… As On The Niger Summer Music Class Winds Up Session
By Emeka Odogwu
Bishop on the Niger, Anglican Communion, Anambra State, the Rt Rev Dr Owen Nwokolo, has emphasized what he described as the transformative qualities of music, insisting that Nigeria could diligently engineer such qualities to achieve greatness.
He said that refined humanistic quality music was capable of transforming, not only the spirit but also the intellect and character, thereby positively affecting the perception of people’s worldviews.
Nwokolo expressed the view in a brief speech he delivered at the end of the 2025 Summer Music Class of the diocese held at the Archbishop C. J. Patterson International Auditorium, All Saints’ Cathedral, Onitsha, Wednesday, September 3.
The bishop who spoke through a senior priest in the diocese, Ven Benson Okafor, explained that Nigeria, among other things, could properly appropriate philosophically crafted lyrics to transform “our generation.
“Good church music, the types we experienced in the 70s and 80s by the Voice of the Cross, Harcourt White and others, were able to make impact on people because of their powerful transformative force”, he said.
In contrast, according to the Prelate, much of the present day music types laced with innuendos, attacks and name – callings lack transformative Christian values and should be discouraged for what they are, adding that Christian music should not be used to settle scores.
He appealed to governments, various faith organisations and the music industry in the country to consciously invest on quality regenerative music genres capable of causing among the people, discernable spiritual, moral and intellectual rebirth for the general good of the nation.
He commended the coordinator of the Summer Music Class, Sir Ifeanyi Ezeugo who also doubles as the Diocesan Music Director, for his initiative, drive and resilience in making the class a source of pride for the diocese.
He encouraged the students and their instructors to be diligent in their study of music, assuring that they would soon reap the fruit of their present effort as music, like football, wrestling and the theatre were now lucratively ruling the world.
Earlier, the Subdean of the All Saints’ Cathedral, Ven Samuel Ezewudo, had through a proxy, a priest in the cathedral, Rev Emeka Ezeabuchi, in an opening remarks commended the students and their instructors for their love for music, urging them not to relent in the passion.
He however advised them to develop the spirit of humility and patience and not to be anxious to jump out prematurely into the world to hunt for cheap popularity and money, assuring that with humility and patience they stood to enjoy brighter future.
In a short vote of thanks, the Coordinator, Sir Ezeugo, expressed profound gratitude to the bishop and his wife, Dr Elsie Nwokolo, for what he called “their invaluable spiritual, moral and financial supports” which he said they continually used to make the class tick.
Sir Ezeugo lauded the success of the year’s session, however, confessing of the session’s low enrollment, revealing that the year’s turnout was a little short of 200 and above of its usual annual population.
Highlights of the event were renditions by the students of various original and extant classical works in both Igbo and English, much of which dramatically held the audience spellbound, due, especially, to the dexterity the students blended instruments and vocals.
Total gifted items presented to the best performing students were 9, comprising one keyboard, two recorders and six solar lamps courtesy of Sir Ezeugo, while a parent, Ven Okafor, gifted one keyboard to one of students.
