17th August, 2015
Pamela Osagie
As a faithful member of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), I was really excited when I read the news that the 63rd RCCG Annual Convention would be broadcast live on DStv.
The statement from MultiChoice, owners of the DStv platform, said the two-day convention was going to air on a “dedicated channel on DStv” on August 8th and 9th.
Now, prior to my knowledge of this announcement I had every intention of attending the convention – as always. But as fate would have it, my plans to be at the Redemption Camp was not realised, as I was dealing with a bout of malaria, which left me “strong”.
The thought of not joining thousands of other Redeemers to worship and attend the teachings and various plenary sessions left me distraught. Having to get the information from second-hand sources was not going to suffice, so you can imagine my joy when I remembered the live broadcast on DStv. I tuned in at the specified time and experienced the convention like I was there live.
Over the years, the annual convention of the RCCG in August, the Holy Ghost Service in March and the Holy Ghost Congress in December have witnessed a large convergence of people from all walks of life. The attendees usually travel varying lengths of distance to partake in the religious ceremony. Vehicular movement on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway is always heavy, resulting in frustrating gridlocks. Sometimes, these people do not end up meeting up with the programme and have to spend the night in their cars and in traffic.
This year’s convention was no different. I read in one of the dailies that a certain Tunde Busari, a Lagos-based journalist, spent the night on the road due to the convention and got to Ibadan the next day. Even Governor Ambode was not spared. Reports say the Lagos State Governor had to make a U-Turn around 1:00 am on Friday and decided to attend the Saturday communion programme of the convention instead.
It is in the light of this that the DStv broadcast of the convention should be commended, as it “saved” a lot of Nigerians the stress of going through traffic or for those who could not make it, like myself due to ill health or those who had no plans of going at all! This means more people will have the opportunity to experience the proceedings right from the comfort of their homes.
We live in a digital world and our quest for more convenient options for information gathering has greatly evolved. These days people learn, conduct business, entertain themselves and stay in touch with one another without necessarily leaving their comfort zone. So why not leverage technology to experience the Most High? After all, God is not limited by time and space!
MultiChoice Nigeria, owners of DStv and GOtv digital platforms, have provided a wide range of indigenous and international content that have kept Nigerians connected – from movies to music, sports to news, lifestyle and documentary. Including the live broadcast of unarguably Africa’s largest Christian gathering is a step in the right direction and this should be applauded.
Specifically, I must commend the management of RCCG convention for leveraging the programme on DStv because of the platform’s quality and reach. With that said we look forward to more of such broadcasts and perhaps have a permanent channel for local religious content.
Pamela Osagie lives in Akoka, Lagos.