The conversation around dating, marriage and finding the right partner has taken another interesting turn in Nigeria, this time with Pastor Kingsley Okonkwo putting a very different kind of matchmaking service on the table. The relationship coach, alongside his wife Mildred Okonkwo, has launched Mentor To Marry, a Christian focused platform designed for singles who are not simply looking for somebody to chat with but say they want a serious relationship that can lead to marriage.
Then came the figures that immediately caught attention, with membership starting at ₦70,000 and rising to ₦350,000 for Premium and ₦700,000 for VIP. Those numbers are enough to make anybody curious, but the real story begins when you look beyond the price tag and ask what members are actually paying for, how the system works and why the most expensive plan costs so much.
The Launch That Got People Talking
Mentor To Marry, commonly referred to as MTM, went public around August 26, 2026, with Kingsley Okonkwo promoting the platform on X as a new option for serious Christian singles. The announcement quickly attracted attention because dating platforms are hardly new, but this one comes with a very different identity and a very different philosophy. Rather than presenting itself as another place where people swipe through photographs, exchange messages and hope for chemistry, MTM describes itself as a guided marriage preparation and matching community for people who are intentional about finding a spouse. That distinction sits at the centre of everything the platform offers, from its mentoring classes to its assessment process, matching system and different membership levels.
The name itself tells you a lot about what the founders are trying to build. Mentor To Marry is not presented simply as a Christian dating app where people create profiles and start chatting immediately. The platform puts mentoring before matching, which means the process begins with preparation rather than jumping straight into introductions. Members are expected to go through an 8 week mentoring programme, complete assessments and surveys, take part in guided reflection and accept an accountability structure before progressing through the matchmaking experience. The idea is fairly straightforward, prepare people for marriage first, then connect them with others who are also approaching relationships with a similar level of seriousness.
That model explains why the headline surrounding the launch can be slightly misleading. Saying that Pastor Kingsley Okonkwo is charging ₦700,000 to find somebody a wife makes for a catchy story, but that is not what the platform says it is selling. There is no promise that somebody who pays ₦700,000 will meet a spouse, fall in love or get married. The money is for membership and access to a particular level of service within the platform. The more a member pays, the more access, communication opportunities, coaching and personalised matchmaking support become available.
Who Is Behind MTM
The platform is closely connected to work Kingsley and Mildred Okonkwo have been doing for years. The couple are widely known for their relationship and marriage teaching through Love, Dating & Marriage Ministries, usually referred to as LDM, and their work has focused heavily on helping people understand dating, relationships, marriage and the responsibilities that come with building a home. Their wider ministry platform describes their experience in relationship and marriage education as spanning more than 2 decades, which gives some context to why MTM has been created as a structured service rather than simply another social platform.
MTM lists Kingsley and Mildred Okonkwo among its founders, while its materials identify Love, Dating and Marriage Ministries as the organisation operating the platform. Its Statement of Faith describes the organisation as a non profit organisation registered in Nigeria, with the matchmaking service built around a clearly Christian foundation. That background is important because it shows that the platform did not suddenly appear as an unrelated business idea from somebody looking to cash in on the dating market. It is closely connected to the Okonkwos’ established work around relationships and marriage.
That also explains why mentoring is such a major part of the service. The founders are bringing an existing relationship education philosophy into a digital environment where people can be assessed, guided and connected within the same system. The platform is therefore trying to solve more than the problem of meeting somebody. Its wider proposition is that finding the right person is only part of the marriage journey, because people also need to understand themselves, recognise their readiness and learn how to approach relationships properly.
Who Can Actually Join
MTM is not designed as an open platform for everybody who wants to date. The rules set out specific requirements for people who want to use its matching service, beginning with age. Members must be at least 25 years old, which immediately places the platform in a different category from dating services that attract teenagers and people in their early 20s. The age requirement fits the platform’s stated focus on people who are approaching relationships with marriage as a serious goal rather than casual dating.
