Emmanuel Aniefiok Iren (born 18 December 1989), known as Emmanuel Iren, is a Nigerian

preacher A preacher is a person who delivers sermons or homilies on religious topics to an assembly of people. Less common are preachers who Open-air preaching, preach on the street, or those whose message is not necessarily religious, but who preach com ...

, gospel

singer Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define singi ...

, and songwriter. He is the founder of

Celebration Church International Celebration Church International (also known as CCI) is an international charismatic Christian denomination headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. It was founded by Emmanuel Iren and has several branches located in Nigeria, the United Kingdom, United ...

(CCI), headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. He is the current President of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) Youth Wing. As part of his music career, he is the President of Outburst Music Group, a gospel music band formed out of the church choir for which he has written fourteen songs across the albums ''Kerygma'' released in 2017 and ''Octane'' released in 2020. He also wrote the band's most recent single "Light Up The Way" which featured the gospel artist

Eben Eben is a name of Hebrew origin. It is sometimes short for Ebenezer. The name can refer to: People Given name * Eben Alexander (author) (born 1953), American author and neurosurgeon * Eben Alexander (educator) (1851–1910), American educator * ...

. In 2022, he released his album ''Apostolos: Sounds of Transition''.

Early life and education

Iren comes from

Akwa Ibom State Akwa Ibom is a States of Nigeria, state in the South South, South-South geopolitical zone of Nigeria. It borders Cross River State to the east, Rivers State and Abia State to the west and north-west, and the Atlantic Ocean to the south. The state ...

, Nigeria. He completed his primary education at Saint Bernadette's Nursery and Primary School in Ipaja, Lagos. He went on to Queen's Choice Nursery and Primary School College in Ikotun, Lagos and later attended Doregos Private Academy where he acquired his secondary education. In 2011, he obtained a bachelor's degree in Building Technology from

Covenant University Covenant University (CU) is a private Christian university in Ota, Nigeria, Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria. It is affiliated with Living Faith Church Worldwide and is a member of the Association of Commonwealth Universities, Association of African Un ...

, Ota, Nigeria. He also holds a

Master of Business Administration A Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a professional degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration; elective courses may allow further study in a particular ...

from the

University of Lagos The University of Lagos (UNILAG) is a Public university, public research university located in Lagos, Nigeria, which was founded in 1962. UNILAG is one of the education in Nigeria#First generation universities, first generation universities in ...

, Nigeria.

Ministry

In 2008, Emmanuel Iren started a Christian campus fellowship known as Triumphal Youth Fellowship as an undergraduate student in

. The fellowship soon grew beyond the campus walls, and into a full-time ministry. On 11 November 2012, the Life Triumphal Church was opened in Lagos. Two years after, in 2014, it was renamed the Celebration Church International, also known as CCI. Presently, the Celebration Church International has over 100,000 members worldwide with 30 branches: across Nigeria, the United Kingdom, Canada and the USA. On 11 June 2025, Emmanuel Iren was inaugurated as the President of the Pentencostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) Youth Wing. A position he is expected to hold for a period of four years. He is also the chairman of the Executive Council that also has members Apostle Femi Lazarus, Pastor Chris Ojeikere, Pastor Daniel Olawande, Pastor Oge C. Ogwe, Pastor Philip Olubakin, Pastor Olumese E. Olumese, Pastor Anwinli Ojeikere, Pastor Olusola Okodugha, Pastor Sam Obiora, and Pastor Karis Ameh Wealth.

Career

Music career

Emmanuel Iren debuted his first album ''Kerygma'' in 2017 with the Outburst Music Group. In 2021, he was featured by Nigerian gospel artiste Odunayo Adebayo in the hit song "Zoe". In August 2022, he announced the release of his second album ''Apostolos: Voice of Transition,'' which comprised 13 tracks including "Overcome", "In Your Name", "Holy Ghost" and "Glory". The album featured other gospel artistes like

Sinach Osinachi Kalu Okoro Egbu, known professionally as Sinach, (born 30 March 1972) is a Nigerian singer, songwriter and senior worship leader, serving in this capacity for over 30 years. She is the first singer-songwriter to top the Billboard chart ...

, Nosa and Judikay. Shortly after its release, the album peaked as one of the top 10 on Apple Music.

Filmmaking

Iren made his debut movie as an executive producer with ''

What About Us What About Us may refer to: Music Albums * ''What About Us'' (Livin Out Loud album) or the title song, 2006 * ''What About Us?'', by Ruth-Ann Boyle, 2007 Songs * "What About Us?" (Brandy song), 2002 * "What About Us" (The Coasters song), 1959 * ...

which released nationwide on 12 July 2024.

Discography

Albums

Singles

As lead artist

* ''Grace Changes Everything (feat

)'' * ''Holy Ghost (feat

)'' * ''Overcome (feat E-Daniels)'' * ''Prophetic Chant (feat Nosa)'' * ''Fire On My Altar'' * ''Power in Abundance (feat Bajulaye Victor)'' * ''The Glory (feat Outburst Music Group)'' * ''Yes To Your Will'' * ''In Your name (feat Judikay)'' * ''The Glory of the Lord reveals'' * ''Agalliao (feat Nathaniel Bassey)'' * ''Agbara Olorun po (feat Yetunde Are)''

As featured artist

* ''Zoe (Odunayo Adebayo feat Emmanuel Iren)'' * ''Bo Ta Jor (Prinx Emmanuel feat Emmanuel Iren)'' * ''Agalliao (Aigbeh Dgong ft Pastor Emmanuel Iren) '' * ''Ambience (Damilola Praiseworth ft Pastor Emmanuel Iren)''

Bibliography

* ''Leading Seeks You'' * ''Purposefully'' * ''Am I Being Fooled? FAQs about God, the Bible and Jesus Christ'' * ''Saving Grace'' * ''LoveCode'' * ''Come To Me Bible Book'' * ''Pray Book: Strategies for Building a Prayer Life''

Personal life

Iren married Laju Arenyeka (now Laju Iren) in November 2014. They have three daughters and one son.

Recognition

* In 2021, he was mentioned in ''

YNaija ''YNaija'' is a Nigerian online content publishing platform, founded by Chude Jideonwo and Adebola Williams of RED Africa media group. ''YNaija'' launched in May 2010 with columnists and various news sources. It offers news, original content ...

'' Magazine among the 100 most influential people in ministry in Nigeria. * In 2022, ''Apostolos'' was nominated as the album of the year (Kingdom Achievers Awards) * In 2023, he was bestowed with an honorary Doctorate Degree from Myles Leadership University.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Iren, Emmanuel 1989 births Nigerian gospel singers 21st-century Nigerian male singers People from Akwa Ibom State Nigerian Pentecostal pastors Living people