Pastor Emmanuel Emefienim, the banker who founded and leads PremiumTrust Bank, will join gospel singer and worship leader Pastor Nathaniel Bassey on Day 23 of the Hallelujah Challenge, the popular midnight praise and worship gathering that draws hundreds of thousands of viewers online.
The session is part of the October 2026 edition of the challenge, themed “The Lord Reigns”. According to the official flyer, it starts at 11:59pm WAT on Tuesday and will stream live on Nathaniel Bassey’s Instagram (@nathanielblow), Facebook (Nathaniel Bassey Official) and YouTube (Nathaniel Bassey Main) pages. The flyer gives the date as “26th Oct”, but Tuesday this week falls on October 27.
“Greatness on Every Side”
Announcing the guest, the organisers said on the official Hallelujah Challenge Instagram page that the previous night’s session was “powerful”. It featured worshippers “dressing and acting” their miracles by faith and prophetic declarations of congratulations, healing, restoration and open doors.
“Day 23 is loading,” the post said. “We welcome Pst. Emmanuel Emefienim, an anointed man in the marketplace, bringing a marketplace anointing for such a time as this. Come expectant! This is not a night to miss!”
Who Is Pastor Emmanuel Emefienim?
Emmanuel Efe Emefienim is one of Nigeria’s best-known bankers, with more than three decades of experience in the financial sector. He is from Ogwashi-Ukwu in Aniocha South Local Government Area of Delta State, and studied at the University of Benin, where he earned a degree in Microbiology and later an MBA.
His banking career began at Oceanic Bank in 1992, where he rose to Head of Credit and Marketing. He went on to work at United Bank for Africa, Savannah Bank and FSB International Bank. In 2006, he joined Equitorial Trust Bank, rising to Zonal Business Director.
When Equitorial Trust Bank was merged into Sterling Bank in 2011, he became a Regional Business Executive for the South-South. He was promoted to General Manager in 2016 and joined Sterling Bank’s board in 2018 as Executive Director, Institutional Banking.
Founder of PremiumTrust Bank
In 2022, Emefienim left Sterling Bank to found PremiumTrust Bank, where he is Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer. The bank opened its first branch in Port Harcourt in April 2022 and has since expanded to Abuja and Lagos.
He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria and holds the national honour of Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON). In 2025, President Bola Tinubu appointed him to the Governing Council of the Federal University of Technology and Environmental Sciences, Iyin-Ekiti. The Sun newspaper also named him its Banker of the Year for 2025.
A Pastor in the Marketplace
Beyond banking, Emefienim is known as a committed Christian and minister. Profiles describe him as a pastor in the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG). His appearance on the Hallelujah Challenge reflects a growing focus in many churches on “marketplace ministry”, the idea that faith should shape how believers work and lead in business, finance and public life.
Many viewers will be keen to hear how he combines a demanding career at the top of Nigerian banking with his work in ministry.
About the Hallelujah Challenge
The Hallelujah Challenge was started by Nathaniel Bassey in 2017 as a midnight worship session on Instagram Live. It quickly grew into a global movement, with worshippers in Nigeria and the diaspora joining nightly sessions of praise, prayer and testimonies. Celebrities, pastors and guest ministers regularly appear, and the challenge now runs in several editions each year.
Bassey, a trumpeter, singer and pastor, is known for worship songs such as “Imela” and “Onise Iyanu”.
Will you be joining tonight’s session? Let us know in the comments.