Christian identity is another major requirement. Members are expected to identify as Christians and agree with the platform’s Statement of Faith. That is not simply a box to tick during registration because the Christian foundation runs through the service itself, from the mentoring classes to the community rules and the way relationships are discussed. The platform also expects members to provide truthful information and genuinely seek a Christ centred relationship or marriage.
Marital status is treated seriously as well. Members using the matching service are expected to disclose whether they have never married, are divorced or are widowed. Married people cannot use the matchmaking service, which is another major difference between MTM and a general dating platform. The rules make the intended audience quite clear, serious Christian singles who are available for marriage and willing to approach the process within the values established by the platform.
What ₦70,000 Regular Offers
The Regular plan is the entry point into the paid MTM system and costs ₦70,000 annually. At first glance, that figure might sound like a payment simply for access to potential partners, but the actual package is broader. Regular members receive the 8 week mentoring classes, assessments and surveys, access to limited profiles, an accountability system, 5 weekly chats and access to a country based matching pool. Members also receive 1 weekly chat carryover, meaning an unused opportunity can be moved forward under the terms of the service.
The mentoring element is particularly important because it separates the Regular plan from the traditional idea of paying to browse profiles. Somebody joining the platform is not simply being handed a list of Christian singles and told to start messaging. There is a preparation stage attached to the membership, and the platform wants members to go through that process before becoming fully immersed in the matching environment.
The country based matching pool also gives the Regular plan a clear boundary. Members can discover potential matches within the relevant country pool rather than automatically gaining access to every profile across the platform. That limitation becomes important when comparing Regular with Premium because one of the major reasons for the jump in price is the expansion of access beyond the entry level experience.
What Changes With ₦350,000 Premium
Premium is where the platform starts moving from basic access into a more personalised matchmaking experience. The annual cost is ₦350,000, which means a member is paying ₦280,000 more than somebody on the Regular plan. The additional money is not described as a payment for a guaranteed partner. Instead, it provides a broader range of access and support designed for people who want more involvement from the platform.
Premium members receive everything available under Regular, but they also get unlimited profile browsing, monthly profile recommendations, priority access to coaches and access to global profiles. Their weekly chat allowance rises from 5 to 10, while their weekly chat carryover increases from 1 to 3. Premium members also receive access to private groups, creating another layer of community around the matchmaking experience.
The global profile access is particularly significant because it changes the size of the potential dating pool. Somebody on Regular is operating within the country based pool, while a Premium member can look beyond that boundary. For Nigerians living abroad or people open to meeting Christian singles in other countries, that broader access could be one of the biggest attractions of the package.
Monthly recommendations also make Premium different from simply having more profiles to browse. The platform is putting some of the discovery work back into its own system by providing recommendations rather than leaving members to search through profiles entirely on their own. Priority access to coaches adds another level of support, bringing the service closer to guided matchmaking than conventional app based dating.
Why ₦700,000 VIP Stands Out
Then comes the VIP package, the plan that turned the launch into a major talking point. At ₦700,000 annually, VIP costs exactly twice the Premium fee and 10 times the Regular fee. That immediately places it in a premium category, especially in a Nigerian market where ₦700,000 is a substantial amount of money for many people.
The reason for the price becomes clearer when the benefits are examined. VIP members receive everything offered through the lower plans, but they also get a dedicated matchmaker, a dedicated coach and priority access to the founders. Their weekly chat allowance rises again, this time to 15 chats, while the package also includes off platform introductions and profile protection.
The dedicated matchmaker is probably the biggest difference. Regular and Premium members have access to the matchmaking ecosystem, but VIP members receive a person specifically assigned to help with their search. That makes the experience much closer to traditional concierge matchmaking, where a client expects somebody to take a more active role in identifying suitable prospects and facilitating introductions.
Priority access to the founders also makes the VIP package stand out. Kingsley and Mildred Okonkwo are the people behind the platform, and VIP members are being offered a higher level of access to them. The package is therefore not simply about seeing more profiles. It is about receiving more human involvement throughout the process.
