeat automatically produces a new calling, but that people may respond to setbacks by reassessing what matters to them and identifying alternative ways to pursue their ambitions.
That interpretation remains consistent with Banky W’s own explanation of how his priorities changed.
What Happens Next for Banky W?
Banky W’s anniversary message indicates that he intends to continue working across several professional areas.
He said he remains involved in filmmaking, music and entrepreneurship while serving in pastoral ministry and academia.
He also suggested that further developments could emerge from his business, film and music activities.
However, he did not provide specific release dates, project titles or detailed plans in the reported anniversary statement.
It would therefore be premature to announce particular projects or predict when they will become available.
His immediate milestone is the completion of his first year in pastoral ministry, which he marked by reflecting on the circumstances that led him to this stage of his life.
His responsibilities at We Are Union Church and Union College are also part of his current professional direction.
The next stage of his journey will depend on how he continues to manage those commitments alongside his existing interests.
For his supporters, the anniversary offers an opportunity to understand how he views the relationship between his political experience, personal faith and professional ambitions.
For observers of Nigeria’s entertainment industry, his experience also illustrates how a public figure’s career can evolve beyond the field that first brought them recognition.
His account leaves open the possibility of further developments in entertainment and business, but the details remain to be confirmed.
What is established from his statement is that he does not view his election defeat as the end of his story.
Instead, he describes it as a painful experience that contributed to a reassessment of his priorities and his eventual decision to embrace pastoral ministry.
As he enters another year in that role, Banky W’s own message centres on gratitude, faith and the belief that his professional responsibilities can coexist.
His reflection offers a personal account of an unexpected transition, while leaving his future plans in music, film and business open for further announcements.
Weng Global – stories beyond borders
Sources
- Banky W’s social media statement marking his first anniversary in pastoral ministry.
- TheCable Lifestyle — reporting on Banky W’s transition into pastoral ministry and his account of the 2023 election defeat.
- QED.NG — reporting on Banky W’s reflection on the election and his expanded professional responsibilities.
- P.M. News — reporting on Banky W’s comments about the emotional impact of the election and his pastoral journey.
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