Red is the more pronounced symbol of Valentine’s Day, and so is sex too among its celebrants. That sort of approach is what a Christian body, the Assemblies of God Church (AGC), Nigeria is trying to correct in outreach, teaching a different way to experience 14 February.

Through a ‘Chastity March’ that pitched member, Dr Blessing George, alongside multitudes of young people, the megacity of Lagos was being taught to detach a sexual attachment to Valentine’s Day because that does not benefit anyone.

Cautionary tags like True Love Waits, Saving it for Marriage, Celebrate your Purity, Stay Chaste, Stay Faithful, Don’t Let Lust Destroy Your Future, Your Body is a Temple, not a Playground, A Moment’s Pleasure, a LifeTime Regret, reports the News Agency of Nigeria, filled up the placards that a procession travelling through the Surulere district was holding to drive the message to pedestrians and motorists.

You know that Valentine is around the corner and it’s a season where people go all out showing love to one another but in doing that, they should not be involved in sexual immorality.

They should realise that Jesus would like them to show love which made our Saviour die on the Cross of Calvary for us and they should not allow lust to destroy their destiny, Dr George says.

If the celebrants can cling to a new definition of Valentine’s Day, that is, a special moment to display a gesture of love to anyone, not just romantic partners, there would be a different outcome than now when lovers feel an impulse to invade each other’s body.

ALSO READ: What plus-sized women can learn from Real Warri Pikin trimming her body

Especially, since timing matters for when a person can start to have sexual relations. Christians based on their doctrine expect that it should be after marriage before people start to give out their bodies.

Staying out of sex says Dr George helps us build a good relationship with God, we know many people have deviated from the original concept of Valentine’s.

As the day is approaching, many girls will tell their boyfriends to take them out, buy one gift or the other for them and might likely be involved in sexual activities.

This is the reason we’re sending this message across that they should avoid doing that because their body is the temple of God.

A procession involving the doctor and others went through Clegg Street and up to Funsho Williams Avenue, the National Stadium and then Ojuelegba.

Teens’ department Mr Chidi Udo, who led the chastity march, says the initiative is an avenue to counsel adolescents and teenagers to refrain from immorality. That checks with youth leader Mr Kaycee Onyegbule’s vision for what holds.

African and Nigerian parents detest having children with premarital pregnancies, he says, and so are the Church and Bible are against it but no one will ever know what a dark room will produce for lovers celebrating this year’s Valentine’s Day.

Ayodele Johnson

Ayodelé is a Lagos-based journalist and the Content and Editorial Coordinator at Meiza. All around the megacity, I am steering diverse lifestyle magazine audiences with ingenious hacks and insights that spur fast, informed decisions in their busy lives.