What The ₦700,000 Does Not Buy
This is probably the most important part of the entire story because the price can easily create the wrong impression. Paying ₦700,000 does not buy a husband or wife. It does not guarantee a match, mutual attraction, a relationship or marriage. The platform’s own terms make that clear, stating that membership does not guarantee a match, mutual interest or marriage.
That means a person can spend ₦700,000 on VIP membership and still leave without getting married. The service can provide introductions, recommendations, coaching and matchmaking assistance, but the people involved still have their own choices to make. A recommended profile can decline an introduction. Two people can meet and discover that they are not compatible. A promising relationship can still end before marriage.
That reality is crucial because it changes the way the price should be understood. The platform is not selling a guaranteed result. It is selling access to a structured process designed to improve the chances of meeting a suitable person within a particular Christian environment. Whether somebody considers that valuable enough to justify ₦700,000 will depend heavily on their circumstances, expectations and willingness to use a guided service.
The Christian Foundation
MTM is unapologetically Christian, and its Statement of Faith makes that clear. The platform describes itself as an interdenominational Christian relationship, dating and marriage community, meaning the Christian identity is not simply a marketing angle added to a conventional dating product.
Biblical teaching, mentoring, accountability, Christian community and relationship education all form part of the structure. The platform also states its position on marriage as a covenant between 1 man and 1 woman. Those principles influence the type of community the founders are attempting to create and the rules members are expected to follow.
That makes MTM quite different from dating services where people with completely different beliefs and expectations can meet without any shared foundation. Somebody joining MTM knows from the beginning that the platform has a particular worldview. The expectation is not merely to find another Christian person, but to find somebody who is willing to approach dating and marriage within that same framework.
The Rules Go Beyond Dating
The platform also places considerable emphasis on conduct. Its community and safety rules address issues such as catfishing, fraud, sexual harassment, abuse, financial exploitation, explicit sexual content, predatory behaviour, deceptive profiles and spiritual manipulation.
Those rules reveal how seriously the founders are treating the community environment. Online dating platforms regularly struggle with fake profiles, scams, inappropriate messages and people using romantic connections to manipulate others financially. MTM’s policies attempt to address those problems directly rather than leaving everything to members to handle themselves.
Financial requests are also addressed in the messaging rules, alongside scams, harassment and manipulative behaviour. That is particularly relevant for a matchmaking service because emotional trust can sometimes make people vulnerable. Somebody who believes they have finally met the right person may be more willing to send money or overlook suspicious behaviour, which makes clear community rules an important part of the platform’s design.
The Free Community
There is another detail that can easily disappear beneath the attention surrounding the ₦700,000 VIP package. MTM also offers a free singles community.
That means people who are interested in the Christian community but are not ready to pay ₦70,000, ₦350,000 or ₦700,000 are not completely locked out. The free option creates an entry point for people who want to become familiar with the community without immediately committing money to the paid matchmaking plans.
The paid packages therefore sit on top of a broader community structure. Regular provides the first paid level, Premium expands access and support, while VIP adds the most personalised matchmaking experience. The free community gives people another route into the ecosystem without requiring them to immediately purchase a membership.
Why The Platform Is Not Tinder
Comparing MTM directly with Tinder or Bumble misses one of the biggest points about the service. Traditional dating apps generally make discovery the centre of the experience. Users create profiles, look through other profiles, decide who they like and begin conversations. Some paid plans may increase visibility, expand filters or remove certain limitations, but the basic process remains centred around independent discovery.
MTM is building something more controlled. Members are expected to go through mentoring, assessments and readiness exercises before fully entering the matchmaking environment. Different plans then determine the level of profile access, communication, recommendations and human support available to them.
That makes the service closer to a combination of relationship education, coaching, community and matchmaking. The dating element is certainly there, but it sits inside a much larger structure. The platform is essentially saying that finding a spouse should not begin with swiping. It should begin with preparation.
