PASTOR AITY DENNIS AT 60
One of the global Gospel impact makers, Pastor Mrs. Aity Dennis has clocked 60. Wow! What makes it more
interesting is her youthfulness, vivacity and graceful climate she exudes always. It’s hard to see a sign of someone at 60 in her but she’s so excited attaining this diamond age. Pastor Aity Dennis is one of the most celebrated Nigeria’s Gospel
artistes, proudly from Akwa Ibom State. She is married to the lead pastor of Sure Word Assembly, Lagos, Dr. Dennis Inyang, a prolific author, teacher and conference speaker. Aity has won multiple awards as a Gospel music minister, and has written more songs than any indigenous artiste. It’s to the glory of God that her songs have made impact the world over with souls won, the sick healed and backsliders restored. She’s truly living out her belief that, “There’s Coming a Final Thank You From the One Who Sent You.” But before then, Akwa Ibomites and indeed the Gospel world, owes her a big thank you; not just for keeping the torch of faith burning brighter by the day but for sustaining standard in the
Gospel music industry at a time that many are compromising. Pastor Aity Dennis is always very inspiring; whether she’s
describing her experience with God on how she receives inspiration for her songs, or recounting her encounters with her teeming fans all over the globe, you’ll not have any boring moment with her. She’s also celebrating her 30th years of service to the Kingdom as a Gospel artiste. These events are scheduled to hold in Lagos, July 13, Uyo, July 20 and Texas, August 17, 2025. She was excited to share her rich recollections of the very beginning of her music career 30years ago with IMA NKANTA. The discovery will enrich readers, especially aspiring gospel artistes.
It’s unbelievable you’re turning 60, yet you’re looking so young. What is the secret? The Bible says, “the joy of the Lord is our strength, that’s the secret. So, joyfully singing, and serving God, keeps me going, and gives me strength. That’s simply it! There seems to be a contrast here; not all who sing look this youthful at this age. Isn’t there something else than just singing? So, my husband allowing me to be myself and expressing my ministry, keeps me joyful, and when you’re happy, it has a way of showing. It
has contributed a lot to how I look now.
You travel all over the globe, but I’ve never seen your husband on the trip with you, and some wouldn’t allow that. What exactly has accounted for it? One thing that keeps me going is that I have good relationship with my husband, who has been a great support system, allowing me to be myself. There some husbands that cage their wives, and don’t let them express what God has deposited inside. Such relationship has a way of affecting them. So, my husband allowing me to be myself and expressing my ministry, keeps me joyful, and when you’re happy, it has a way of showing. It has contributed a lot to how I look now.
You travel all over the globe, but I’ve never seen your husband on the trip with you, and some wouldn’t allow that. What exactly has accounted for it?
One thing that keeps me going is that I have good relationship with my husband, who has been a great support system, allowing me to be myself. There some husbands that cage their wives, and don’t let them express what God has deposited inside. Such relationship has a way of affecting them. In fact, it’s my husband that prophesied me into the music ministry. I’m celebrating 30 years on stage, along with my 60th birthday – so it’s a double celebration. In 1993, we were holding worship service in Uyo High School under My husband has been a great support system, a great inspiration. He is still my music coach, because back then he was our music director.
He still vets my songs, he would tell me, ‘That song is not good enough, you need to go back to the studio and work on it.’ You can imagine having someone who is your husband and your coach, who has your back, who knows you, who knows your weaknesses, who knows your strengths, and then he is also encouraging you in your area of ministry, you’ll ultimately do well. Consequently, anytime I’m returning from the studio, I’m scared whether I’d pass the test or not, because my husband has an ear for music.
There was one particular song that didn’t pass the test, he had to send me back to the studio seven times, until he finally said, ‘ Yeah, you have hit it now!’ Revival Valley Ministries, where I was singing in the choir. And then one day, I just finished doing a special number, and as I returned to my seat, my husband wrote a note and put it in my hand.
Archbishop Dr. Idem Ikon
In that note, he said, “I see you singing on a global stage.” That was very prophetic, I kept that note for a long time. At that time it didn’t look like it, because I had not even recorded any album then. So, it has taken a long time for us to get to where we are now. Apart from my husband, before I even started out my music career, my pastor, Dr. Sylvanus And because of that kind of training, even today, you cannot catch me off-guard, even if you call me at midnight, I’ll have a song ready. That’s the
kind of background I’m coming from.
Ukafia, played a major role. In those days, every Sunday, my pastor would always ask me to sing before he started preaching. He would say, ‘I want to sing today…and everybody would start clapping, he would then add: “But I forgot my key at home, so let’s call on Aity, she has my key.” What helped me a lot was because every Sunday my pastor would want to sing but he never brought his key. I became pastor’s song key holder. And because of the demands he made of me to sing, I learned to start coming to church
with a song.
Having these people in my life and the kind of grooming they gave me in the music ministry, contributed a lot to where I am today. Our foundation is important; we grew up in Revival Valley Ministry, Calabar, where there was good music. Our general overseer, Archbishop Idem Ikon often travelled and returned with a lot of good music. That church was known for good music. Even though throughout my stay in Revival Valley Ministry, Calabar, I was not part of the choir but I was soaked in music. I did not know how much of music and worship I had absorbed into my system then. The choir at the church in Revival Valley, Calabar, was so good, I wasn’t even qualified to join it. I was sitting in the congregation, but I did not even know that I was learning. Unconsciously, I would learn all the songs the choir sang.
