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From Aloysius Attah, Onitsha
Renowned Nigerian Christian music composer, choral director, and multi-instrumentalist, Dr Jude Nnam, sensational female gospel artistes Chinyere Udoma, Rosemary Chukwu, Ada Zion, Mirabel Chisom, among others, have been lined up for a special gospel music concert, Unusual Praise, in Onitsha this weekend.
Chairperson of the Unusual Praise project, Barr. Tina Igbokwe, who spoke at a press briefing in Onitsha on Thursday, said Unusual Praise, which started in 2011 at the Catholic Church of Divine Mercy, Lekki, Lagos, under the leadership of Monsignor Paschal Nwaezeapu, has grown in all dimensions to become an annual gathering of the biggest gospel concert in Nigeria which participants eagerly look forward to.
Barr. Igbokwe said that the project, which birthed in Onitsha five years ago through the support of Archbishop Valerian Okeke, the Catholic Archbishop, hosts not less than 20,000 participants who are usually immersed in the worship and praise of God Almighty during the concert with several life-changing encounters and testimonies following each outing.
She said this year holds with the theme “Praise the Lord oh my Soul Psalm 103:1” while the Unusual Praise platform has also made impacts in soul-winning to the extent that over 1,000 people who have left the church have been drawn back to the Christian fold through the instrumentality of Unusual Praise.
“It is an avenue, a platform created by the Catholic Church of Divine Mercy Lekki for the faithful all over the world to worship, praise, and serve God in a very special way. We call it a special encounter with God while the project has also grown to include youth empowerment and business start-up programmes where some people are supported financially to boost their business proposals,” she said.
Former Chairman of the Unusual Praise and one of the sponsors, Chief Valentine Ozigbo, who also spoke, noted that the programme is a divine mandate where people praise God with their heart and manifestations follow. Ozigbo said adequate security arrangements have been made to ensure a safe atmosphere while the artistes lined up to perform were carefully selected through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and consideration of the local desires of the host community.
One of the facilitators in Onitsha, Rev. Fr Barth Okpalugo, said the 2025 edition of Unusual Praise has been packaged to be refreshingly different while the concert will also feature Holy Mass Eucharistic celebration and sharing of the word of God.
Other artistes lined up to perform in the praise concert included Mr M and the Revelation, Fabian Nwafor, among others.
