Nigerian gospel singer and pastor Nathaniel Bassey has surpassed one billion views on YouTube, reportedly becoming the first African gospel artiste to reach the milestone.
Statistics from his official YouTube channel, Nathaniel Bassey Main, showed that it had accumulated more than 1.014 billion views and 5.24 million subscribers as of Sunday, November 1, 2026.
The achievement comes more than 15 years after Bassey created the channel in March 2011.
It also coincides with the October 2026 edition of the Hallelujah Challenge, the online prayer and worship programme founded by the gospel minister in June 2017.
The initiative began as a midnight worship session streamed on Instagram Live and has since grown into an international gathering, attracting participants from different parts of the world.
The October edition recorded millions of views across its sessions, with the opening broadcast attracting more than four million views and the Hallelujah Festival grand finale recording over 4.3 million views, according to channel-tracking data.
Bassey is known for popular gospel songs, including ‘Imela’, ‘Onise Iyanu’, ‘Olowogbogboro’ and ‘You Are God’.
The singer has also maintained that the Hallelujah Challenge is primarily focused on worship and spiritual devotion rather than generating revenue.
His latest milestone highlights the growing digital reach of Nigerian gospel music and the influence of online worship platforms in connecting audiences across the world.
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