The Timing Of The Launch
The launch also came at an interesting moment for Kingsley Okonkwo, who had been talking publicly about the changing nature of relationships and dating. Around the same period, he expressed sympathy for men navigating what he described as an increasingly commercialised dating environment.
He recalled a time when getting a woman’s phone number could be enough to begin a relationship, contrasting that with what he described as modern expectations where some men may face requests involving rent, school fees, transportation and other financial responsibilities before a relationship even gets serious.
Those remarks added another layer to the MTM launch because they immediately created an obvious question about the relationship between commercialised dating and a paid matchmaking platform. If finding love is becoming too commercialised, why create a service where membership can cost as much as ₦700,000?
That question is difficult to avoid because the timing placed the comments beside the launch of a premium matchmaking service. Yet the platform’s structure also provides part of the explanation. The fee is not presented as payment to obtain a woman or a man. It is payment for a service involving mentoring, access, coaching and matchmaking assistance.
Okonkwo’s Clarification
Okonkwo later made an important clarification around the conversation about women and money. His comments were not presented as a blanket statement that women are financially motivated or that every woman approaches relationships with financial demands.
He pointed instead toward the existence of Christian women who are serious about marriage and described the platform as a place where men could find well mentored Christian women from different parts of the world. That message fits more closely with what MTM itself is trying to achieve, which is to create a pool of people who are already interested in serious Christian relationships.
The distinction matters because the platform is built around the idea that people should be matched based on more than physical attraction or convenience. Faith, values, readiness and long term intentions are part of the equation. That is why the founders have put so much emphasis on mentoring and assessment before matching.
The Global Ambition
MTM is also not restricting its ambition to Nigeria. The platform’s membership structure includes access to global profiles at the Premium level, while the broader service is presented as a worldwide Christian matchmaking community.
That opens the door to Nigerians in the diaspora, Christians living in other countries and people who may be willing to consider relationships outside their immediate location. The global element could become particularly important for members who believe their ideal match may not necessarily live in the same city or country.
VIP takes that further with off platform introductions, giving the matchmaking process a more direct character. Rather than leaving every conversation inside the platform, the service can facilitate introductions outside it under the terms of the VIP package.
The Privacy Question
MTM also appears to be conscious of the importance of privacy and presentation. The portraits displayed on its public website are described as fictional AI generated portraits intended to demonstrate what the community could look like.
That clarification matters because visitors might otherwise assume that every photograph on the website belongs to a real member available for matchmaking. The public promotional material should therefore not be interpreted as a catalogue of actual singles waiting to be contacted.
The actual matchmaking experience takes place within the membership environment, where profiles and interactions are subject to the platform’s rules. That creates a clear separation between promotional material used to explain the service and the real members participating in the community.
The Real Difference Between The 3 Plans
Looking at the 3 paid plans side by side makes the strategy much easier to understand. Regular at ₦70,000 is essentially the entry point for somebody who wants structured mentoring, limited profile access and a country based matching pool. Premium at ₦350,000 expands the experience significantly through unlimited browsing, global profiles, monthly recommendations, private groups, more chats and priority coaching access.
VIP at ₦700,000 takes the idea further by putting people into a more personalised matchmaking environment. The dedicated matchmaker and dedicated coach are the major additions, while priority access to the founders, 15 weekly chats, off platform introductions and profile protection complete the package.
The pricing is therefore not random. Each jump is tied to greater access and more human involvement. The biggest financial jump comes when the service moves from giving members tools to giving them people whose role is specifically to help with the matchmaking process.
Is ₦700,000 Really About Finding Love?
That depends on how the buyer views the service. Somebody who sees dating as a private process between 2 people may struggle to understand why they should spend ₦700,000 on matchmaking. Another person who has spent years struggling to meet compatible Christian singles may see professional guidance, recommendations and personal matchmaking as worth paying for.
The important point is that MTM is not promising certainty. Even the VIP member remains subject to the same basic reality that affects every relationship, 2 people have to choose each other and remain compatible enough to build something lasting.