It was when I moved over to Uyo after my studies in University of Calabar and my youth service, that I joined the choir of the Revival Valley Ministry in Uyo. When I look back and I’m like, ‘Oh my God, 30 years already! ‘And I remember that I released my first album, ‘My Hiding Place’ in 1995. One of the songs in that first album was, “Final Thank You.” ‘Final Thank You’ was dedicated to my pastor, Dr Sylvanus Ukaa, because of all his input into my life, encouraging me in the music ministry and all this. It was on the Pastor’s Day that I presented the Final Thank You; it was the first ever Pastor’s Day we did. It was October
1995, as part of my gifts, I wrote this song for him.
I said, “For everything that you have done in my life, I will not be able to thank you enough, but just know that there is still coming a ‘Final Thank You,’ when Jesus will say, well done on my behalf, while you gave me the platform to develop my gifting.” That is why when I am mentoring young people now in music, I tell them, sometimes the church makes a demand on you and you are busy complaining. Those demands that your church or your pastor are making on you regarding worship are preparing you for tomorrow. You don’t understand now, that’s why you complain, ‘This church is just using me.’ I tell my mentees that, ‘If you are not used then you are not useful.’
You have to be useful to the church, useful to God, so that you can be useful to yourself. Don’t complain that you are being used. Don’t complain about that, Give yourself to whatever God wants you to do wholeheartedly. And you will be shocked at where God will take you to. Today I sing around the world, I do concerts, South Africa, America, different nations of the world, but it all started small.
Now, let’s come back home. How do you feel being 60?
When I was young, I thought that by the time someone is 60, he or she will be very old, and maybe going around with a walking stick. That was my idea of someone at 60. But here I am at 60, and I’m not feeling any different. Someone Now, let’s come back home. How do you feel being 60? Let’s talk about Gospel artiste and his or her health. What counsel would you give? Anybody that is involved in gospel music knows that it’s a lot of work. You write the song, you go to the studio, you produce the song.In Nigeria,
you don’t only produce, you get into the marketing of the song. It’s energy-consuming. I always would say; find time to rest. Like I would tell my people, you are not the Lord that neither sleeps nor slumbers; since you are not the Lord, find time to rest, it’s going to make you live
longer to fulfil the ministry.
Celebrate other people, what you make happen to others, God will make it happen to you. You don’t have to be anxious that sometimes people get to 60, and they think, “Oh, I’ve not achieved much,” and they start becoming depressed. It’s a lie! Do you remember when God asked Abraham to move out of his father’s house and his kindred? It was not when he was a child. From 60, you are still learning something; being 60 is not a time to give up, this is not a time to throw in the towel. You can be productive! For me, the positive thing is that I had my children in my 50s; my kids are still young. We run around the house, and this is helping us, as we roll on the ground, we play like children. It keeps me younger, stronger and healthier.
The Bible says, ‘Even in your old age, you can bear fruits.’ But you need to also have some sense to know that as you’re growing older, give yourself some break, take some rest; give yourself vacation. It’s not by power, it’s not by might. And I celebrate God because, like in the music ministry, there are people that started with me who have fallen by the wayside. They are no more singing, they are no more ministering, but I always thank God that He could still find me available and useful in His hands up to this stage. minister for you till I see you face to face.’
So, being 60, for me, I thank God for it. I thank God sustaining me till I’m 60 and I thank God for the things that I’m looking at in future. And so I celebrate God for making me to be 60. asked me, will you still be dancing the way you’ve been dancing? I said,’ I’ve not even started,’ I told the person, ‘check your scripture, Caleb said, “Give me this mountain.” And by the time he said this, he was He recalled that the promise was made to him when he was 40, and now 40 years after, his energy, his strength has not abated.
So I have the same strength. He said, give me this mountain. So I’m speaking like Caleb, ‘Give me this
mountain’ because being 60 for me is not really like…You know you’re growing anyway. But years come with a lot of experience, I can talk with young people who are in the music industry, I can talk with pastors’ wives. You know, you have a backlog of things you have gone through and then you believe that it will be a blessing to the next generation.
I still have so many songs for me to sing that God has given me, I mean, God still gives me songs daily. Almost every day, I wake up with a new song. So it means that God has not given up on me. When I look at people like Panam Percy Paul, He’s like the grandfather of gospel music and he is still very relevant and I say, ‘Lord, I covert this grace, I want to sing for you, I want to minister for you till I see you face to face.’ So, being 60, for me, I thank God for it. I thank God for sustaining me till I’m 60 and I thank God for the things that I’m looking at in future. And so I celebrate God for making me to be 60.
It’s not by power, it’s not by might. And I celebrate God because, like in the music ministry, there are people that started with me who have fallen by the wayside. They are no more singing, they are no more ministering, but I always thank God that He could still find me available and useful in His hands up to this stage. Let’s talk about Gospel artiste and his or her health. What counsel would you give? Anybody that is involved in gospel music knows that it’s a lot of work. You write the song, you go to the studio, you produce the song. In Nigeria, you don’t only produce, you get into the marketing of the song. It’s energy-consuming. I always would say; find time to rest. Like I would tell my people, you are not the Lord that neither sleeps nor slumbers; since you are not the Lord, find time to rest, it’s going to make you live
longer to full the ministry.
Celebrate other people, what you make happen to others, God will make it happen to you. You don’t have to be anxious that sometimes people get to 60, and they think, “Oh, I’ve not achieved much,” and they start becoming depressed. It’s a lie! Do you remember when God asked Abraham to move out of his father’s house and his kindred? It was not when he was a child. From 60, you are still learning something; being 60 is not a time to give up, this is not a time to throw in the towel. You can be productive! The Bible says, ‘Even in your old age, you can bear fruits.’ But you need to also have some sense to know that as you’re growing older, give yourself some break, take some rest; give yourself vacation.
For me, the positive thing is that I had my children in my 50s; my kids are still young. We run around the house, and this is helping us, as we roll on the ground, we play like children. It keeps me younger, stronger and healthier.
