In the days before gospel music became an entrenched genre of the Nigerian music industry, secular artistes such as King Sunny Ade and Commander Ebenezer Obey were already singing gospel, by thanking God for His mercies unto them through tracks which were dedicated to His praises and goodness.

They never for once referred to themselves as gospel artists, as they were not, and they were never classified as such, except for Commander Obey who has now gone fully into gospel, even becoming an evangelist.

All along, there were artists who sang strictly gospel tunes. They weren't very popular, received minimal airplay, the majority of which was on Sundays, and in adherence with the Word of God, performed in churches, revivals, and other appropriate venues.

But with the boom the music trade has been experiencing in recent times, gospel music has exploded massively. Consequently, many more acts have found their way into it in order to carve a niche – for themselves.

They all claim to be called and that they desire to spread the message of hope and salvation. While this is what they say with their mouths and profess to be in their hearts, their behaviour, actions, dressing, and manner, however, signify otherwise, as they're controversial, ­ materialistic, unlearned in theology, don't go out of their ways to win souls for Christ, and generality just don't do as they should to convey that they are 'Fishers of Men.'

A list of the present­ day crop of top gospel artists would definitely include the following names: Yinka Ayefele, Sammie Okposo, Asu Ekiye, Funmi Aragbaiye, Mike Aremu, Buchi, Ann Inyang, Gloria Doyle and so many others.

Breaking down the several shortcomings of all these supposedly God-like role models would bring about pity for them for it is Obvious that they knew not what they do. Apart from their individual faults, they have the commons, the basic One being that they do not discriminate about where they perform,

Imagine for yourself a gospel artist performing in a night club where the patrons are smoking, drinking, loosely dressed and committing immoral acts.

Of the two, the gospel artiste is the one in the wrong environment where he should never be found. But when asked why, their ready response is that they have to reach as many souls as possible wherever they are, when in actual fact, their motive for performing in such a setting is simply to keep body and soul together.

Individualistic ways they misrepresent the gospel abound and are too numerous to mention. Such cases that instantly come to mind involve Bouqui, Segun Obe, Gloria Doyle, Yinka Ayefele, and virtually all of them.

In Bouqui's case, she made a costly blunder when she agreed to feature on Ashionye's Party Tonite . As is well known, Ashionye's is an unrepentant secular singer-song writer-dancer who got it into her head to feature Bouqui on her Party Tonite . It s never bad to broach an idea, but then it's left to the concerned parties to interpret correctly how it benefits them.

And Bouqui failed in this regard. She dropped her rap on the track and by the time the video was to be shot, she had realised her mistake and therefore opted out of appearing in the video, on the grounds that it wasn't right for her image.

What do you expect her back-off caused beef between both-girls and the blame can be laid solidly at Bouqui's doorstep.

The examples are inexhaustible: Segun Obe featuring Ruggedman on My Father's House, Gloria Doyle always going about semi-dressed till public outrage wore her down, Yinka Ayefele eternally singing praises of human beings, Sammie Okposo always in illicit romantic relationships, etc.

It is only hoped that they will mend their ways because a round peg should only be slotted into around hole, so they should abide by the doctrines of the gospel, instead of going against them for the sake of a few more naira notes in the bank.

Best of all, whichever of them can't be true to the strictness of the gospel should just go out of it, instead of continuously sinning and blaspheming against it, especially from the lofty stand of a preacher of the scripture.

** Culled from the Nation