HER first musical album came out the very year I was born. I was barely six months old when “Bàbá kú isẹ́” was released. There are musicians. Then there are ministers whose songs become generational memories. Evangelist Bola Are belongs firmly to the latter.
Growing up in Ososami in the 1980s, there was a church my neighbours and I attended regularly, CAC Oke Ibukun. It was more than a worship centre; it was a gathering point for revival, old hymns, raw spirituality and undiluted gospel ministration.
One figure who seemed to grace that church almost every other time was Evangelist Bola Are. And truly, the mama carried anointing. No caps.
Long before social media turned gospel music into a commercial spectacle, Bola Are had already become a spiritual institution in Nigeria. Her songs were not just melodies; they were sermons wrapped in worship, revival soaked in rhythm, and prayer translated into sound.
Today, in an era where gospel music often struggles between ministry and entertainment, Evangelist Bola Are remains one of the few voices still deeply rooted in the undiluted gospel tradition.
Born on October 1, 1954, in Erio, Ekiti-West Local Government Area of Ekiti State, Bola Are was raised in an atmosphere heavily influenced by the Christ Apostolic Church movement and some of its most revered spiritual fathers. She was brought up under the influence of Apostle Joseph Ayodele Babalola, Prophet Babajide, Prophet Akande and Prophet T.O. Obadare. That spiritual foundation shaped everything about her life and ministry.
She reportedly spent much of her younger years on prayer mountains, drawing inspiration from the Holy Spirit. Her educational journey began at Christ Apostolic Church Primary School in Erio before proceeding to CAC Grammar School, Efon Alaye, Ekiti State. She later attended The Polytechnic, Ibadan, where she obtained a diploma in Accounting. Yet, even with formal education and opportunities outside ministry, music remained her divine assignment.
According to accounts from her family, Bola Are began singing before her first birthday. By the age of two, singing had already become part of her identity. She often described herself as a “born singer”, convinced from childhood that her life would be dedicated to serving God through music.
On June 26, 1973, she formally established her music group, Bola and Her Spiritual Singers. Four years later, in August 1977, she released her debut album, Baba Ku Ise — the same album that arrived the year I came into this world. Decades later, the songs still carry the same spiritual weight.
The depth in Bola Are’s music has always separated her from many others. Her voice carries conviction. Her lyrics preach holiness, repentance, worship and heaven-consciousness. Listening to her songs was never merely entertainment; it was an encounter. Albums like ‘Jesus Is Coming Back’, ‘Be Ready!’, ‘Bibo Jesu Leekeji’, ‘Lion of Judah’, ‘Oore Ofe’, ‘Power in Praise’ and ‘Gbongbo Idile Jesse’ became household sounds in many Christian homes across southwestern Nigeria and beyond.
For many who were raised in CAC environments, Bola Are’s music was unavoidable, and thankfully so. Her records echoed from cassette players during morning devotions, revival programmes, naming ceremonies and night vigils. She became both soundtrack and symbol of a generation of spiritually conscious gospel music.
As of 2014, she had reportedly released more than seventy albums, an extraordinary body of work that places her among the most prolific gospel musicians Nigeria has ever produced. But beyond the music itself, Bola Are invested heavily in sustaining gospel ministry for future generations.
In 1990, she established the School of Gospel Music International, a platform created to mentor gospel musicians in spiritual discipline and musical excellence. Located at CAC Agbala Oluwa, Bola Are Street, Ogbere Idi-Obi, beside Airport Quarters in Ibadan, the institution became a training ground for upcoming ministers who desired to combine talent with genuine Christian values. Five years later, in 1995, she founded the Bola Are Gospel Foundation International, focused on supporting the less privileged across Nigeria.
Her life has equally reflected stability in family and ministry. She married the late Pastor J.O. Are, a banker and indigene of Owo in Ondo State, in 1977. Their union produced children who also ventured into music ministry, including Yetunde Are.
One remarkable thing about Bola Are is how she has managed to remain relevant without compromising her spiritual identity. She never needed controversy to stay visible. She did not need worldly branding to maintain influence. Her consistency became her signature. That is rare. Even today, mention Bola Are in many Yoruba Christian circles and watch faces light up with reverence. For many believers, especially those raised in the old revival traditions of the Christ Apostolic Church, she represents an era when gospel music was deeply prophetic, prayerful and heaven-focused. An era where musicians ministered with tears, conviction and spiritual authority. Perhaps that is why her legacy continues to endure.
In July 1985, she received an honorary doctorate degree in Music from St. John’s University, a recognition of her immense contribution to gospel music and Christian ministry. Yet, beyond titles and honours, her greatest achievement may simply be the countless lives touched through decades of faithful ministration.
For many who watched her minister in little church gatherings decades ago, who heard those records spinning endlessly in our homes, and who still feel something stir in our spirits whenever those songs play, the appreciation goes beyond nostalgia.
It is gratitude. Gratitude for consistency, spiritual depth and for a ministry that refused to dilute the message. Nigeria’s gospel music history cannot be told without Mama’s name written boldly across its pages.