That makes the fee more comparable to paying for access to a premium service than paying for an outcome. A matchmaker can introduce 2 people, but cannot force chemistry. A coach can offer guidance, but cannot make a relationship work. A platform can create opportunities, but cannot guarantee marriage.
Why The ₦70,000 Entry Point Matters
The Regular plan may actually be one of the more interesting parts of the pricing structure because it gives the platform a way to reach people who want structured support without committing hundreds of thousands of naira. ₦70,000 annually is still meaningful money, but it sits far below the Premium and VIP levels.
That entry point also allows MTM to build a community before asking every member to pay for the highest level of service. Someone can begin with mentoring, assessments and limited matching access, then decide whether they want more.
Premium then becomes the middle ground for people who want significantly more access without paying for the full concierge style VIP experience. The 3 paid levels therefore give the platform room to serve different types of members rather than forcing everybody into the same package.
What Makes The VIP Package Different
The word VIP is often used loosely, but MTM attaches specific services to it. The dedicated matchmaker is perhaps the clearest indication that the platform wants VIP members to receive a more hands on experience.
A dedicated coach also means that the member is not simply relying on algorithms or profile searches. There is a human being involved in the process, somebody who can provide guidance within the framework of the platform.
Priority access to the founders adds another layer that would not normally exist on a conventional dating app. It suggests that VIP members are being positioned as clients who receive a closer relationship with the people responsible for the service.
That is ultimately what the ₦700,000 is buying, a higher level of attention.
The Bigger Idea Behind MTM
At its heart, Mentor To Marry is based on a simple belief, that serious marriage minded people may need more guidance than a normal dating app provides. The founders are taking their existing relationship education work and combining it with a matchmaking system where members can be assessed, mentored and connected.
The concept is not entirely unfamiliar. Matchmakers have existed for generations, while relationship coaches and marriage counsellors have also long helped people prepare for relationships. What makes MTM different is the attempt to bring all those functions together under a Christian digital community.
That is why the platform is more accurately described as a marriage preparation and matchmaking service rather than simply a dating app. The dating component is there, but it is part of a much wider process.
The Bottom Line
Mentor To Marry is real, and the pricing structure is exactly what initially made the August 26, 2026 launch so attention grabbing. The Regular plan costs ₦70,000 annually, Premium costs ₦350,000 and VIP costs ₦700,000. But the money is not buying a guaranteed husband, wife or marriage.
Regular gives members access to 8 weeks of mentoring, assessments, limited profiles, accountability, 5 weekly chats and a country based matching pool. Premium adds unlimited browsing, global profiles, monthly recommendations, priority coaching access, private groups and 10 weekly chats. VIP goes further with a dedicated matchmaker, dedicated coach, priority access to the founders, 15 weekly chats, off platform introductions and profile protection.
The platform also has a free singles community, meaning the entire MTM experience does not begin and end with the ₦700,000 headline. Members can enter through different levels depending on what they want from the service and what they are prepared to spend.
The biggest thing to understand is that MTM is selling a process rather than a result. Its promise is structured preparation, Christian community, matchmaking access, coaching and introductions. The final outcome still depends on the people involved.
That distinction changes the entire story.
The question is no longer simply why a pastor would charge ₦700,000 for matchmaking. The more useful question is what somebody is actually receiving for that money, and whether personalised matchmaking, dedicated coaching, wider access and direct support can make the price worthwhile for somebody who is serious about marriage.
For now, Kingsley and Mildred Okonkwo have clearly placed their bet on a different approach to modern dating. They are taking years of relationship teaching and moving it into a digital environment where preparation comes before matching, faith comes with the membership and the most expensive option comes with the closest level of human involvement.
Whether that model becomes a major Christian matchmaking community or remains a niche service for people willing to pay premium prices will depend on what happens after the introductions begin. Because at the end of the day, ₦70,000 can buy membership, ₦350,000 can buy wider access and ₦700,000 can buy a more personalised experience, but none of those payments can buy the one thing every person joining the platform is ultimately hoping to find, a relationship that genuinely works.
