Gospel singer and minister, Nathaniel Bassey, has revealed that divine instruction is the reason he has not monetised his viral Hallelujah Challenge on YouTube.
Speaking during one of the live sessions of the ongoing worship programme, Bassey said he was directed by God not to place ads or earn revenue from the platform, despite public criticism urging him to do so.
“People are dragging me because I didn’t monetise my YouTube channel for the Hallelujah Challenge. I won’t monetise it — God didn’t tell me to,” he said.
The Imela crooner also expressed concern over individuals who have created fake accounts to rebroadcast his live sessions for personal profit.
“There are people that now join the Hallelujah Challenge on fake pages. Some criminals take the feed from my page and air it just to make money,” he lamented.
Launched in 2017, the Hallelujah Challenge is a month-long midnight worship and prayer session that brings together thousands of participants worldwide through Instagram and YouTube. It has since become one of Africa’s most followed online Christian events.
While some fans have speculated that monetising the programme could generate over ₦1 billion in ad revenue, Bassey maintained that the movement was never about money but obedience to God’s instruction.
According to him, the Hallelujah Challenge remains a spiritual assignment aimed at leading people in praise and worship, not a commercial venture.