Artist: Cornelius Benjamin
Song: NANI GI
Album: JESUS BE OGA 2
Track: 7
Genre: Gospel
Language: Igbo
Released: June 11, 2001
Duration: 2:16
Label: 5737480 Records DK
If you’re going through the old Nigerian gospel songs, “NANI GI” is another one that deserves a place on the list.
Cornelius Benjamin released the song in 2001 as the seventh track on his JESUS BE OGA 2 album. The song is just over two minutes long, but it has remained one of the better known tracks from the project.
The title “Nani Gi” is an Igbo expression that can be understood in the context of the song as “Who are You?” It is a phrase directed toward God, and the song uses it as part of its praise and worship message.
What is interesting is how the song has continued to find listeners more than two decades after its original release. Spotify currently shows over 186,000 plays for “Nani Gi,” while Cornelius Benjamin’s official Audiomack page has recorded more than 74,000 plays.
And when you look at the complete JESUS BE OGA 2 album, you can see that NANI GI sits right in the middle of a collection of songs built around praise, worship and declarations about God. The album includes “JEHOVA MAZURU,” “EZI ENYI,” “NKEM APUGHI ICHE,” “OLU OMA GI EBUKA,” “OBU JEHOVA,” “ONYE UKWU,” “HEAVENLY RACE,” “GOD IS GREATER” and several others.
For people who remember Nigerian gospel music from the early 2000s, songs like this bring back a very different sound from what we hear today. The production is simple, the indigenous language is prominent, and the focus stays mostly on the message.
That’s also why this old catalogue is worth revisiting. “NANI GI” isn’t trying to sound like a modern gospel record. It is a snapshot of the kind of Nigerian gospel music that was being made and listened to more than 20 years ago.
And Cornelius Benjamin is still active today. His catalogue stretches from the 1990s through several gospel projects, with his latest listed release being “GINI KAM GA EJI (WHAT SHALL I RENDER)” in March 2026.
Listen to Cornelius Benjamin – NANI GI using the audio player below and enjoy another classic from JESUS BE OGA 2.
