By Ghazali Ibrahim
Nigerian gospel singer and pastor, Nathaniel Bassey, has made history after his official YouTube channel surpassed one billion views, reportedly making him the first African gospel artiste to achieve the feat.
Figures from his official YouTube channel, Nathaniel Bassey Main, showed that it had accumulated approximately 1.014 billion views and 5.24 million subscribers as of Sunday, November 1, 2026.
The milestone comes more than 15 years after the gospel minister created the channel on March 4, 2011.
Bassey’s growing digital audience has been driven by his gospel music, live worship sessions and the popularity of the Hallelujah Challenge, an online prayer and worship programme he launched in June 2017.
The programme, which began as a midnight praise and prayer session streamed on Instagram Live, has since grown into an international Christian gathering, attracting participants from different countries.
The October 2026 edition of the Hallelujah Challenge further boosted activity on his YouTube channel, with its opening session attracting more than four million views, while the grand finale, known as the Hallelujah Festival, recorded over 4.3 million views, according to channel-tracking data.
Bassey is known for popular gospel songs including ‘Imela’, ‘Onise Iyanu’, ‘Olowogbogboro’, ‘You Are God’, ‘Yahweh Sabaoth’ and ‘Tobechukwu’.
The gospel minister previously attracted attention in November 2025 when he explained his decision not to monetise the Hallelujah Challenge broadcasts, saying the programme was established primarily for worship rather than financial gain.
The latest achievement highlights the growing international reach of Nigerian gospel music and the influence of digital platforms in taking African worship music to audiences across the world.
