A former governor of Ogun State and the incumbent Senator representing Ogun East, Gbenga Daniel, on Sunday, emphasized the urgent need for religious leaders to address the deteriorating value system in Nigeria.
He also urged Nigerians to utilize their innate abilities and strengths to positively impact society.
Daniel highlighted that the nation’s success hinges on the collective effort of every citizen in contributing to its development and prosperity. He made these remarks during the third annual Asiwaju of Remo Christians Choir Festival, an event he sponsors, held at Abraham’s Tabernacle in GRA, Sagamu.
The festival featured six invited choir groups from Ogun, Lagos, Osun, and Ondo States, all competing for a N3 million prize.
Daniel explained that he initiated the choir competition 16 years ago as part of his annual thanksgiving, aiming to enhance the art of singing in churches. He believes that well-arranged and powerful songs can attract young people to church services and expose them to life-transforming messages. He said, “Basically we feel that part of our responsibility to the society is to help to stem this cause of the collapsed value system and I am of the belief that the Christian church and of course, the Islamic world have a lot to do in terms of moral suasion and sound preaching.”
He continued, “But from my own angle as a Christian, I have decided to see what I can do by encouraging people to come to the church through the development of our singing art with annual choir competition like this. By doing something like this, young people who ordinarily feel sermons can be boring can be encouraged to come to church even if it is to listen to these good music that have their impacting and profound messages as well.”
Daniel further noted the broader impact of such initiatives, pointing out that many successful musicians and entertainers began their careers in church choirs. He believes that Nigeria’s economy can greatly benefit from the music and entertainment industry. He elaborated, “Additionally, a lot of people who are today doing well in the music world and entertainment generally started from the church, that’s where they developed their talents and skills and when you look at the economy of our country, we can do a whole lot with the music and entertainment industry.”
The former governor views the annual choir festival as an investment in identifying, nurturing, and empowering young talent. He encouraged everyone to use their God-given talents to benefit society, citing examples such as Aliko Dangote in industry and Pastor Adeboye in gospel preaching. “Aliko Dangote’s God’s strength is industry and he is using it to add value, Pastor Adeboye’s own is gospel and he is using it well, yours may be music, sports and so on, use it to make positive difference in the society, that is the spirit behind all of this thing we are doing,” he said.
Daniel envisions the choir festival becoming a major tourist attraction, expanding its scope and impact in the future. “The Choir festival will soon be a tourist attraction. It is getting better every year, the next edition will be international and in the not too distant future, it will be a whole week affair, a very big hub of tourism,” he added.
Earlier, the Chairman of the occasion, Dr. Sonny Kuku, Co-founder of EKO Hospital and the Ogbeni Oja of Ijebuland, praised the festival’s impact on promoting healthy competition and striving for excellence.
At the end of the five-hour singing competition, the panel of judges declared De Emmeralds Choir from Akure, Ondo State, which had come last in the previous edition, as the winner of the N3 million prize for the first position.
