From Musa Muhammad Kutama, Calabar
Cross River State has been selected as one of the 36 states of Nigeria to host the 2026 Crusade of Christ for All Nations (CFAN), with the campaign tagged “Calabar 2026.”
The international evangelistic ministry, founded by the late German-American evangelist Reinhard Bonnke, will hold the Calabar crusade from November 12 to 15, 2026, at the Calabar International Conference Centre grounds.
Evangelist Daniel Kolenda is expected to lead the preaching during the four-day gospel campaign.
The Executive Director of CFAN Africa, Rev. John Darku, disclosed this in Calabar during a news conference to announce the crusade.
Darku said the event would go beyond spiritual revival, stressing that the expected influx of visitors would also provide an economic boost to businesses, particularly hotels, restaurants, transport operators, traders, artisans and other informal-sector operators.
“The crusade is not only going to be a spiritual investment; it will be an economic stimulus for our traders, our artisans, our hospitality industry and our informal sector,” he said.
He added that the state stood to benefit economically as thousands of people were expected to converge on Calabar for the event.
“They will fill hotels, patronise local businesses, transport services, restaurants and markets,” he said.
Darku said the organisers expected participation from a wide network of churches and individuals, adding that new converts would be linked with local churches for discipleship and continued spiritual growth.
He said the expected impact would extend beyond the crusade, arguing that a stronger church community could contribute to greater social stability and a reduction in crime.
The Chairman of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Cross River State chapter, Dr Trinity Ogar, said regular prayer outreaches organised by Christian bodies had contributed to peace and stability in communities.
Ogar said the crusade was coming at a time when Cross River State and Nigeria needed greater peace, tolerance and national cohesion.
“We have seen it in city after city — where the gospel goes, tension gives way to tolerance, hostility gives way to harmony, and citizens begin to see one another not as rivals but as neighbours under one God,” he said.
He expressed confidence that the Calabar crusade would leave a lasting impact on the city, stressing that peace and social cohesion were essential to political stability and national development.
