The days seem over when Easter was observed in absolute solemnity with the suffering and eventual death of Jesus Christ on the cross as the focal point. More and more, the Christian community is seeing Easter not just from the prism of suffering and death but also from the perspective of triumph over sin and the gift of everlasting life.
The foregoing accounts for why Easter period is now for most churches an occasion for social interaction and merrymaking. Hence they have designed various programmes that set Easter apart as an occasion to wine, dine and engage in other forms of social interaction.
For members of the Region 44 of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) in Otta, Ogun State, the means for achieving this is the annual Praise Encounter; a programme that features stage performance by reputable gospel artistes. And this year was no exception with scintillating performances by various artistes who held the gathering at Honda Manufacturing Playing Ground on Idiroko Road, Otta spell-bound with their songs.
The all-night event did not exempt political heavyweights in the state, traditional rulers, youths and lovers of gospel music in general. The open ground was filled to capacity, causing the gathering to spill to the ever-busy Idiroko Road and saddling the security agents with the onerous task of controlling both the crowd and the vehicular movements.
The star performance for the night was delivered by the popular Yoruba gospel artiste, Tope Alabi, who arrested the attention of attendees as well as passers-by with her sonorous voice and mesmerizing dance steps.
Not only did she entertain the crowd, her ministration and altar call drew hundreds of people out to confess their sins and give their lives to Christ.
The songstress expressed her joy at the opportunity to experience another praise encounter with Ota as the new venue.
She said: “I see God making it happen every year. That is why I expect praise encounter and it gives me the opportunity to minister in my own kind of ministration.
“I don’t have a ministry as a church at the moment, but I have small group we gather and pray together and I admonish them.
“I pray and wait till God says something before I leave. When you do these, you will leave with blessings, you will leave with songs and lyrics that people will marvel at what God would do.”
Chuks Uche, the gospel artiste whose electrifying performance ignited the over 10,000 capacity crowd at the open ground of Honda Manufacturing Company, sang most of his songs in Igbo.
Recalling how he became a part of the show, he said: “I was excited when Pastor Godwin Obadan put a call through to me that I was going to perform here in Ota.
“We used to have the programme in Ikorodu (Lagos) before Pastor Obadan was suddenly transferred to Ogun State.”
Uche, who said his expectation for the congregation was for them to receive miracle through his songs, added that his worship song was billed to hit the airwaves on social media on April 12.
The RCCG Region 44 mass choir was not left behind as they performed in colourful Hausa outfit after the Yoruba, Edo, Igbo and Efik groups had taken turns to thril the crowd.
Children groups were also not left out as more than 100 of them mimed to some popular gospel songs.
Adegbite Johnson, Grace D’eulogier, Boiz Olorun, Fomzy Music, Yetunde Are, Minister Chucks, Minister Afolashade and Jenet Praise were also there to entertain the crowd.
The Boiz Olorun, an Apala group, was led by Feranmi Biala, who took out time to talk about his kind of music.
He said: “The genre is Apala, the message is gospel. The Christian community accepted the music from the beginning. We received a very encouraging acceptance from the church.
“The Holy Spirit is my inspirer. My view for the gospel of our Lord Jesus is being communicated in a way that people would want to relate with.
“So, each time I have the opportunity to do that, I just want to go with that scripture that says whatever your hand finds doing, do it with all your heart.
“So, basically, my inspiration is the Holy Spirit.
The Olota of Ota, Prof. Abdulkarim Adeyemi Obalanlege, represented by the Onibudo of Ayetoro Obudo-Otta, Oba (Dr) Adewumi Adeniji Odutala and the Oba-in-Council, in his endorsement of the event, described it as a cleansing of the land.
He said: “We are happy to be associated with this kind of programme. We have witnessed programmes like this, but this is bigger and better.
“In my community, we have one we call festival of praise in Decembers.
“Some people think that we in Ota are fetish idol worshipers, but I am telling you that Ota is a city of God, a city that God loves so much, and we want more of this programme to proclaim the name of Jesus Christ.”
Oba Odutala added that the programme should not be a one-off but a regular event, adding that the people in his kingdom and environment would be expecting. He also promised to support its organisers in whatever way he can.
He quoted the Olota as saying that whenever the church of God called on him, he and his chiefs would be ready to answer and support them.
“This is big and beautiful. This is what we want in our community; not secular party. This is giving back praise to the King of Kings. We used to hear about it in other towns. It is now the turn of Ota,” he said to the admiration of the cheering crowd.
The Region 44 pastor in Ota family, Dr Seun Aderibigbe, who described the event as provoking heaven to rain blessings on Ota and Ogun State generally, said: “We underestimate the power of praise. Five kings were silenced against one king (Usa) by the power of praise; just because he raised a praise altar unto God.
“This is our own way of raising praise unto God and say God, remember our land, remember Ota, remember Ogun, remember Nigeria.”
Aderibigbe, who expressed optimism that Nigeria will bounce back from its current economic travails, added: “This nation shall witness revival, restoration and total victory over all the challenges we are facing at the moment. When praises goes up, blessings come down.
“Pastor Godwin Obadan and I worked together at Ikorodu where we organised praise encounter. As God would have it, we met again in Ota and we then planned to make it better and bigger.”
The preacher at the occasion and continental overseer for Continent 3 (South West, Nigeria & Middle East) of The Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Johnson Funso Odesola, took his message from Luke 18: 35 with the theme: Your time of encounter.
Odesola said that God can make way where there is no way, making reference to Exodus: 14:21. “He (God) can turn Mr Nobody to Mr Somebody. In Genesis 32:28, He can make doors of supernatural destiny open.
“How do I know? You have to be sensitive to the move of encounter, cry out for help (Jeremiah 3:33) and surrender to the master (Matt.11 23-30).
“Life is turn by turn. There is always a turn for every environment, every sector, and now is the turn of Ota, because when an encounter comes, the dynamics change, destiny changes and miracles are generated and distributed.
“This is the season that God wants Ota to experience and enjoy the wonders of God.”
One of the organisers and provincial pastor of RCCG Ogun Province 3, Pastor Godwin Obadan promised to bring more artistes in the subsequent editions.
“We have more popular artistes who promised to perform at “Praise Encounter” next year. The challenge of space is manageable and we also have space for cars this year.
“We will intensify on control of the crowd. Our medical team is fantastic. We have more than 10,000 participants here today, mainly youth.
“It is a starting point for Region 44. We have more to come on the next edition. We will prepare for a bigger and more spacious venue here in Ota.
“Participants here today are more than 10,000. Other people were standing outside the ground and across the road. We ensured the safety of people on the road and other places at the ground.
“Praise is what I love, and God is blessing my ministry through songs, music and dance in praising Him (God).
“When I was transferred to Ogun province, I sold the idea to the regional pastor and he immediately welcomed it and we put what you witnessed.
“All the artistes that we invited physically performed.”
The member of the House of Representatives representing Ado Odo/Otta Federal Constituency, Akinosi Olatunji Akinni, described the praise encounter as unprecedented.
“The crowd is unbelievable, and praising God is what this country needs now, I thank God that it is starting in my constituency.
“We shall continue to host it as long as the Redeemed Christian Church of God will continue to bring it here.
“All the support that they want, both from the state and the federal, we shall provide.
“My governor would have loved it so much if he had known that this is the kind of worship we are having here today.
“This year’s is gone, but if you bring it next year, I am certain my governor will be here.”
The lawmaker thanked God and for the programme and the cleansing of the land.
