Also, choral conductor, actor and model, Cornel Ogar, known for his energetic gospel and secular renditions debuted at the praise festival.
Held at St Dominic Catholic Church, Yaba, Lagos, regulars of the programme, including Fada Fuji, Kellar Thrillz, Desmond Man of Praise and Clenz led diverse songs in the praise and worship of God.
Worship, praise, drama, choreography, fuji music and choir renditions took over the atmosphere from 9.00 pm till dawn, transforming the church environment into a haven of divine encounters and worshippers from all walks of life relished the night.
Characteristic of Catholic gatherings, the event opened with a solemn yet uplifting Holy Mass celebrated by the Pastor of St. Dominic, Fr Alex Agba. The message set the tone for the night, reminding all in attendance of the purpose of the gathering — to praise the Almighty God.
Lamood opened the floodgates of praise with her powerful vocals for the Blessed Virgin Mary (BVM), followed by the soul-stirring ministrations of Jesus Baby and Cheeomah.
The audience was to be thrilled, later, by Cornel, who was on his home soil. He was one time Choirmaster-General of the parish before he took his art to global, participating in ‘The Voice’ and other talent and fortune hunting shows.
The Cross River State-born singer thrilled the audience with his strong tenor voice.
Catholic priest and fuji artiste, Fr. Lawrence Adelana (a.k.a. Fada Fuji) crooned with his fuji gospel beats, while Desmond Man of Praise thrilled the audience with his sonorous renditions. Nsikan Abasi’s performance also resonated deeply with the audience.
The atmosphere reached a fever pitch with the electrifying performances of D.J. Zukey and A Strings, whose musical synergy left the crowd yearning for more. Moses Audu’s ‘God Reigns’ and Clenz’s ‘God is Good’ sustained the momentum, ensuring that the night remained a joyous celebration of faith.
St. Dominic’s Choir, Our Lady of Holy Rosary Choir and Sacred Heart Ojota Choir added a classical music touch, with their choral harmony.
In the spirit of the liturgy, the Ancestor came in with his original compositions and crowned them with the popular ‘In love with Jesus’, a soulful song used by virtually all Catholic choirs in the country and beyond.
The Christian Youth Organisation of Nigeria (CYON) and DJ Xmoe continued to elevate the atmosphere with their ministrations, bringing new dimensions to the night’s worship.
Victus Eze, one of the fast-growing Catholic artistes, gave an explosive wildcard ministration never seen before, even in the contemporary Nigerian gospel music sphere. With ‘Energy’ and ‘Leave Am,’ GreatmanTakit started drawing the curtain. He was assisted by KellarThrillz, who rendered ‘Blessings’ and ‘Aka Gi’, to wrap up the event with a final surge of praise and electric dance that left the congregation in awe of the night’s spiritual impact.
As dawn tore through Lagos, the concert was concluded with a morning Mass celebrated by the by Director of Dominican Media, Fr Jude Mary Owoh about 5.00am.
Convener of the event, Peter Egbumokei of Cadmium Limited, said: “We took a break during the COVID and held a very small daytime concert in 2022, but this is our real massive comeback. It has come with an interesting measure of challenges that were really opportunities to build new relationships.
“Of course, this year marks our 10th anniversary of this praise festival, and by God’s grace through our Lord Jesus Christ, we prevailed and made our praise offering like King David.”
For the Project Manager, Raphael Ezike of DonRalph Media Concepts, the concert is a miracle year in year out, and God uses it to touch His people, despite the challenges of little or no sponsorship.
Cornel said: “The Extravagant Praise was a whole new experience for me, being my first time on the platform. It gave me a whole new insight into my connection with God through the gift He has blessed me with.
“It created a deeper understanding for me of what heaven will be like, worship and praise all day all night! Also, being that it was even staged at home, St Dominic Parish, where music started for me; the feeling cannot be expressed in words.”
Since its inception in 2014 at Freedom Park, Lagos, as Catholic Praise Concert, the praise festival has become a source of spiritual rejuvenation for many. The event’s mission to unite communities through worship and music was evident in the diverse and passionate crowd that gathered at Season 6.
