The choir of the Organisation of African Instituted Churches (OAIC) bloc of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has won the 2025 Easter Choral competition in Ebonyi state.
The event was organised by the Christian Association of Nigeria, Ebonyi State chapter, in collaboration with the Ebonyi State government.
It was held Thursday at the Christian Ecumenical Centre, Abakaliki, Ebonyi state capital, with the theme: “Resurrection and Renewal”.
Featured in the choral competition were five choirs representing the five blocs of CAN with OAIC scoring a total of 73.6 percent to clinch the trophy.
Second position went to the Christian Council of Nigera, CCN bloc choir with 69 percent score while the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria, CSN bloc Choir got the 3rd position with a score of 68 percent.
The OAIC bloc of CAN is made up of over 30 different denominations of churches including the Christ Holy Church, the Celestial Church of Christ, Cherubim and Seraphim and the Universal Christ Ministry of All Nations, among others.
Announcing the result, the lead choral judge, Dr. David Jayeola commended the competing choir groups for their efforts and urged them to continue to improve on their performances.
Jayeola, the Head of Music Department, Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu-Alike Ikwo, Ebonyi state, explained that adherence to the musical key and song notes, vocal strength, diction and uniformity formed the major criteria for the scores.
In a remark, Governor Francis Nwifuru reassured that the state government would contune to identify with Church in the state as well as support all programmes of CAN.
He solicited continued prayer and partnership of CAN to continue to nurture good governance and moral rectitude in the state.
The Governor, represented by his Chief of Staff, Professor Emmanuel Echiegu, appreciated the CAN for organising the event and for periodically drawing the citizens to the throne of God in praise, describing the even as rewarding.
In his message, the CAN Chairman, Ebonyi state, Rev. Dr. Scamb Chinedum Nwokolo, enjoined Christians never to allow the present hardship in the country shift their focus on God, stressing that the situation could be a lesson, a prelude to God’s abundant blessings upon Nigeria.
He said: “Really, it is very noticeable that things are very difficult these days, not only in Nigeria but across the globe.
However, from the point of our own understanding as the Church, we are aware of what people are passing through in Nigeria, and that’s why we use this medium to speak to our people not to allow the evil and hardship in the land at this time derail or deviate them from their stand point with God.
“We should rather utilize this period of Easter celebration as an opportunity of coming closer to God in order to interface with him and seek for his divine intervention.
“Sometimes, what we feel is very bad is not actually bad in the presence of God, rather God wants to use it and teach us a lesson.
“So, regardless of what is going on, let us exercise restraint and patience in every situation, believing that God has the key to every success in life.
“He knows what is good for us and those good things we believe, will definitely come to us as a people and as a nation.”
Earlier in a sermon titled: “The God of even now”, the founder and General Overseer of the House of Priests and Kings Church, Rev. Professor Wilberforce Oti, urged Christians to eternalise the habit of praising God in all situations, stressing that such an attitude would always attract Gods intervention to bring about a resurrection, a restoration and a renewal.
Expressing gratitude to God for enabling them clinch the top position in the competition, the leader of the OAIC bloc choir, Mrs Joycy Ejikeme, assured that they would continue to work harder to defend and retain the trophy, come next year’s edition.
She enjoined other choir groups to also work hard to improve upon their performances.
