No Turning Back: Gaise & Oyor’s Defilement of Leah Sharibu’s Faith

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No Turning Back: Gaise & Oyor’s Defilement of Leah Sharibu’s Faith

By: Oluwasogo M. Faloye

I stand in awe of the courage of Nokseng, a Garo tribesman who, over a century ago in Assam, India, faced execution with his family and declared, “I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back.” His words, born from martyrdom, became a hymn that echoes the resolute faith of Leah Sharibu, a Nigerian schoolgirl who, since her 2018 abduction by Boko Haram, has refused to renounce Christ despite unimaginable hardship. Their stories burn in my heart as testaments to a faith unyielding, a worship pure and costly. Yet, as I listen to Gaise Baba and Lawrence Oyor’s 2025 Afro Hip Hop remix, No Turning Back II, I feel a pang of dismay. This vibrant, trendy rendition, with its log drums and Yoruba flair, defiles the sacred legacy of Nokseng and Leah, diluting the Gospel’s call to sacrifice with worldly beats. We cannot worship God in our own way, as Scripture commands us to offer Him reverence in spirit and truth. I invite you to reflect with me on the danger of trivialising the tenets of our Christian faith through cultural compromise.

Nokseng’s story grips me. In a hostile village, he and his family faced a chief’s ultimatum: renounce Christ or die. As arrows took his children and wife, he stood firm, proclaiming, “If no one joins me, still I will follow,” and, “The cross before me, the world behind me.” His sacrifice sparked a revival that eventually converted the chief and the village. That hymn, set to a simple folk melody, carries the weight of his blood-soaked faith. Fast forward to Nigeria, where Leah Sharibu, only 14 when abducted from Dapchi in 2018, embodies this same resolve. While her classmates were released, Leah remained captive, refusing to convert to Islam. “I am a Christian,” she declared, enduring over seven years of captivity, forced marriages, and reported childbirth. Her faith mirrors Nokseng’s; a living sacrifice, as Romans 12:1 urges to “Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” Their lives challenge me to ask: Does our worship reflect such costly devotion?

Scripture leaves no room for worshipping God on our terms. Jesus says in John 4:23-24, “True worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” This demands sincerity and alignment with God’s Word, not cultural trends. When Nadab and Abihu offered “unauthorised fire” in Leviticus 10:1-2, God consumed them for disregarding His commands. Deuteronomy 12:31 warns, “You must not worship the Lord your God in their way,” strongly rejecting the pagan practices. True worship, as Hebrews 12:28 commands, is offered “with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.” Nokseng and Leah lived this truth, their faith reveals a pure offering, untainted by worldly compromise. Their worship wasn’t a performance but a surrender, a call to deny self and take up the cross (Matthew 16:24). As I reflect, I’m convicted to ask: Are we worshipping God as He commands, or are we reshaping Him to fit our desires?

When I heard No Turning Back II, with its Afro-fusion beats and viral 6 million YouTube views in two weeks, I wanted to celebrate its reach. Gaise Baba and Lawrence Oyor aimed to inspire a new generation, weaving Yoruba proverbs and log drums into the hymn. But the more I listened, the more uneasy I grew. Lyrics like “Mi o ni choice, I go narrow” and “We will spend the billions, till we shift the culture” pulse with energy, but they feel like a nightclub anthem, not a cry of martyrdom. The remix is a danceable defilement. The upbeat tempo and chant-like delivery transform Nokseng’s solemn resolve into a trendy vibe, which is also far removed from Leah’s lonely stand in captivity. Colossians 3:16 calls us to sing “psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God,” but this remix leans into secular Afro Hip Hop, a genre tied to dance floors and pop culture. Some Nigerian pastors have called it “vibes with no Gospel essence,” and I agree. It risks turning worship into entertainment, defiling the chastity of faith that Nokseng and Leah embody.

I’m troubled by how No Turning Back II trivialises the Christian call to sacrifice. Nokseng’s “No turning back” was a deathbed vow, so also is Leah’s refusal to bow to Boko Haram’s threats. Their faith reflects a chastity of purpose, which is pure devotion to Christ that is unswayed by the world. Yet, the remix’s focus on “shifting the culture” and its modern flair, with the artists’ dyed hair and headbands, feels like a nod to worldly appeal. Romans 12:2 warns, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.” By adopting a genre rooted in secular urban culture, the song tends to conform to the world, rather than transforming it; it’s little wonder the song was played at a club house a few days after its release. The original hymn’s folk melody carried a timeless solemnity, uniting persecuted believers globally. This remix, however, tethers the Gospel to fleeting trends, diluting its call to costly discipleship. For those who argue that we should “let the Youth of this time praise God in their own way”, I ask, does this music draw us closer to the cross or distract us with cultural noise?

As I reflect on Leah’s ongoing captivity, seven years of suffering for her faith and counting, I’m struck by the disconnect. Her “No turning back” means enduring unimaginable pain, not dancing to Afrobeat rhythms. The remix’s triumphant tone, with lines like “Non-stop, on 240, Esu gan, o damiduro ti,” feels out of touch with the persecution she faces. Worship should echo Psalm 29:2: “Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendour of his holiness.” Yet, No Turning Back II prioritises cultural relevance over reverence, risking idolatry by reshaping worship to fit our preferences. The danger is clear: when we trivialise the tenets of our faith with worldly practices, we weaken the Gospel’s power. We rob it of the awe and sacrifice that Nokseng and Leah embody, and we are reducing worship to a feel-good moment rather than a holy offering.

I urge you, my reader, to pause and reflect. The faith of Nokseng and Leah challenges us to examine our worship. Are we offering God what He commands: reverence, holiness, and truth, or are we chasing cultural relevance? Gaise Baba and Lawrence Oyor’s No Turning Back II may captivate millions, but it defiles the sacred legacy of a hymn born in blood and sustained by Leah’s courage. We cannot worship God in our own way; we must obey His call to worship in spirit and truth. Let’s return to the cross, where true worship demands sacrifice, not showmanship. In a nation where Christians like Leah face real persecution, let our music reflect the resolute faith of those who, like Nokseng, declare, “No turning back,” no matter the cost.

Oluwasogo Faloye is a member of Providence Reformed Baptist Church Ibadan